Beautiful Exchange

Victoria is a great community with some truly outstanding people.

Recently I had an encounter with some amazing people of our community. People who look you into the eye and straight into your soul.  People who relish the encounter of a fellow brother or sister. People who cherish a smile and kind word. People who give back the most sincere and heart-felt thanks and appreciation, offering the most genuine gratitude I've heard in recent months. People who are quick witted and just down-right funny. People who have so much to give.

Encounters with such people truly makes for a beautiful exchange.

Since the recent tragic loss of my in-laws, I've become more aware of opportunities to capture real moments with the people I encounter each day. Yet, I still find myself periodically caught in the rat-race of life, pressed by the appointments and the to-do list (which, let’s be real, even with an awesome husband and an assistant, with major snap, the list is still totally unrealistic!)  and so I miss real moments with people in my path. I often find myself rushing people, rushing conversations so that I can move on to my next task. But every once in awhile, I'll have my heart in the right place and will toss the to-do list aside and allow myself to really be present with people. It may be with my family or a friend, a co-worker or someone I have even just met, but when I allow myself to be in the moment, something special takes place.  On such days, I find that I often go home and comment that the day wasn't necessarily productive but it was purposeful, meaningful and exactly what it needed to be. Those are the days that I am the most fulfilled.  Those are the days my soul is most at peace. When I slow down and engage someone, look them in the eye, really stop and listen to their heart  - because it’s then that something beautiful happens.

And that was the beauty of my encounter with the amazing people of Victoria recently. People who look you into the eye and straight into your soul – but rarely do others give them a glance. People who relish the encounter of a fellow brother or sister – but others often avoid an encounter with them at all costs.  People who cherish a smile and kind word – while others may not even value them as a fellow human being. People who give back the most sincere and heart-felt thanks and appreciation, offering the most genuine gratitude I've heard in recent months – while others often shout obscenities at them or make harsh gestures to them in passing. People who are quick witted and just down-right funny – when often what they receive is sarcasm and laughter at their expense.  People who have so much to give - yet often are told they are worthless.

There are opportunities for such encounters daily. Whether it's through serving at one of the many wonderful organizations in our community that provide services to those in need, such as Christ’s Kitchen, VCAM, etc. or simply acknowledging the man or the woman standing on the corner, when we take a moment to offer someone a smile, look them in the eye or engage them in conversation, a beautiful exchange takes place.  We are valuing one another as fellow human beings above our tasks and commitments of this crazy world.

So I invite you to join me in making an intentional effort to have a real encounter with someone.  We are intended to be in relationship with one another. We all have something to give and anytime I'm really present with someone, I receive whatever is special, unique to them and they receive whatever I have and am willing to offer.  So set aside the to-do list for just one moment (or day) and serve someone…I bet something beautiful will take place!