“One Simple Act”

Looking back, I can  easily recall the major “life changing” events of my life ….. my early family life, including happy and sad moments, my meeting and later marrying Judy, our children and grandchildren & GGC, major job changes, moves to various parts of the country, time in the service, and most of all the wonderful moment of grace that brought me into the family of God…. my baptism and other sacraments, and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, where my life took a 180 degree turn  back to God, and led me to join with other great men and women in Christian community. 

Yet I find it somewhat surprising how I remember many little things of my past, things that maybe lasted only for a brief moment and were not of great magnitude…. yet they were important to me. 

• I remember the 100 degree heat in the New Mexico desert when a friend shared his ice cold soda with me…I never remember a more refreshing drink. I never saw him again after we left Ft. Bliss, but I still remember his kindness and pray for him. 
• Another time it was a cold rainy morning and we were doing some outside work around our homes. I hadn’t had time to eat and another friend shared his hot Taylor ham & egg breakfast sandwich with me….it was so delicious. 
• I recall another time when I had finished breakfast while away at a meeting and dropped my tray full of dishes on the floor; as I stooped over to start cleaning up, a friend quickly joined me, “Dave, let me help you.” 
• I had struggled trying to install a hose reel on my garage block wall, when I asked my handy neighbor for help. He immediately brought over his tools and graciously helped me. It’s still there today, even though he’s not with us any longer.

I could come up with many other examples where I was in need and someone came to help me, often in small ways. Sometimes it was just someone saying hello, a smile, a word of encouragement, a kind gesture to give me the right away in traffic, a no-charge for a service that was rendered…… the list goes on and on.

Everyday we have the opportunity to affect other’s lives. When we are open to the Holy Spirit, we can do some small kindness to someone that may be remembered for the rest of their life. It doesn’t have to be some major act of love, it can be something as simple as a smile, a word of encouragement, a thank you.

Pope John Paul II prayed each morning a prayer taught to him by his father, “ O, Holy Spirit, love of the Father & Son, inspire me in how to think, what to say, how to speak, when to be silent, how to act, what to do…for the glory of God, the good of souls and for my sanctification…..”. 

As we do this, we can be instruments of God’s love that may help someone get thru a tough moment in their life and that will be very good news.