Light, Love, Hope

If you have stayed with me during this Write 28 Day writing challenge, thank you!  Since you have been brave enough to read all of my idle ramblings, you have seen that my thoughts have been all over the place during the past 15 to 16 days.  That’s part of the fun!

Allow me to explain this madness.

With this 28 day challenge, you are given a prompt word daily (thank you, Anita!!).  It is your job to think on the word and then write whatever comes to mind regarding that “word of the day.”   You can write for five minutes, setting a timer to go off when the time is up.  Or, write until your heart is content. I have done a little of both in this challenge.  Truly, it has helped for me to have something else to focus on, especially at a time when someone close to me has gone through major surgery.  The very human side of me feared the worst leading up to my loved one having his right kidney removed.  We thank God for a successful surgery and my loved one doing so well in his recovery!  As you can imagine, this writing challenge has helped a great deal and provided an escape when I needed it the most!

Now then …

Today’s prompt word “Entrap” immediately brought thoughts of a possum that was recently found on our property while my husband and his friends were working one afternoon.  This little guy wobbled right up to them in broad daylight, taking them all by surprise.  They noticed one of his legs was injured and imagined he had been entrapped and struggled to break free from a predator’s grasp.

My daughters are both tenderhearted just as I am, and we did not want the little guy harmed in any way when we learned he made his way past the guys and into our Rosemary bush.  We gathered in front of the bush to take a peek at him.  Possums are ugly, nasty creatures from what my dad said, but they surely serve a purpose (eradicating ticks, cockroaches, mice, and rats) and deserve to live.

We kept an eye on the little guy for a while, then went inside to leave him in peace.  We don’t know what ever happened to him, as he was gone when we checked the Rosemary bush later.  My daughter was sad that her little friend left, but her heart is so big in wanting to help the little guy.  It is our hope that he survived.

How many times have we jumped to conclusions about a situation, not truly knowing the facts or what transpired?  Or, we make our own assumptions about things that couldn’t be further from the truth.  We speculate, when what we need to do is learn more about the situation and the people involved.

I’m reminded of a situation that occurred shortly after going to work in the two story brick building our office is housed inside of on a busy street corner in town.  Being new, it was my desire to make friends with others in the building.  I was friendly, smiled, and spoke when I encountered anyone in the hallways or going up and down the stairs.

One day, as I sat at my desk proofreading some legal documents, I heard a knock at the door.  Since we are a business open to the public, it alarms me any time someone knocks instead of coming right in to conduct business.  (We have an apartment complex nearby, and residents has wandered over a time or two in the past.)  I hesitantly rose from my seat.  Before I could make it around my desk, the door opened, and I saw a lady I had passed in the hallway before.  I smiled, thinking surely she was coming to have a friendly conversation.  In my mind and heart, I had desired to befriend someone in the building, and it was my hope that she was there with the same longing as I; to be friends.

Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

She motioned for me to enter the hallway so we could talk privately, so I followed her thinking at this point she must need my help for something.  As I walked, I prayed for God to equip me to help her to the best of my ability.

As I stood there in the hallway smiling at the lady, she proceeded to ask me if I flushed the toilet earlier when I used it.  I’m certain I had a confused look on my face, as I was truly dumbfounded by the question.  Yes, of course, I had flushed the toilet.  The lady never cracked a smile as she proceeded to say that there was toilet paper still in the toilet when she went in the bathroom.  Honestly, I did not know what to say at this point.   I just stared back at her, as she rendered me speechless as she interrogated me about whether I flushed the toilet or not.  I could not believe I was 49 years old and being asked about my bathroom habits as if I was a young child that didn’t know any better and hadn’t thought of flushing the toilet behind themselves.  When I could find words again, I assured her once more that I had, indeed, flushed the toilet.  The building was extremely old, and I imagine the plumbing inside of the building was just as old and may never have been replaced through the years and were likely clogged due to some type of build up. Some times even with modern plumbing, the back flow will cause remnants of paper to reappear after you’ve flushed.  This was my only guess as to what was happening with the situation.  I expressed this to her, and she stood there with this disapproving look on her face as she asked me once more if I flushed the toilet.

Now she was starting to get on my nerves.

First, she summoned me out of my office.  She not only had the nerve to ask this question about whether I flushed or not, but she asked me several more times while giving a disapproving look.

There are three bathrooms in that building, and anyone from the public can (and do) use our facilities.  Yet, I’m the one they are targeting?  Really?

I tried to brush it off and return to my legal documents.

Now, I have been told that I look younger for my age, which I appreciate.  But what gives anyone the right — and how would anyone ever have the nerve anyway — to ask another ADULT such questions?!   It wasn’t like it was HER building.  She wasn’t the landlord, just another tenant acting like the toilet police.

I truly try to give people the benefit of the doubt.  I try to see the good in people.  And I certainly try to gather facts before I go to anyone to confront them about a situation.

What ended up happening?  The lady went to the landlord about me!  The landlady and I spoke briefly about the situation. Then, the landlord placed a sign by the toilets stating the plumber indicated feminine products were clogging the toilets and to refrain from placing such items in the toilet.  I was not the one clogging the toilets in the first place, but I knew without a doubt when feminine products were mentioned that I certainly wasn’t the culprit!  The fact of the matter is I had a hysterectomy four years ago, so it clearly was NOT me!

Can you believe this woman had the nerve to approach me AGAIN a few weeks later about this same situation?

I was the new kid on the block, so surely I was the person causing the issue in her eyes.

I tried to take the high road yet again and be polite in my response to her, but I did not linger in the hallway listening to her accusations when I had work to do!

That afternoon, however, the situation really started to bother me.  Writing is often therapeutic for me, and since I could not get this out of my mind, I stopped to write a letter to this offensive lady.  After I said all that needed to be said, I placed a copy under her door and our landlord’s door.  In the letter I pointed out the fact that I had a hysterectomy, so they needed to look elsewhere for the person flushing feminine products.  However, while we were on the subject, I felt the need to point out the less than desirable condition a menstruating woman had left the bathroom in on several occasions with (***Warning:  TMI***) blood on the floor and toilet seat.  Again, this was clearly NOT ME!

I may have been on the receiving end of the “cold shoulder” after she read the letter, but I had enough at that point and welcomed the silence from her as long as she was leaving me alone now.

The landlord called the plumber out again shortly thereafter.  He probed the lines, and then suggested adding a bigger toilet which would have a more modern and forceful flush.  The landlord agreed to the installation of the newer and bigger toilet, and the plumber went to work putting it in.  Since the shape of the bathroom had been mentioned previously, that, too, has improved.  There have not been any more issues or accusations brought to MY attention either.

The moral of the story:  know the facts before approaching someone making accusations.  Give people the benefit of the doubt.  And be KIND!!

A few short years ago my husband and I traveled to Nashville, Tennessee for our anniversary.  We visited Lower Broadway, which is known as the “Honky Tonk Highway.”  You could hear music up and down “music row” from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. the next morning.  It was fun checking out the saloons with the different variety of music luring you in.

While we were there, we also checked out the statues of famous people and historic places.  I got a kick out of the statue of Little Jimmy Dickens.  We were literally the same height which I love!

One night, we were walking in downtown Nashville going to The Ryman Auditorium, which used to house the  original Grand Ole Opry House.  As we rounded the corner, we encountered an older lady in tattered clothing wearing a hat and oversized coat with matted hair.  She saw us eyeing another statue and talking of how we were going to take turns being in the pictures since we didn’t have anything to prop our phone up with.  The “selfie” wouldn’t be sufficient since we couldn’t get ourselves and all of the statue in the camera frame.  The lady walked up to us and offered to take our picture together with the statue.  My husband was reluctant, but I thought she was kind to offer so I held out my phone as I thanked her.  She smiled softly, snapped the picture of us, and returned my phone.  We small talked for a few minutes before she started to tell me her story.  She was homeless and used to live in the nearby parking garage.  As she continued on, she spoke of the horrible living conditions now on the streets of Nashville after the city officials ran her and several other homeless people out of the parking garage.  They were not even able to use the bathroom in there any longer.  As she talked, my heart truly went out to this woman and others like her.  I imagine not too many tourists stopped to have a conversation with her like we did.  But, there was something about her blue eyes that kept me standing right there in that spot listening to her story.  She never asked for money the entire time we spoke, but I reached into my wallet and pulled out some money to give to her, wishing I had more to offer.  She sincerely thanked me for the money, which would enable her to get a hot meal, especially as the temperatures were dropping.  As we walked away, my husband seemed somewhat disturbed and a little angry by the homeless scattered along the street.  He didn’t like them begging and didn’t understand why I even gave her the time of day.  That’s when I let him know that she never, ever asked me for money.  I am the one that offered money to her, feeling as if it was the very least I could do.  While I could understand his frustration with people loitering in the streets or simply sitting outside of businesses with signs asking for money, this lady was different.  In that moment, tears welled up in my eyes thinking of her heartbreaking story.  I’m sure as a little girl she didn’t dream of one day becoming a homeless lady roaming the streets of Nashville.  Life hasn’t been kind to her, and due to circumstances beyond her control, she found herself living on the streets.  What people fail to realize is that things could change in our very own lives, and we could be financially impacted, too.  We aren’t to sit in judgement, but, instead, we are to help where we can.  What if Jesus showed up in the form of this little old lady with blue eyes that grew dim due to the way life took a downward spiral when she least expected it?!  What if He was testing us to see where our hearts truly were and if we would be the hands and feet as we are called to be?!

Her blue eyes and dingy, matted gray hair haunted me long after we parted ways just outside of the Ryman Auditorium.  She was someone’s daughter!  MOST IMPORTANTLY, SHE IS THE DAUGHTER OF THE KING OF KINGS!   Life has been cruel to her, and I’m sure as much as my heart was breaking for her, she has felt broken, betrayed, and deserted by those who are supposed to love her.  Where is her family?  Oh Lord, why haven’t they taken her in?  My thoughts trailed to this and how we truly won’t ever know what happened to land her where she was on the streets of Nashville.  It isn’t our job to know the intricate details, either.  It’s our job to show love and kindness to those we meet along our path in life.

It’s been a few years now since this adventure lead us to this gentle soul.   My heart has not forgotten her, nor the lesson she taught us.   Be kind … and be the hands and feet of Christ when the opportunity presents itself … and it will, when you least expect it.

See the following scripture:

Mark 12:30-31 speaks of loving thy neighbor; Deuteronomy 15:11 speaks of taking care of the poor; 1 John 3:17 is where you will find passages regarding clothing the needy and feeding the hungry in Isaiah 58:10, right along with being hospitable to strangers in Matthew 25:35.   We are to care for the captive, the prisoner, and the oppressed, which we are told to do so in Hebrews 13:3 and Matthew 25:36.

Last, but certainly not least, we all need to be reminded of Matthew 25:40, “WHATEVER YOU DID FOR ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF MINE, YOU DID FOR ME.”