Lessons From the Edge

Encouragement comes in all shapes, sizes, and abilities.

I was having a rough morning Monday. Not sure why. I just was really down. And I was having a hard time maintaining the mask I sometimes put on at Edgewood. Yeah. I'm all about being real. But sometimes my job requires me to put on a mask. It's kind of like role-playing. The Activity Director is supposed to be happy. So when Karen isn't, she plays the part. *sigh*

So, anyway, I was going through the motions, trying my best to appear pleasant. Like I truly was happy to be there, doing what I was doing. And at just the right moment, (Because that's when God does things.) J saw me, smiled, and held out her arms.
J's eyesight is very bad, but when I'm close enough she can see me. She is deaf, but she still talks to me. Her hands are crippled, but she freely holds mine with hers. And her teeth are awful, but she has one of the sweetest smiles I have ever seen.

So there I was, in the dining room clearing plates or something (short-staffed in the kitchen Monday...), trying real hard to keep my smile pasted on. And I saw J smiling and holding out her arms to me. I promptly went over to her, we hugged, and she kissed my cheek. (She always does!) This time the smile on my face was sincere.
And it got even bigger as I thought about the irony of the situation. God was using a half-blind, completely deaf, crippled old woman to cheer me up. He's so clever!

Encouragement comes in all shapes, sizes, and abilities.