This week, our daughter asked us to attend her church with her. Today we will get ready and join her for her morning service. It is such a delight to be asked to join her and her husband in worship. A friend of hers and their family will be joining us for their very fist time in church as adults. It is an awesome way to start the week.
This got me thinking about how we had a hard time settling into a church when we lived in South Carolina. We tried many and felt best at a large main stream church. It is a church with a title describing their religion, like Lutheran, Baptist etc., and is " a brand" of church we have never attended. We connected with two pastors there, who are amazing people and whom I miss tremendously. The religion they serve God under matters none. Churches have a variety of traditions and ways of doing things and things they like and don't like making them different from one another. The truth be told, if they are teaching from the scriptures as they are written, the traditions don't matter much.
As I sat on the floor in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee, watching the cats circle around me as if I was part of a wagon train in a circle waiting for an attack, I began to think of the places I have lived (24 since I was 18) and the jobs I have had (also in the twenties) I began to think of the places and jobs I have really enjoyed.
The places I loved and my fondness for them, was largely because of one thing. The jobs I loved were also about the same thing. The churches we attended and loved were again about the same thing. Even what made our stay in the condo on the beach was because of the same thing.
Brothers and sisters, it is simply this, it has all been about the people. When I reviewed all the things I am most fond of, it has everything to do with the people.
I would love, love, love to have a condo at the beach. It is amazing and nature is at it's best at the beach. What made it even more special was that we have friend's who would let us use that wonderful condo. The generosity and kindness of these friends was as amazing as the sunrises. Every morning when we woke, we talked about how awesome it was for them to let us use it. Their kindness to us was overwhelming.
The fact that our daughter thinks enough of us to ask us to go to church with them this morning is again, amazing. Her wanting to include us in something so personal, so intimate mades us feel appreciated, loved and important.
That great big church in South Carolina, where we knew almost no one is a beautiful memory and a church I miss very much. It is not because of their style of worship or the name on the door, or how good the cookies and coffee are in the courtyard after the service. I love it because of the two pastors who make me feel welcome. I love them because of how they made time to talk, how they took an interest in our life and because they are real people with loving hearts.
My fondest memories of the jobs I had all have that same thing in common. It is the people. It has nothing to do with any title I have had, how pretty my office was or even how much I made. It was about shared moments with the people. I worked at a computer parts company in the San Fernando Valley. I got to know the owners well, the owners children and their family. I was even invited to attend one of the owner's family Hanukah dinner at their house. I was honored to partake. We had a million adventures together. Although I was not related, I felt like part of the family. A treasure and a gift that we sometimes don't even feel in our own families. I feel so connected to them even though it has been around 27 years since I worked there. Once in a while we exchange emails confirming that we still mean something to each other.
The places I am most fond of are also largely because of who we met there. When we moved to South Carolina, we only knew a realtor who introduced us to her posse. That group of people grew into some of our fondest of friends. We would ride our bikes through a variety of areas there and once ran into another realtor friend. The ride was beautiful but it was the unexpected blessing of bumping into this friend and his wife that made it extra special.
As I now sit back in my chair at my desk, looking at the computer, I happen to notice all the things around me. Directly above my computer screen hangs a black cross given to me by a friend I love. She saw it in a store and told me it had my name all over it. It was not my birthday, it was not a holiday, she simply felt she wanted me to have it. The cross is black with writing in white, talking about how life is a journey. It tells us that God has plans for us, good plans, plans for a future, and to give us hope. It tells us that He will guide us along the best path for our lives and that He will watch over us. Wow! I am reminded everyday of how He loves me. I am reminded every day how this friend loves me. I also have a note card taped above the cross from a friend who is now in Seattle. The card is a card to encourage me to keep writing. It shares with me how this friend cares for me and makes me feel loved. On my desk is a stone with Dec. 6, 2011 written on it. It was given to me by a pastor friend who spent time with me one day talking about the direction of my life. He and another pastor prayed over me and anointed me with oil from Jerusalem and then with water from the Jordan river. That stone is a reminder of a moment that I felt loved. There is a coin on my window sill that has writing on it saying, "Leave a legacy". The author of the book that the coin comes from sent me an email encouraging me and telling me that he believed I have a purpose. There is a frame with a matted copy of a prayer I gave at a retirement ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington D.C.. This was meant as a memento to thank me for my prayer and it told me I was appreciated. Every time I look at the Grounds for Love logo, my thoughts immediately go to the friend who created it for me. In fact, as I look around the room I see letters, plaques, awards and accomplishements. Obviously they all represent treasured moments. Interestingly, they all have faces attached to them making them special and earning them a place on my wall.
I could go on for pages about all the adventures I have had, but the important thing to note is that the best of all the adventures, have faces attached to them. People made them amazing, wonderful, and special.
Pondering my feelings about all the people who have a special place in my heart, I realize that I sincerely love them all. Loving people wherever I have been and whatever I have done, is what made treasured memories.
You may be sitting right next to a future treasured memory in church, at work, on a plane or wherever you find yourself. Pay close attention, take a chance and share a moment of love. Here is a point you may not have thought of, you may be sitting next to a person who you will become that face in one of their fondest memories. Give love a chance. Love somebody. Everybody.