Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered. (Proverbs 11:25)
Yesterday I baked about 10 dozen cookies, all chocolate chip, some with pecans. And then I proceeded to bag them up and deliver them to some of my neighbors as a "thank you" for being such great neighbors.
We went to visit J and S, an elderly couple that have invited us to their house several times for ice cream, games, and even a fun tea party with silly hats. We ended up sitting in the sun with J (socially distanced, of course) and chatting while eating some yummy ice cream pops that he gave us.
While we were chatting, J mentioned that they hadn't left home in six weeks, other than to do grocery pick-up. When Anne and I left, I told her that it probably meant a lot to them that we'd stopped by to visit.
On the way back, we stopped at N and C's house to deliver their cookies. So many people out there are trying to watch their weight or otherwise eat healthy, which is one reason I love sharing cookies with N and C -- they are always up from some sweet treats!
A little later, Dan and I brought some cookies to C (my piano teacher) and R (her husband, and my erstwhile voice/music theory teacher). (Their last name is Cook, but it should be Musician. Ha ha.) They have the most beautiful roses growing in their front yard, and I'd texted my piano teacher several days before to tell her how much I've been admiring them.
So we delivered the cookies and were chatting with them when my piano teacher asked if we wanted some of the roses. "Sure," I said, and she asked me to pick out what I wanted. I really just had my eye on one rose, a lovely salmon-colored one. So they clipped that one for me. Then they asked what else I wanted.
"Oh, just this one is plenty," I started to say, but they were like, "No, we actually need to trim these. What else would you like?"
So I pointed to this one and that one, and they clipped a few more that I hadn't noticed, and next thing I knew, we had two kitchen-sized garbage bags full of roses.
On the way home, we stopped at N and C's again and dropped off some roses.
Then, after I got home, I arranged some roses in a couple of cute vases I'd found at the Dollar Store and delivered them to my next-door neighbor and my across-the-street neighbor.
And then one of my daughter's friends asked if she could have some roses for her mom for Mother's Day, so I had her run home and get a vase, and we made her an arrangement.
I was also able to liven up my own home with a dozen or so roses here and there.
So it all started with some cookies. From that, we got to visit several people, and later we got to share beautiful roses.
This is a small example of something I need to be reminded of every now and then: If I'd just get up off my butt and do nice things for people, I'll very likely experience blessings in return. I am so often selfish, just wanting to my thing (play piano and read), and not keeping an eye out for what others may want or need. Not that anyone needed cookies (though my piano teacher did say she'd needed a chocolate fix), but people did need to know that someone was thinking about them, and that someone cared enough to prepare some snacks and walk over to their house to deliver them. And perhaps people did need a couple of visitors to check in and see how they were doing, and share some stories.
This whole story has a sweet little suburban feel to it, I know; there are much greater needs out there than chocolate fixes or a few minutes of chatting. But still, I thought this was a good example, and a good reminder, that even small acts of kindness will bring back blessing.
And even that small thing is something to celebrate.
and one who waters will himself be watered. (Proverbs 11:25)
 |
| Roses from my piano teacher's yard |
We went to visit J and S, an elderly couple that have invited us to their house several times for ice cream, games, and even a fun tea party with silly hats. We ended up sitting in the sun with J (socially distanced, of course) and chatting while eating some yummy ice cream pops that he gave us.
While we were chatting, J mentioned that they hadn't left home in six weeks, other than to do grocery pick-up. When Anne and I left, I told her that it probably meant a lot to them that we'd stopped by to visit.
On the way back, we stopped at N and C's house to deliver their cookies. So many people out there are trying to watch their weight or otherwise eat healthy, which is one reason I love sharing cookies with N and C -- they are always up from some sweet treats!
A little later, Dan and I brought some cookies to C (my piano teacher) and R (her husband, and my erstwhile voice/music theory teacher). (Their last name is Cook, but it should be Musician. Ha ha.) They have the most beautiful roses growing in their front yard, and I'd texted my piano teacher several days before to tell her how much I've been admiring them.
So we delivered the cookies and were chatting with them when my piano teacher asked if we wanted some of the roses. "Sure," I said, and she asked me to pick out what I wanted. I really just had my eye on one rose, a lovely salmon-colored one. So they clipped that one for me. Then they asked what else I wanted.
 |
| I fell in love with this rose. It had some nasty thorns, though! |
So I pointed to this one and that one, and they clipped a few more that I hadn't noticed, and next thing I knew, we had two kitchen-sized garbage bags full of roses.
On the way home, we stopped at N and C's again and dropped off some roses.
Then, after I got home, I arranged some roses in a couple of cute vases I'd found at the Dollar Store and delivered them to my next-door neighbor and my across-the-street neighbor.
And then one of my daughter's friends asked if she could have some roses for her mom for Mother's Day, so I had her run home and get a vase, and we made her an arrangement.
I was also able to liven up my own home with a dozen or so roses here and there.
So it all started with some cookies. From that, we got to visit several people, and later we got to share beautiful roses.
This is a small example of something I need to be reminded of every now and then: If I'd just get up off my butt and do nice things for people, I'll very likely experience blessings in return. I am so often selfish, just wanting to my thing (play piano and read), and not keeping an eye out for what others may want or need. Not that anyone needed cookies (though my piano teacher did say she'd needed a chocolate fix), but people did need to know that someone was thinking about them, and that someone cared enough to prepare some snacks and walk over to their house to deliver them. And perhaps people did need a couple of visitors to check in and see how they were doing, and share some stories.
This whole story has a sweet little suburban feel to it, I know; there are much greater needs out there than chocolate fixes or a few minutes of chatting. But still, I thought this was a good example, and a good reminder, that even small acts of kindness will bring back blessing.
And even that small thing is something to celebrate.
Comments
Post a Comment