Matters Of The Heart

We celebrated Valentines Day with enough commercial enthusiasm to make
any greeting card company proud. But how many people actually send
physical cards through the postal service or hand deliver them these
days? There remain many individuals who still enjoy walking to the
mailbox and discovering personal mail awaiting them. The mail
represents an acknowledgement. They were remembered. Phone calls and
personal visits are obviously great. In their absence,consider sending
a note or card. Letter-writing has provided comfort and reassurance to
many a recipient in war-time, college-time, travel-time and any time
when distance has separated us from loved ones. Opening an envelope
provides us with anticipation and excitement. What will the message
reveal? Is there money inside? Did they send photographs of the new
baby or graduate or pet or home? There is a dual message here.
Hand-written letters,notes and cards continue to have a significant
role in many lives. Folks need to be remembered. Age doesn't matter if
it is Valentines Day or Easter or Mother's Day or their birthday or
just a day. As I entered and exited the post office on Valentines Day,
no less than seven people said Happy Valentines Day to me. The message
is acknowledgement. I responded in kind to them and each of us
exchanged smiles. Acknowledgement between strangers. Surely there are
people you know and there is something you would like to say to them
whether encouragement, sharing a memory or laugh or a thank you.
Perhaps you want to remember them on a special day which will be made
increasingly special by your acknowledgement. You are recognizing
their importance. And that recognition says as much about the sender
as it does the recipient. How much time you are willing to take to
partake in this endeavor is up to you. Realizing for example that many
elderly people do not tweet or facebook or my space or text or email,
means that you have to take a few minutes to express yourself on paper
for their sake. We are not just talking about a certain age group
though. Everyone needs and wants acknowledgement and loving attention.
It matters to them and they matter to us.

She Is A True Disciple

Rarely do you find a person possessing so many truly remarkable qualities with humility at the top of the list. Her modesty is an inherent part of her being along with her vision and enormous heart. She is selfless and giving without pretense or agenda. Her love for other humans whether familiar or unacquainted is pure and quite honestly Christ-like. She knows and understands the history of Christianity and  she shows her love of her religion through her nonjudgmental,unconditional loving life. Deserving of many accolades but wanting of none, she pursues the truth with a truly enlightened soul and a purity so needed in our world. Our world,is, in fact, so much the better for having her in it. She is an incredibly intelligent woman respectful of the freedom of religion and supportive of individuals' spiritual journeys. She is an erudite scholar with a thirst for new information and perspectives. She wants all people to be treated equally and fairly without prejudice or biases. She is a mentor to many people. Just the other day, an adult told me that she wanted to grow up to be like her.


She loves to travel and experience different cultures through food,history,museums,art,movies,theatre,architecture and conversations. She greets these new places and people with enthusiasm and excitement. She loves sports and cheers for her favorite teams with the same passion that she cheers for the underdog in life. She abhors racism,sexism,homophobia and ageism. Discrimination and hypocrites sadden her.  She cares deeply. She feels intensely. She has integrity. She has the courage of her convictions. She walks the walk without worrying about the incessant talk. She actually practices what others often merely preach. When she needs or wants to talk, she has the knowledge to support her positions calmly with confidence.

She wants to break bread with you. She wants you to have a good time. She wants you to have a great time. And if you are blessed enough to be with her, you will.

Generosity and kindness would be used in descriptions of her. She is conscientious and faithful. Add insightful, forgiving, smart,rational,clever,creative and inventive. She is savvy. She has a depth of feeling that is off the charts. She is well-read. She is loving. She is an ardent believer. She is a person of faith.  She is disciplined. She can be spontaneous. She has a great sense of humor and is fun-loving. She has a loving spirit. She is complex.

Yet when she looks in the mirror, she sees a simple girl from Mitchell, Georgia. Both humble and complex,she is Carolyn. And she is a true disciple.