Sidewalk Love Notes

There, plain as day on my front walkway was a love note - left for me by one of my precious little piano students. In bright blue chalk, she had etched “I love Mrs. Melodie!” for all to see. Scurrying out the door to rush to the post office before it closed, I almost missed it. I almost missed the handwritten message that sent me into a full body smile! Me! She loves me! She took the time to let me know…and I almost missed it in my hurry.

Surely this happens in my other relationships as well. My children hand me their papers from school, waiting for me to notice the blood, sweat and tears they spent over each answer and I barely glance at the grades scribbled in red across the top of the page, then toss them. My husband fills my van with gas (mortgaging our house to do so, these days) and do I even notice?

Even more so, the Creator of the Universe scribbles His love for me time and time again, but I’m rushing from one gig to the next, twirling plates as I go, without so much as even a glance. Romans 1:21 tells us that we can see Him in creation. “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature.” I marvel each day at God’s fancy handiwork as I watch the woodpeckers, hummingbirds, and cardinals gather on my back deck for the all-you-can-eat buffet. The kids and I are constantly oohing and aahing at the various formations of clouds. Just yesterday, when I was taking my youngest to school, she and I thought the clouds looked like the ocean as it creeps up to the shore. Love notes.

Yes, God is constantly passing notes over to me, complete with the proverbial, “Do you love Me? Check yes or no.” Many times, His love is handed to me through people. I just got off the phone with my dear earthly Daddy and when I hung up, I was certain I had heard the voice of God – not because He has a booming, rich voice, but more because he speaks to me of my heavenly Daddy’s love for me. My friends hand me God’s love notes, too – like the other day when my buddy said, “You’re not doing so well today, are you? Sit down. I want to pray over you.” Wow. She did, and my burdens were lightened significantly. Love notes.

Who is writing love notes on your walkway? Can you see them? Are you looking? My guess is that love notes are all around you, awaiting your gaze. Take time to stop and see them. The post office will be open again tomorrow.

Lessons from the City Dump

When the non-profit magazine came in the mail from Compassion International, I almost cast it aside without even looking – but for some reason, I decided to flip through it. I stopped at page 4 and was mesmerized by the picture of Hannah and Florence, 2 sisters from Iloilo City in the Philippines. Captured by their story, I tried to imagine what life would be like for my own daughters if they had to sift through the garbage dump each day to help provide for their family. My mind struggled to even visualize it - the smell of filthy, rotting garbage in the heat of the sun, the small penance received for the back-breaking labor. No, I can’t even begin to imagine it. Don’t want to, thank you very much.

Hannah and Florence were still fresh in my mind later that day as my family sat around our dinner table, adorned with hot, fresh, ample food. The kids inhaled the beef stew and their Dad and I grinned as they shared the funny things that had happened during their school day. When there was a lull in conversation, I turned to page 4 and introduced them to Hannah and Florence from the Philippines. They listened intently as I read of the sisters’ plight and we all silently admired their courage and tenacity to be able to work at the trash heap every weekend, holiday, and even early mornings before school. I was probably not the only one at the table thinking, The audacity of me to complain about what I do or don’t have! My lifestyle is probably overwhelming wealthy compared to theirs! While we may never meet Hannah and Florence face to face in this lifetime, our family joined hands and prayed for them by name – like we had known them for years. We prayed for their strength and endurance. We thanked God for Compassion International and groups just like them who put feet to their faith. We asked God to bless these sisters in amazing, unthinkable ways.

I so much want to insure that my kids are givers. How do I instill in them a compassion for the less fortunate and a tenacity to touch the untouchable? I’m pretty sure it begins with the one whose fingers are typing these words. High on my “bucket list” is for my little family to go on a foreign mission trip one day. I am believing that this will happen at the right time. For now, I want my family to see me have the “knee-jerk reaction” to help others whenever possible, instead of looking the other way or claiming to be too busy. According to the Corporation for National & Community Service, nearly 9 out of 10 young people who give their time have parents and siblings who volunteer. Hmm.

My mind jumps to the words Jesus Himself told us that the righteous will hear one day. “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” Matthew 25:35,36 It seems almost heretical to imagine the Lord Jesus in line for free soup, but these were His words! The other day when I had the awesome opportunity to give out gloves and hats to the homeless, I found myself studying their cold, ruddy-cheeked faces for signs of the Savior. But it might not dawn on me to look for Jesus when my neighbor calls in a panic and needs me to watch after her toddler for an hour or two, or my other friend has a sick child and needs me to pick up her kids in car line, or someone needs a ride, or a meal, or a touch, or a prayer, or my favorite red scarf. When I do these things, not only am I doing it unto Him, but my kids are seeing this Scripture come alive before their very eyes!

Hannah and Florence, thank you for teaching us about hard work and reminding us to love and care for those who are less fortunate than us. We can’t wait to meet you in heaven one day…where there are no trash heaps…ever again!

Accidentally on Purpose

“I accidentally memorized my piano song this week, Mrs. Griffin.” Imagine this piano instructor’s glee when my student flippantly made that remark! Such commentary is a dead giveaway that a student has been spending ample time at the ivories. Any artist will tell you that the more time he or she spends rehearsing a piece of music, the more it becomes a part of them. This got me to thinking…what kinds of things do I accidentally (on purpose) want to be part of my life in this new year?

Fitness. There. I said it. Out loud. In print, even. I want 2011 to be a year of better fitness for myself. I keep waiting to “feel like it.” So far, nada. The reality is slowly dawning on me that I will have to put one Nike-clad foot in front of the other and groan my way through it until it becomes a habit. I have friends who seem to LOVE exercise. Me? Umm, no. Up until now, if you ever saw me walking briskly, or (heaven forbid) running, you could be fairly sure that someone or something was chasing me with a meat cleaver. But in those rare blips on the radar of time when I have made fitness a priority, I have felt so much better – so much more alive! Here’s to hoping for a new habit to emerge as I spend time on the move.

Fortune. Now hold your horses. This isn’t what you might think. This year, I want to daily rehearse the fortune with which God has blessed me. When I think about the people sprinkled across this planet that would be elated just to have a warm bed to sleep in at night, it dawns on me that I am a wealthy girl. I want to spend my days saying things to God like, “Thank You for waking me this morning. Thank You for instant grits…for a steaming cup of java…for instant access to my favorite music…for friends who “get me”…for delivery pizza when my afternoon is unraveling…for providing squirmy students for me to teach…for a husband who provides for our family – when he feels like it and when he doesn’t…for 3 intricately ornate children that teach me much about myself, my God, and life in general. Thank You for making my life so abundantly wealthy.” You probably have an impressive inventory that you could rehearse this year, too!

Family. We all have a deep desire to be seen, known, and loved. And with family, one definitely has that opportunity! Without even trying, we memorize the cracks and crevices of those with whom we spend the most time. My daughters can walk in the front door and immediately tell when Mom has a headache – their keen senses of smell pick up on the aroma of peppermint oil, a natural therapy that sometimes brings me relief. My Jonathan’s Down Syndrome hinders him from speaking fluently, so these past 17 years have given us ample time to practice an unspoken language that allows me to anticipate his needs before he even tries to verbalize them. My hubby knows my “sighs” and will often ask me what is wrong before I am even aware that I’m stressing about something. It sure is nice when we are memorized by those who love us.

Faith. If you’ve ever read even one of my meandering articles, hopefully you know that my faith is a big deal to me. The biggest of all deals! And since I am a wordsmith, I like to post words about my faith around my house as reminders. Take my family room wall, for example. It says, “GRACE”, then proceeds to list various definitions of that word. I chose that word because I want it to define our family - to be branded in our actions and obvious to everyone we encounter. The bottom line about grace is that I need it! As long as I remember my own need for it, I will be much more ready to give it out. I want to live out Deuteronomy 6:7,8 with my family, telling them God’s truths and shouting His goodness to us! “Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” My Mom and Dad graciously did this for me, causing me to accidentally memorize treasured truths about God and His love for me. I want to pay that forward!

Whatever song you’ve been playing over and over on the ipod is becoming part of you, like it or not. This new year, how about you and I toss out some of those tired old tunes and download some beautiful new music together! Before we know it, we will have memorized them…accidentally on purpose!

(as published in SHE! January 2011)