I'm grateful I don't play professional baseball. Of course, I can't play kickball with any skill and have never been able to do so, but today I'm thinking about all the folks whose work is affected by the weather and those delightful "boys in Royal's blue" have had some challenges this summer.
Also dealing with this are road work crews, house painters, swimming pool managers, cable guys, police officers, EMTs, tow truck drivers and ice cream truck drivers just to name a few. So often those of us who can duck in and out of air conditioning or coordinate our errands to avoid the dampest and hottest weather forget folks whose work blesses us no matter the weather.
I was in a post-hurricane world for a couple of weeks once and I learned to carry water around in my car to offer the folks working to keep traffic flowing and restart cell phone towers, land lines, electricity, internet and cable. Today my church provides plastic bags filled with water, granola bars, and small personal care items as a gift for homeless folks. Where I used to live I saw them nearly every day; in this huge city I can go weeks without seeing even one. It is not because they do not live here, but rather because they are clustered around public transportation and social services.
There are crews working in flood areas and fire areas and plague areas around this country and the world helping folks like us who have found themselves in great distress.
My point is this: let's keep our eyes open for opportunities to express appreciation, offer small comfort like water and strew small acts of kindness and love. Pray for folks you meet (and you are not required to tell them that you are unless you feel certain they would welcome knowing it.) The possibilities are endless.
And if you enjoy this as much as I think you will, there are some larger projects that would welcome your hands, feet, smiles, loose change, love and prayers.
Thank you for singing our anthem, Matthew West. I have found great joy when I quit waiting for someone else to fix a problem and instead am stepping out to "Do Something."*
*Words and music by Matthew West
Also dealing with this are road work crews, house painters, swimming pool managers, cable guys, police officers, EMTs, tow truck drivers and ice cream truck drivers just to name a few. So often those of us who can duck in and out of air conditioning or coordinate our errands to avoid the dampest and hottest weather forget folks whose work blesses us no matter the weather.
I was in a post-hurricane world for a couple of weeks once and I learned to carry water around in my car to offer the folks working to keep traffic flowing and restart cell phone towers, land lines, electricity, internet and cable. Today my church provides plastic bags filled with water, granola bars, and small personal care items as a gift for homeless folks. Where I used to live I saw them nearly every day; in this huge city I can go weeks without seeing even one. It is not because they do not live here, but rather because they are clustered around public transportation and social services.
There are crews working in flood areas and fire areas and plague areas around this country and the world helping folks like us who have found themselves in great distress.
My point is this: let's keep our eyes open for opportunities to express appreciation, offer small comfort like water and strew small acts of kindness and love. Pray for folks you meet (and you are not required to tell them that you are unless you feel certain they would welcome knowing it.) The possibilities are endless.
And if you enjoy this as much as I think you will, there are some larger projects that would welcome your hands, feet, smiles, loose change, love and prayers.
Thank you for singing our anthem, Matthew West. I have found great joy when I quit waiting for someone else to fix a problem and instead am stepping out to "Do Something."*
*Words and music by Matthew West
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