[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Tuesday, May 14, 2013

[Paul]

Well folks, tomorrow we'll have been through half of the month of May, at least here in North America and Europe as this is being written.  You in Australia and New Zealand are in your halfway point day.  At any rate, whenever you read this post, I hope that your day is going well or went well.

The story I have for you today has no author's name, nor do I know where it appeared originally in print.  All I can tell you is that it was printed in the May 2004 issues of "The Gospel Messenger" magazine.  Entitled "May Basket of Flowers--And Forgiveness," it is rendered as follows:

"Hey, do you know what? Today is May Day!" my sister announced.  "Do you remember the May Day baskets we used to make with colored paper and paste?"

Childhood memories and warm feelings engulfed me as I recalled that my sisters and I would run around the neighborhood delivering the not-so-perfect baskets brimming with spring flowers.  We would place the handmade treasures on a doorstep, knock on the door, then scurry away as fast as our legs would carry us.  It was delightful to peer around a bush and watch our friends open their doors and pick up the colorful gift, wondering who had left it out for them.

I distinctly remember the May Day of the year that I was in fifth grade.  That year I was faced with the challenge involving one of my dearest friends.  She lived right across the road from our family, and we had walked together to school nearly every day since first grade.

Pam was a year older than I, however, and her interests were starting to change from the interests that we had together.  A new family had recently moved into our small town, and Pam was spending more and more time at their house.  I felt hurt and left out.

When my mother asked if I was going to take a May Day basket to Pam's house, I responded angrily, "Absolutely not!" My mom stopped what she was doing, knelt down and held me in her arms.  She told me not to worry, that I would have many other friends throughout my lifetime.

"But Pam was my very best friend ever," I cried.

Mom smoothed back my hair, wiped away my tears and told me that circumstances change and people change.  She explained that one of the greatest things friends can do is to give each other a chance to grow, to change and and to develop into all God wants them to be.  And sometimes, she said, that would mean that friends would choose to spend time with other people.

She went on to say that I needed to forgive Pam for hurting me--and that I could act out that forgiveness by giving her a May Day basket.

It was a hard decision, but I decided to give her a basket.  I made an extra-special basket of flowers with lots of yellow because that was Pam's favorite color.  I asked my two sisters to help me deliver my basket of forgiveness.  As we watched them from our hiding place, Pam scooped up the flowers, pressed her face into them and said loudly enough for us to hear, "Thank you, Susie! I hoped you wouldn't forget me!"

That day I made a decision that changed my life:  I decided to hold my friends tightly in my heart, but loosely in my expectations of them, allowing them space to grow and to change--with or without me.

And there you have Susie's article.  Hope that some, if not all, of you received a blessing from reading it, and perhaps it brought back memories of similar experiences in your lives.  As for me, I can't recall anything like that in my childhood or, if such ever happened, the Holy Spirit hasn't yet brought it to mind.

And now until tomorrow when, Lord willing another Daily Thought will be presented, may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep you safe, individually and collectively, throughout this night or day and especially in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul