The Annoyed Army

Been a kind of rough start to the holiday season this year….my Dad’s death, my health problems, which leave me in pain a lot and unable to work at my job anymore, Mr. Tow out of town for most of the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.….easy to feel a little down.

Yesterday I went to Curves for my daily workout. 

Not many women there, everyone doing holiday preparations maybe. There was a new woman though, and as we went around the circuit, I struck up a conversation with her. She was wearing this really neat watch with a band that had turquoise and silver and other kinds of beads, and some silver charms. I told her how much I liked it. We talked about arthritis and how hard it is to keep moving sometimes. And I gave her some instructions on using the exercise machines properly. 

After the workout, I was doing my cool down stretching exercises, and she came over to me. She wanted to know my name and she told me her name is Phyllis. Here is what she said, “This is my second time here. I was terrified to walk in the door. I am old and fat and out of shape, but I got scared about my health and realized I needed to do something. I felt like a stranger and felt like everyone was staring at me. But then you started talking to me as though you were really happy I was here. You helped me and you made me feel welcome.”

Then she took my hand, and opened it up and put her watch in it. “I want you to have this. And I hope you will have a Merry Christmas.”

I tried to give the watch back to her, but she was so insistent and it seemed to mean so much to her, that I accepted it. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before.

I learned two things:

1. We never know what may come of the seeds we sow. A voice of welcome, a friendly hello, a casual conversation, might speak strongly to someone who is afraid or lonely. God uses what we have to give, and He blesses it. When we reach out to others, God will return the blessing to us.

2. And I learned that Christmas can come in unexpected ways indeed…