Unexpected Blessing

“From the fullness of his grace we have received one blessing after another.” John 1:16

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  Galatians 5:22-23

I volunteer as Lied Center for Performing Arts usher and aisle manager. Recently I served as an aisle manager in the balcony for the “Glen Miller Orchestra”  performance. An elderly woman appeared at my door shortly after the ticket lobby doors opened. I offered to check her ticket so I could direct her to the correct door.

I told the elderly woman that my door was the correct door to reach her seat. I also informed her that her seat was in row A. I warned her that at row A, there was a step down. I urged her to be careful when stepping into row A.

Since she was early and few patrons had arrived, we visited a bit. The woman told me she had attended the “Glen Miller Orchestra” concert at the Lied Center eighteen months ago. She shared that she really enjoyed that concert. She stated that that concert was sold out. She confided that she could not handle the large crowd and left at intermission. We continued to visit. My door usher joined us in conversation.

I asked the woman if she was aware that a pre-performance talk was to start in ten minutes. Since few patrons had arrived, my door usher offered to take the elderly woman to the Steinhart room where the talk was to be held. The usher explained to her how to return to the balcony following the talk. The woman arrived back at my door in plenty of time before the concert started.

At intermission, the elderly woman came out of the auditorium. She smiled broadly and shared how much she enjoyed the concert. A little later, during the intermission, the woman came over to me and thanked me for being so kind to her. She said that she needed to go home to care for someone. Then she left.

After the elderly woman left, my usher shared with me that the woman also thanked her for being so kind. The usher then affirmed, “That woman was a blessing to you and me.” I agreed.

I wondered: Do we often view persons who need a listening ear or an understanding friend as a blessing to us? They certainly can be. Join me in looking for blessings in our daily lives.

Prayer: God, remind me to find ways to show kindness to others.  Little things do mean a lot. Help me to notice the blessings given to me. Amen.

Lois Poppe