One of my twins came home with a couple colorful rubber bands on his wrist the other day. “Look, mommy, I found a bracelet! I want to keep it forever.” I gently pointed out the marks already forming on his wrist and told him that maybe we could find a better bracelet than that. He reluctantly gave up the rubber bands.
The rest of the afternoon and evening he asked me a dozen times to make or find him a new bracelet (and of course one for his brother as well). Finally, as they were falling asleep, I found some stretchy ribbon and made a blue and a green… well, essentially I made a couple hair ties. I placed them on their wrists and their sleepy eyes lit up with joy.
The next day, they came home from school and the first thing they said was “Mommy, can you make one in pink?” I asked them why, and they both responded “For our friend! She would so love a bracelet!” Then they got in the car and noticed that I had bought them little pumpkins all there own, and what was the first thing they said
? “Can you go back to the store and buy our friend one too?”
“Why do you want her to have a bracelet and a pumpkin?” I asked.
“Because it would make her happy, and I want to give her all the things to make her so happy!”
What have we done lately for another person just for the simple reason of their happiness? Have we told someone they are doing a good job? Have we bought someone a cup of coffee just because? Have we sent a text or made a phone call just to ask “How are you?””
My prayer this morning as we head into the weekend is for the grace to recognize what others need and the grace to do what we can to help them receive it.
Even if it’s as simple as a pink hair tie.
