Lessons in Caring for People... and Violets

I woke up this morning groggy and really sore. Couch sleeping will do that to you. I also awoke with a desire for some sort of anxiety pill. Anything to take the edge off of my constant state of unease.

No such luck, though. Just suck it up and figure out how to push through. It's what I do.

So, here I am. I've been out of town since Wednesday night, making myself completely available to a man who is emotionally unavailable to me. In reality, though, I am making myself available to his mother.

After a horrible wreck two weeks ago, she needed surgery. I came to help with anything she needed, as well as emotional support for him. The interesting thing was how she and I connected while we waited on him to park and come inside. That was our first opportunity for "girl talk," and I was so happy we had that moment.

Today, I am here caring for her, and I have to say, I have thoroughly enjoyed her company. I feel like the anxiety I woke with this morning slowly slipped from my heart during our chats. I enjoyed seeing her smile and we laughed at the frustration of pillows not being just right.

As we sat and chatted at the kitchen table, sipping coffee together, there was a wave of peace between us both. A sense of calm. We both sighed without saying a thing, and I knew this was helping her heal. And it dawned on me she wasn't the only one receiving healing at that moment.

After the kitchen was clean and blankets were folded, and she was comfortable, I got to thinking later how the violets I got her probably needed to be replanted. When I pulled them out of the cute little basket with butterflies glued along the handle, I realized there was a liner inside where it will hold water. What a nice surprise! So I poured a small amount of water inside and opened the blinds to let in a an equally small amount of sunshine. That's all they needed. Just the tiniest amount of water and sun gives the violets the perfect conditions for a continuous blossom.

Isn't that the case with all of us, though? Tender loving care even in the smallest form, if done with joy in our heart and peace in our soul, can have a huge impact on another human being. Why would I give more attention and love to my car that needs a bath, my cowgirl boots that need shining, my hair that needs roots done, etc. than I do to someone close to me?

It made each aspect of hearing my name called that much more a sense of duty and respect to jump up and be of service. Who am I to complain? I wasn't in a car wreck. I didn't go from complete independence to relying on others to do basic necessities.

Throughout today, my thoughts have run wild about miracles and trials, blessings and stress. Listening again to her story of the accident made me realize something so incredibly simple, yet to me was absolutely profound:
Lives are precious. And temporary.
You matter.
I matter.
We all need to be reminded how much we matter to one another.
Sometimes, all it takes is a little sunshine, and a pouring out of the soul.