Week 148
Positive post Sunday, December 15, 2019- Week 148.
The good Lord speaks to us in so many ways, all we have to do is listen.
Growing up, Michele spent many summers vacationing with her family on Balboa Island, staying at the home of two of the most generous and faithful people I know, our dear friends Jim and Mary Madison. I have met. Michele’s love of Balboa Island from her many fond memories growing up has turned into a family tradition for our own family. We have spent many years vacationing on the Island, and frequently drive down for the day to walk around the big and little Islands, and when our kids and grandkids are with us, of course getting Balboa Bars or hippo cookies from Dad’s.
I’ve worn out a few pairs of shoes and logged several hundred miles on Strava walking around the Islands over the years. We have had many memorable walks, including regularly walking over the bridge where Patrick Buoye proposed to our daughter Alison a few years back, walking up to Newport Dunes to visit our daughter Heather and her family, and walking around at Christmas time to see all the lights and decorations.
Our walk on September 29th of this year was a very special one. Michele and I needed a break and drove down for the day to relax. While walking on the big Island the good Lord reached out and spoke to us through a young boy with down syndrome. We were walking on the North Bayfront and there he was, this beautiful young boy sitting on the bench all by himself with his artwork proudly displayed on the wall in front of him. He wrote one word on several 4X6 cards with bright backgrounds and was selling each one for $1. Although most people just smiled and walked right on by, Michele and I couldn’t miss this opportunity to support this young artist.
After surveying all the cards with powerful words like LOVE and HOPE, we selected “FAITH” written in black with a bright yellow background. In a matter of just a few minutes, this young boy deepened my faith and brought me one step closer to God. He reminded me that, as William Newton Clarke stated, “Faith is daring the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see”. He also reminded me that some of the most impactful and valuable things we experience or collect in our lives have little material value. Although my new artwork is not the Mona Lisa and only cost me $1, in my book it’s “Priceless”.
What simple, yet priceless, things and experiences have you overlooked in your life? Where does the good Lord speak to you, are you listening?