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Eclipse

| Marie Griffith

My daughters and I went to Green Mountain for our eclipse viewing. It was exactly what we hoped for. Serene and beautiful. The eclipse began shortly after we arrived but I hiked the loop trail while the girls picked the perfect spot on the dock for us to watch the moon cover the sun. While on the trail I found several clear sunny spots, stopped to put my eclipse glasses on, and viewed the moon edging its way over the sun. I was awe struck and rushed my way through the forest to join the girls on the dock.

We reclined there, viewed the eclipse with our glasses, noticed the fading light, laughed at each other, guessed at the percentage of coverage, watched a newly arrived spectator look for a good spot to sit or point to the eclipse shaped shadows, put our glasses back on and did it again and again until the moon hid the sun as much as it would on Green Mountain.

The eclipse was amazing. The whole thing of it. The going there, the watching and waiting, the laughing with my girls, the riding home afterward. But there was another wonderful part of it.

Throughout our time at Green Mountain, my oldest daughter was very aware of others around us. The couple fishing on the other dock when we arrived. The old couple sitting on a swing near the entrance to the park. The young men glancing toward the sky occasionally. The photographer setting up his special camera for the perfect photo op. There were others around but these were the ones she noticed. None of these had glasses.

She spoke first to the couple sitting in the swing who didn’t realize the show had started.

“Is there something to see?” the elderly lady asked. “Oh yes,” my daughter said as she handed her glasses over.

The sweet elderly lady was delighted to see the crescent shape of the sun. The gentleman in the swing told us he’d seen two eclipses in his lifetime and thanked my daughter for the offer anyway. The fishing lady took a break from the fishing and my daughter saw her walking nearby. She gladly put the glasses on to see what was happening up above and thanked my daughter over and over. My daughter walked to the other dock to share her glasses with the fishing man, shared them with the photography man and eventually gave them away to the young glancers so they could enjoy the rest of the eclipse without worrying about their eyes.

My daughter wanted everyone to see the wonder in the sky.

She enjoyed the eclipse but was overjoyed to see others enjoying the eclipse.

Perspective

| Marie Griffith

I spotted this miniature scene on one of my downtown walks recently. I was surprised to find it where it was, but I was even more surprised I hadn’t noticed it before.

The tiny door sits at the bottom of a very large tree standing on the narrow grassy area between the sidewalk and the busy street. Once the door caught my eye, I stopped to take a photo. I wanted to stay and look more carefully…..to see what other tiny things I could find…… but I felt I was intruding.

And it wasn’t until I studied the photo closely that I noticed the little pumpkin or gourd with a little green leaf on top next to the door. See it? IMG_5204

I almost missed this odd little sight. Almost walked right past it like I had before.

What else do I miss? Do I see what I should see?

“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.”      

C.S. Lewis (The Magician’s Nephew)

Thank You

| Marie Griffith

This is the 3rd in a series of challenges I’m issuing in my Live Like it Matters Challenge. Each week you are challenged to do something to make a positive difference in the lives of those around you, in the place around you, wherever you are.

Why?  Because the world needs you and me to see those around us and to connect with them.

For two weeks we were challenged to say hello to strangers. I had some eye-opening encounters that only intensified my need to encourage you to live on purpose….to live like it matters. It also affirmed why I need to be intentional about connecting with others.

This week the challenge will take a bit more thought than saying hello but it’s still simple.

Write a thank you note. Easy, right? I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking you’ll send a quick text to your friend thanking her for always listening to you complain about the busyness of your life. Or you’ll send one of those free E-cards.

Nope – that’s not the challenge. The challenge is to write a thank you note with a pen on real paper or in a real card.

Then mail it!

Yes, mail it. Just think how special your friend will feel when she gets that card in the mail. Within the pile of junk mail will be a little card personally addressed to her. She’ll wonder about it, open it, and read it. She’ll feel appreciated and then smile.

Two years ago, on the first round of my Live Like it Matters Challenges, one of my blogging friends, Dawn, surprised me with a handwritten note. I’ll never forget what a delight it was to receive that card in the mail. Just last week I received a sweet note from another friend and I was encouraged when I needed it most.

Do that for someone this week.

Maybe instead of a friend, you’ll write a note to your brother, or your parents, or a teacher that encouraged you in high school. Your spouse, a child, a co-worker, or the guy at the deli-counter that goes the extra mile to help you.

I know what this means for most of us. We have to look up an address or text the person to ask the address or search even further. It’s okay. And you may have to buy stamps. That’s okay, too. They’re sold most anywhere now.

All of this will be totally worth it to the person receiving the thank you. It will be worth it to you, too, because you’ve made someone know they matter. You’ve let someone know they’re valued. You’ve done something good on purpose.

I’d love for you to share in the comment section about your thank you notes- ones you’ve received and/or written.

 

“Feeling good about your life, but not expressing a heartfelt ‘thank you,’ is like wrapping a gift for someone and never giving it to them.”  Chip Conley

Hello Again

| Marie Griffith

Last week I challenged you to say hello to at least 5 strangers. The point of the challenge is for us to become more aware of those around us. Let’s keep saying hello but go further and start a conversation.

I had a couple of interesting encounters but mostly I say “hey” and smile and the other person does the same. Some people don’t say anything but smile as they walk past me. I’ve noticed if I’m waiting in line and say hello a conversation usually takes place. Today I had a really nice talk with an older gentleman as we sat in the waiting room of the dental office. He told me about his wife and praised her biscuit making skills. She makes them for him every morning.

When I took this challenge a couple of years ago, I met Edna at my local library. She’s an older woman with white hair. She told me she can’t type very well.hello

I also met Mr.Grocery Guy. Although I didn’t get his name, I found out he’s working on his degree in finance and he turned down a great intern opportunity to marry the love of his life. He and his love are now divorced after 2 years of marriage. I told him I was sorry and he told me it was okay. He is back on track with his finance career goals. I learned all of this while he was helping me get my groceries to my car. I told him good luck with his endeavors and he said a hearty “thank you”.

The most interesting conversation was with a young mother in the parking lot at the library. I noticed her talking on her cellphone very loudly and I smiled at her. When I came out of the library she stopped me as she was driving out of the parking lot. She apologized for her shouting. She explained that she doesn’t always do that then shared more about her situation. Her husband is out of work and instead of going with her to look for a job as planned, he went with his friends to make a drug run. I put my hand on hers and asked her name, then her husband’s name. I told her I was sorry about what she’s going through and she drove off.

I’m unsure of why she felt like she needed to share that.

Except this: she wants someone to know. She wants to feel less alone in her fight. Her heart is breaking for her children and she needs to know someone cares. She needs hope.

Do these encounters matter? I think so. I know they matter to me. They keep me connected to others and their hurts. While I’m worrying what to fix for dinner the young mother from the library parking lot is worrying for the safety of her children. That shakes me up. It forces me to get out of my comfortable middle class world and get out there and do something…..anything that can help give people hope.

There’s lots of ways to help. Serve meals to the homeless, teach a class to women at a transition home, volunteer at your local schools, tutor kids, mentor young people, visit nursing home residents or those in prison, become certified as foster parents. These are all ways to make a difference.

Or you could buy a house in a deprived neighborhood, fix it up, and live there. I have friends who are doing this. This isn’t a year long project or a temporary deal either. They’ve been there 6 years. They’re living right where the help is needed, building life-giving relationships and making a difference in their neighborhood.

It’s called living on purpose. It’s called living like it matters.

And it can start with hello.

I will issue another challenge soon.  Until then, keep saying hello.

Missed

| Marie Griffith

I received two text messages today from different friends telling me they missed me. I smiled both times. It felt good to know they noticed I haven’t been where I usually am.

 Because of all my extra “to dos” I’ve been out of my routine and unable to do some of the things I love to do.  It was a pleasant surprise for someone to take the time to tell me they noticed I wasn’t there.

It made such a difference in my day that it inspired this week’s challenge. This week let someone know you missed them. I’m usually the one telling you to put your phone down but this week I want you to pick it up long enough to call your friend that wasn’t greeting you at the front door this past Sunday at church. Or text the one that wasn’t at her son’s football practice like she usually is. Maybe your co-worker has been out unexpectedly for a couple of days. Let her know you’re thinking of her.

This week let someone know they were missed.

You won’t believe what a difference it can make. It made my day very happy.

The Grocery Store

| Marie Griffith

I was in the grocery store the other day, and I noticed the young girl in line ahead of me.  She was beautiful and so were her tattoos. The tattoos stood out against her pale skin. Her dark hair was blond streaked and pulled back in a sloppy pony tail.  She looked hungry but the only item at the register was a can of baby formula. She clumsily pulled out a wad of dollar bills from the front pocket of her jeans. Some coins fell from the wad of cash and she counted the money until the amount was right. She pushed it toward the cashier. 

The cashier seemed impatient with the girl.  She picked up the cash and put it in the register. The cashier was an older woman with thick, salt and pepper hair swept away from her face.  Her hands were calloused and her skin leathery.

Both women seemed tired. The cashier from standing at her job all day……maybe the younger woman from caring for her children all day. Both seemed heavy with worry, weariness and busyness.  

What I noticed most was their disregard for one another.  They wouldn’t look at each other, neither smiled nor spoke.  No chit-chat between these two when the cashier handed the girl her receipt.   Each was in her own space. 

I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if one of them had said hello? or smiled?   

I’ve done the same thing.  I’ve been too busy to notice those around me. Too tired to smile or too deep in my own world that I didn’t speak.  

How many opportunities have I missed to simply acknowledge another?  To share a smile, an encouraging nod, or a friendly comment? 

I kept trying to catch the young tattooed girl’s eye. I wanted her to know that I saw her but she never looked my way.  

I tried to chat with the cashier but she wasn’t in the mood. 

That’s okay. I saw her. 

I must see those around me.  

How can I love them if I don’t see them?