Today's word from 40acts, our parish-wide Lenten invitation, is love.
On other days, there are three levels of possible responses to the daily challenge of living with generosity--each requiring more of a commitment of time and personal action. Today there is but one:
Show love to someone today. Consider two things before you do that, though: (1) In what ways does that person experience love the most? Do they prefer acts of service, gifts, quality time? (2) What kind of love do you most struggle to express? Have a think about the ways you might challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone and love someone the way they need to be loved today.
Show love to someone today. Consider two things before you do that, though: (1) In what ways does that person experience love the most? Do they prefer acts of service, gifts, quality time? (2) What kind of love do you most struggle to express? Have a think about the ways you might challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone and love someone the way they need to be loved today.
As God would have it, today is my mother's 90th birthday. To celebrate, my brothers and I are going to spend the day with her. One brother and I, both of us living some distance away, drove up yesterday. My other brother, who lives nearby, will be here this morning.
On this day that we are invited to love as Jesus loved us, Jesus who meets us wherever we are, Jesus who gives us whatever we need most, I am struck by the ways that others are sharing love with my mother. Truly, in response to God's love for us, but also in response to how that love has been expressed through my mother's ninety years of living very well.
A favorite niece and her family came last week with lunch and the gift of a good and joyful visit.
A parishioner, knowing that a cookie recipe was one of my my mom's favorites, brought me a batch of "Grandma cookies" Saturday, baked especially for Mother. Mother ate one as soon as I arrived in Chambersville, enjoying it with a big smile.
A favorite niece and her family came last week with lunch and the gift of a good and joyful visit.
A parishioner, knowing that a cookie recipe was one of my my mom's favorites, brought me a batch of "Grandma cookies" Saturday, baked especially for Mother. Mother ate one as soon as I arrived in Chambersville, enjoying it with a big smile.
Another parishioner, who has never met my mother, gave me a card to bring to her. Turns out this parishioner had been the recipient of one of my mother's prayer blankets at a challenging time in her life.
My daughter has already sent a homemade card and her own famous biscuits (also a favorite of my mother's), baked in her NYC kitchen and delivered by US mail. My mother has been a huge inspiration for my daughter's James Beard award winning blog and her two very well-received cookbooks.
From her greatgrandsons who live far, far away (who wished her happy birthday last night via FaceTime), I've baked one of their favorite treats, sunflower butter bran muffins, for breakfast. My brother will be bringing his own cranberry pecan bran muffin recipe. The love keeps growing.
And my mother hasn't even gotten up yet!
Thank you, Mother, for teaching so many, many people about God's love by your quiet, faithful acts of generosity. We love you. You make it easy to accept today's 40acts challenge of sharing love with generosity.
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