A Little Reminder.

Today was not a great day.  It wasn’t a terrible day, either, just not great.  My kids were a little extra fussy for some reason, the weather was bad, and I was feeling overwhelmed at work.  I am starting something new at work and was feeling a little unsure of myself, so I started to ask for some help.  I hadn’t found the right person to help me yet, so I set up a meeting for this afternoon.  However, by the time this afternoon rolled around, I was almost ready to cancel.  My husband ended up getting called into work on his day off (today), and therefore barely made it home in time for me to get to the meeting.  As he ran in the house, I ran out of it, and said “please send some good thoughts my way!”

Well, it worked.  I don’t know if it was my husband thinking the good thoughts or someone else, but it worked.  God was definitely listening to my anxiety-ridden prayers today.  As I stepped off of the elevator downtown, I was greeted by a cheerful receptionist, who led me into an even more cheerful woman who was about to help me with all of my questions about my new tasks at my job.  It was so refreshing; I almost didn’t believe it was happening! So often, when you walk into an office, the mood is so dull, so mundane, so rude.  But this was not the case today.  I spent an hour in this woman’s office, asking her every question that I was struggling with (and more) and she was patient, kind, and very helpful.  As I left her office, I felt like a totally different person than I had when I walked in there.

 But to be honest, although she was a lovely person, I don’t think that the feelings were all about her.  God was reminding me today of something very important: there are still good people in this life.  People who want to help, people who can smile when you show up at their desk, and people who genuinely care. 

As I drove home, I decided to stop at the gas station and get myself a little treat (rewarding myself for dealing with such a stressful day, of course!)  I grabbed a drink and a candy bar, set them down on the counter, and smiled at the cashier, trying to “pay forward” what the nice lady had done for me in her office.  The cashier smiled back—he looked tired and ready to go home, but he still smiled.  While I searched my purse for some change, he asked, “do you have big plans tonight?”.  “No,” I answered, “I’m just going home to see my kids.” “Well,” he replied, “at least you know someone’s missing you.”  What a nice thing to say…and I have to admit that he looked like someone who maybe didn’t have a lot of people missing him, which made my heart just ache.  “You’re right,” I said to him with a smile, “things could be a lot worse.”  “Yes they could,” he said as he handed me my change.

I walked to my car with a smile in my heart (and probably on my face, too) as I thought about how God works in our lives.  My troubles are small, and I needed to remember that.  And what a beautiful way He chose to help remind me.  Remember to look for the good in life today.