Leading up to this “doomsday” people began preparing for the
end in many ways. Some wrote books about it; some debated the validity of the
prediction; some planned end-of-the-world parties. Then, there were those like
me that watched all this from the sidelines and lived our lives as usual.
Today 12/21/12 arrived. And, for most, nothing happened.
For me, something did. You know those random acts of kindness? All week I’ve
been hearing about them. Even people I know personally have either acted
randomly or been the recipient of kindnesses. Each time I hear of an instance,
it warms my heart. There have been numerous times when people have been blessed
by a complete stranger paying for their meals in a restaurant or paying for the
person behind them in the drive-thru line at McDonalds.
And a friend told how she was in the checkout line in the
grocery store. As she dug into her purse, she realized her wallet was missing;
knowing it probably had fallen out in her car (at least, hoping that it had),
she told the store clerk she would be right back to pay. By the time she came
back into the store, her groceries were bagged up and ready to go, paid for by
a kind soul who had been in the checkout line behind her. Over $60.
Then, just last night, a friend shared how a group of folks
in her company are giving of themselves to the families of last week’s Sandy
Hook school massacre. Even though they are hundreds of miles apart. Love in
action.
Somehow, I think God smiles when He sees people taking care
of the needs of each other in such selfless acts. Isn’t that what it’s all
about? Isn’t our best example of this evidenced by the advent of the One whose
birth we’ll celebrate December 25th? His life. His death. His
promise to come again. After all, He’s the one who taught use to “Do unto
others as you would have them do unto you.”
And then today, it happened to me. Oh, I didn’t know it was
going to happen. And maybe most would think it wasn’t such a big deal, but for
me, it was. You see, it showed me that
no matter your age or circumstances, you can find ways to participate in these
random acts of kindness. I just happened to be inside the house when I heard a
crash outside. It’s pretty windy today and my recycling bin had blown over. And
it was full! Or had been. Now, all I saw were milk cartons and plastic soda
containers being blown down the sidewalk and across the neighborhood. I ran outside
in the biting wind, righted the bin and began to refill it, chasing the
recyclables as the wind continued to blow. In less than a minute, a little boy,
about 8 years old, ran over and, without a word, began to help. He’d run out of
the house next door, not even bothering to put on a coat. He just saw a need
and filled it. Just like those other folks have done and are doing in “paying
it forward.”
So, I say, way to go Mayans, for bringing an end to their
calendar. It gave us reason to think about how an idea can be blown out of
proportion and escalate into a bogus prediction. It gave us reason to think
twice before we buy into the next big thing. (What about the coming December 23-25 blackout?) And it probably
gave the dude writing out that calendar a little writing cramp relief. Of
course, according to NASA, the calendar doesn’t end. Just like ours begins
again in January, the Mayan calendar simply ends one long-count period and
begins another.
Jean
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