8th MAY OF CHRISTMAS

Image by solidether via Flickr

I can still remember that day several years ago. It was pouring down rain and I was trying to juggle my umbrella and several bags of groceries when the wind whipped the umbrella out of my hand just as I got near my car. I ended up soaked in a few brief moments and absolutely water-logged by the time the groceries were all loaded. Then I realized I had forgotten to get stamps at customer service. I was just about to forget even attempting to go back into the store, when a car parked much closer than I was parked, pulled out, making me decide if I was already soaked, I may as well go back in and complete all my transactions.

As I was about to pull into the closer space, another car pulled through and I was left searching for another place to park. I glared at the gentleman who I thought never noticed my interest in the space, parked several spaces beyond where I had hoped to and ran into the store, clothing and hair dripping all the way. I got in line behind 2 people and waited my turn but as I got up to the counter and requested a book of stamps, the gentleman who had been in front of me and was now standing off to the side smiling, stepped forward with his  credit card and asked to pay for my stamps. I was a bit overwhelmed and skeptical but before I could even protest, he volunteered, "It seems I took this young lady's parking space and she ended up without an umbrella being drenched because of it. It's no trouble to pay for the stamps." If you could see the color of my face through water dripping on it, it may have been a bright red.
I explained what had happened to the umbrella and that I had gotten soaked because of it blowing away not because he took a parking space I wanted. He smiled and said, "Well I am glad it was not all my fault, but please let me pay for this purchase as you look like you could use a little sunshine today." and he handed over his card to the clerk. I thanked him profusely apologizing for the wicked stare I had shot him out in the parking lot but all he asked was that I have a better day than I was having and that I "give some sunshine to someone else when they are having a very bad rainy day."

I never forgot his comments and I realize how often we might offer sunshine at minimal to no cost to someone who is completely overwhelmed and experiencing a day drenched in a storm. Maybe we can just offer to let someone in front of us or get someone to where they need to go. Maybe we can buy a cup of coffee for the stranger behind us or put some flowers on the porch of someone we know who is having a difficult time. Maybe we can pick up a tab for someone who looks frazzled in a restaurant or send an anonymous gift card to someone who we may not know well in our neighborhood but who we know is struggling or feeling lonely. 

Sometimes it is as simple as noticing the effort someone goes through to make your own day better. Imagine how much better a day can be for someone if they hear, "Thank you so much for taking the time to do this for me." of "Please let me have your supervisors name, I know you went out of your way to make this experience a good one." What if we truly let people know how much they are appreciated especially strangers who we often think are simply just doing their jobs. What if we told the man who packed the groceries we appreciate his care in how he packs the delicate items or mentioned to the person who collects our trash that we know they take extra time to make sure our trash cans are not in the middle of the driveway so we need not get out and move them just to get up to the garage of if we mentioned to the auto repair shop owner that a particular mechanic treats our vehicle as if it were his own.
A few days ago, I observed an older lady in a store who told a young woman with many packages and several fussy children in tow to go ahead of her, simply commenting, "I had three small children once and I know how restless they get waiting in line. Please go on ahead, I've been where you are and anyone who is a mom would understand."

It is so very easy to add sunshine to someone's day and yet often we miss the opportunity to recognize how a smile, helping hand or much needed support might be all that makes the difference. Those stamps did not set that gentleman back much but the entire way home, I hardly noticed I was cold and soaking wet because I was thinking that my comfort, happiness or ability to be a little less frazzled was important to this man and he didn't even know my name!  "Yes, I thought, Let me be mindful of when another needs some sunshine in their life." Image via Wikipedia

MAY YOU BE THE SUNSHINE IN SOMEONE'S STORM.

The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. Proverbs 4:18