Some of you may read this title, scratch your heads, and pose the question – “Where is what?”. I believe it is something for which most of us are longing and searching. We may not have articulated it or brought it to our consciousness, but I believe we share a yearning, a seeking, a need for that moment of “light”. A moment that counterbalances and perhaps, even outweighs the discord, the polarization, the invective that is all around us nearly every minute.
I certainly don’t have to remind or give examples of the extreme vituperation which fills our airwaves, our social media, our conversations at this rather tumultuous time in our country. It seems that if I look cross-eyed at someone or raise an eyebrow that somehow we become polar opposites, enemies almost immediately, Most people I talk with don’t like this and claim they want to do something about it but that “something” tends to remain elusive. It’s like we’re trying to find our better angels but we’re coming up empty.
Could it be that we just aren’t looking in the right places, or, somehow, we’ve lost our eyes to see it? I am quite sure I suffer from this malady and I expect I’m not alone. But, from time to time, I catch a glimpse and I am reminded that “it” is out there, and it is wonderful.
Just last week, a moment occurred in which “it” banged me right over the head. I wasn’t looking for it. I didn’t expect it. But I sure knew it when I heard about it. This moment was relayed to me by a lovely elderly lady for whom I serve as one of her caregivers. She lives alone despite many, many challenges which would stop you or me in our tracks. Last Wednesday, late in the afternoon, I stopped at her house to return her garbage and recycling bins to her garage. The bins were not on the curb as I expected so I entered her house to check on things. Here is her story. She had grabbed her walker and traveled next door on foot to visit with her good friend and neighbor. As she was returning home, she decided she should bring in her bins. She parked her walker in her driveway, turned to grab the first bin, and then she heard a voice calling her. A young man ran up to her saying something to the effect, “Please let me do that for you. I don’t think you should.” And, at that, this young 7th grade Rising Red Hawk took care of her bins and ensured she was safely in the house. He was polite. He was proactive. No one told him to do this. There was no hesitation. He simply saw a need and filled it.
Whoomph! There It Is! The light exists, and when it shines through,
it warms the cockles of our hearts.
Oh, that we could all act like Troy Aumann did last Wednesday. Our community, our world would be so much better. Troy, thank you for showing us the way. I applaud you and I give a nod to your parents, Jeff & Rhonda Ann, as you surely learned these values from them.
#cruzan4milton#WEAREMILTON#kindness
