Be a Student of All

    This year has been the year of letting go, from sending the boys to college to releasing old anger to changing how I see everyone I meet.  The empty nest and cleaning up my old baggage are topics for other times, today's thoughts are about seeing each person as a gift to be opened.  So many sages say be childlike in your appreciation of the world, from Jesus (Matt 19:14 "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.") to Rumi (Chew quietly your sweet sugarcane, God-Love, and stay playfully childish.), but how to find that in my regular life?
    I've been given many examples this year, as if this was one of the biggest lessons for me to learn, right now!  My current favorite is what a good friend told me this week over coffee.  She has a beautiful, pure simplicity of spirit that is such a great antidote for my way too serious approach.
     I can't remember what we were talking about, but I asked her how she kept the awareness of God in her everyday life.  She said that as she walked the dog or ran errands, she talked to everyone as if they were a person and made them smile.  At first I completely dismissed what she said (how embarrassing!).  This is way too easy.  I do that all the time.  It's what I love, surely there must be more?
    Just a few minutes later I realized that ease of talking to people is a gift, which means I was given it to better the world around me.  I don't have to start a religious organization or a major charitable foundation to make the world a better place, just talk to the bank tellers, the librarians and the baggers at the grocery, all of my favorite people in the world.  Now I know I've said this both here and here, but I am a very slow learner of the obvious.
     Who knew, just being myself is enough.  The picture above is from Easter five years ago.  My niece is completely happy with her dress, white shoes and a few Easter eggs. It is the little things we do that creates the big changes we all hope for. I hope you have a great week, just being the divinely created child you already are.