Godsend

Long ago, accompanied by my daughters, I needed to purchase some makeup basics. The girls hovered between cosmetic counters like honey bees in a Spring garden. Their enthusiasm was as boundless as their energy, and the department staff loved it! Soon salespeople were offering the girls samples of wondrous products. I finished making my small purchases, and we headed toward the parking lot. My daughter, Merritt, whispered, "Mom, samples are from God!" I said, "I know, dear." She is now the manager of a cosmetic line and is generous in spirit with everyone she encounters. Her younger sister creates wondrous miniature worlds in music boxes and bottle gardens. An artist and designer, she shares her creations within and outside of her personal world.

What is a godsend for you? For me it is the generosity of one or another of my children or face time with family. Even the remotest odds of a godsend inspire some people to purchase lottery tickets. For the time we carry a ticket in a pocket or wallet, we hope against hope. We hold possibility in thrall. The ATM could go amok, spitting $20 bills at my feet. I may get the all-clear from my Oncologist. The first ladybug of Spring may land on me. As refreshing as serendipitous events can be, however, a godsend can take the form of the every day. Take nothing, not even something as tiny as a lipstick sample, for granted! Let's face it we need to impose a balance between begrudging reality and a bountiful world. Each of us can tip the scales by creating this balance.

But friendship is precious, not only in the shade but in the sunshine of life; & thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine. I will recur for proof to the days we have lately passed. On these indeed the sun shone brightly. -Thomas Jefferson, Letters of Thomas Jefferson

Practical tools can be powerful allies, as we strive to create a kinder, more balanced world. Lost arts such as scrapbooking, journaling, and letter writing are worth acquiring. Each is simple and so worth the investment of time. I regularly succumb to the temptation of zapping a text or e-mail, rather than take the time to really communicate. The world moves at light speed, and it is so much easier to move with it. Here's the thing. We create urgency way too much of the time. We have the power to reshuffle our priorities for the better.

I've written prior posts about letter writing. Specifically writing love letters has great power to heal the world. Here is a link to The More Love Letters, the story of how one young woman decided to change the world:

https://moreloveletters.squarespace.com/the-story/

Maybe you will be inspired to join the love letter movement by regularly contributing. Or perhaps you will start small by writing your thoughts, the contents of your heart. I can barely wait!

The point is, in large and small ways, get personal. A telephone call is better than a text. A written thank you is personal. An hour at tea is personal. A journal or scrapbook is personal and can be legacy. It is these niceties that uplift people ... ourselves and others. By all means, do the half-hour of meditation or workout (better yet, both) between scrambling from one place to another. Breathe. We all need to breathe. Then take time out of the rat maze. Get excited about the trip to the mailbox ... yours or someone else's. Scribble a heart-shaped love note, and slip it into the bag with the sandwich. You get the point. Make someone's day with a simple, personal gesture.

We can be so much more than the delighted recipients of godsends. We can gratefully acknowledge the godsends in our own lives. We can create them for others. A godsend is designed to always return to sender.