In Times Such as These

 

In the rush yesterday to finish holiday shopping before Christmas actually gets here, my husband and I took a break to stop in at a bakery for some fresh loaves of French bread for tonight's meal—and a snack for us, of course. With each of us decked out in holiday-inspired outfits—he with an actual Dickensian top hat garnished with holly—we may have looked like we were in the holiday spirit, but frankly the rush of the day's activities, to say nothing of the entire month's obligations, had already worn us out.

Thankfully, we entered the shop at the tail end of the lunch rush; there was no one in line. We stood at a respectful distance, awaiting one of the two clerks to call us up and take our order. They, however, seemed oblivious.

All of a sudden, in a flash, someone rushed by us and started placing an order. My first inclination was to offer an indignant, "Excuse me?" but something gave me pause. Looking down, I noticed this interloper's speed could possibly be attributed to the crutches she was using. Only these crutches were not the usual I-just-broke-my-leg-on-my-ski-trip kind; they were the type affixed to the arms by braces. Seeing them conjured up memories from my childhood of people who had been stricken with polio, but somehow survived.

A far different vignette than what some of us might have ordered up for holiday cheer, the sight jarred my thoughts from the hurry of a too-long holiday to-do list to the realization that, this year, the season might mean something altogether different to some people than we'd all wish it could mean. News reports mention plenty of people in financial straits, but those represent fuzzy cameos from a great distance. We hardly need to look elsewhere to find everyday stressors gone awry: our city was recently shocked by a horrific shootout at a toddler's birthday party; despite the rain and winter chill, there are homeless people everywhere; a good friend lost her lifelong partner, with whom she had recently celebrated their seventieth wedding anniversary. Life can be challenging in so many ways.

In times such as these, a phrase like "count your blessings" may come across as trite. However, I've noticed that sometimes in the deep midst of such challenging experiences, those blessings—when they arrive—can shine through even more clearly. A different kind of blessing, granted, but those are the blessings which mean the most, and are the most needed in times of trouble.

Wherever your life path has brought you at this time, I wish you the kind of blessings that meet you with significance and lift you upwards with peace.