The Actions that Don’t Make it in History Books
Greetings lovely one,
I'm currently on a spiritual retreat, staying with my Franciscan Sisters. Since the convent is close to my family, I also get to join them for Sunday dinner. I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to spend quality time in the company of seasoned women religious and my family of origin. Most importantly, I'm rekindling my relationship with the Lord.
Last night, as I journaled through an Examen practice and answered the question, "Where was God present in your life today?" I found myself pondering the different ways I witnessed love, or more specifically, using Quaker lingo, "That of God" in others. This Quaker query led me to think about other days and experiences, which further fueled my reflections.
I recalled a trip to one of my favorite Philly cafés with my mom, where we broke bread together and shared our latest life happenings. On our way back, my mom decided to make a quick stop at a dollar store. While I waited in the car, I noticed two sets of shadows coming from different directions moving toward the store entrance.
As the women came into full view, I saw that the woman to my right was pushing a shopping cart full of bags toward the store entrance. Her appearance reminded me of many houseless women I had met and talked with, including her lack of weather-protective clothing. In addition to the numerous bags in her cart, she clutched a few trash bags while pushing it. The cart probably held all her possessions.
Coming from my left peripheral, two women dressed in appropriate winter attire were heading towards the store entrance. As the three of them approached the doors, the two left wheels of the woman's shopping cart decided to go over the curb. As she briefly struggled to adjust the cart back up to the sidewalk to catch the door that one of the two women sped up to open, I witnessed one of the many ways love shows up.
The woman who speedily reached for the door handle opened the door and then moved out of the way in a gesture to let the woman hauling her cart go in first. The other woman quickly approached the woman seconds after she saw the cart spill over the curb and asked if she could help her get the cart back on the sidewalk. Once the woman nodded in acceptance of the offered help, the two women worked together to get the cart back up on the sidewalk while the third continued to hold the door open. The woman then walked through the doors being held for her, thanking the two women.
In those brief moments, the women did not lead a national march, command a standing ovation, launch an enterprise, or win the Nobel Peace Prize nomination. Kindness was offered and received no hashtag #Ididagooddeed involved.
Sitting with the experience made me wonder if acts of love in our day-to-day lives when we think no one is watching, have a ripple effect. Do we as a society believe loving one another matters? Like for really real? I don't know the answer, but it matters to me. Witnessing kindness, goodness, and other fruits of the Spirit reminds and reaffirms the attributes I wish to embody and that I hope are already witnessed in me. There have been too many times when I've seen situations like that go in another direction. I've witnessed and been a recipient of slammed doors, being treated like you're invisible, being too afraid to let go of control by allowing someone to see you for who you are and love you because you're you, not despite it.
I admit that I am not always in the right mindset or heart space to be the best love agent I can be, but that doesn't stop me from putting forth that effort. I'm grateful for women who see and treat other women with kindness and compassion for no other reason than honoring each other's sacred being-ness. That's the kind of history-making I want to be a part of.
Peace, Love, and Wellness,
Lynette
P.S. I’m hosting a soul-care retreat in picturesque Western Massachusetts with its beautiful mountain and river valley views. New England in the fall is absolutely gorgeous, and I’d love to create a place of possibility together with you.
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