Be Simple
“A nice warm shower, a cup of tea, and a caring ear may be all you need to warm your heart.” ~ Charles F. Glassman
Many times, for a penance at confession, I have told someone, “Do something nice for your mom and dad today. It doesn’t have to be anything big enough to make the 10:00 p.m. news. It just has to be something from the heart.” They smile as they get the idea.
And that really is the idea for everyone today: it doesn’t have to be big.
So many times, people’s living the faith gets thwarted because, for one reason or another, they think that whatever it is they do has to be something big, something flashy, something showy. They forget Jesus’ comment, “And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
A cup of water. That is all.
Whenever I see that passage, I think back to when I was young. One of my favorite things to do — and, as I found out later, one of my mailman’s favorite things as well — was to wait until I saw the mailman walking down the street on a hot summer day. I would run to the kitchen, get a big glass out of the cupboard, put in some ice cubes, and then fill it with water and place it in our mailbox.
The smile on his face as he walked up our driveway and say the mailbox cover propped open was always worth it. He would walk up, take a long drink, smack his lips, and breathe a sigh of relief. The water was so easy to do and yet so necessary for him.
It doesn’t have to be big. Something simple for the good of someone else can bring a smile to their face and a warmth to our own heart.
FAITH ACTION: Do something nice for someone today. In doing so, you will do something nice for yourself as well.