“There’s good out there. We just have to look for it,” So spoke our waitress at the Old English Inn at Hollister recently. The Inn has been there since 1912; the name of the eatery I believe has changed a time or two. Name of the young lady lost in my notes somewhere.
But not what she said. Especially the part about “We have to look for it…” Ourselves. The responsibility is on us to do the looking, and to be specific about that for which we are exploring.
I used to gather a few morel mushrooms when young. Loved to eat them. Found a few while fishing or hunting. Then, as I grew older and a bit wiser, I found a LOT more. Because I was looking for them. I began spending more time where they were likely to be found. Looked specifically for the succulent fungi.
Now, I still fish and hunt in the spring. And spend time where mushrooms are less likely. But I keep my eye out for the tasty treat. And I find some in unlikely places.
My search for goodness is similar. I am always on the lookout for acts of kindness. Gestures of goodwill. I look for them in the faces of children. Of those that protect and nurture us. Educators. Nurses and doctors.
In the tired countenance of a farmer at the end of a day. The postal worker trying to get those cards and gifts delivered. That last load of packages off their rig. A mother encouraging patience from a child.
I see goodness in the response of friends and strangers all working to fulfill the wishes of a little girl who has already stared down more demons than most of us will encounter in our lives.
And I see it in the encouraging words of a young mother waiting tables. I saw it in an artist willing to gift an original as she had yet to make a copy.
What we find; what we see often depends on where we look. And for what we look. Helen Keller advised that if we “keep our face to the sun we cannot see shadows.” Certainly true.
From the Good Book, we know when we “...earnestly seek good…” we find favor. We are instructed to “Seek good; not evil.” We are encouraged to dwell on “what is true…honorable…just…pure…lovely…commendable…excellent.”
It is in His words that we are reminded to seek first “His kingdom…His righteousness.” Such a search will give us the “peace beyond understanding…” that can be ours.
We already know where to conduct a search. And where not. We spend hours on electronic devices, staring at screens being fed a twenty-four hour news cycle for which we never asked. A business magnate decades ago famously said we “no longer meet consumer needs; we create them.”
We somehow have been led to believe that we need to know what athletes, actors and narcissistic politicians are thinking. Or uttering. A couple of weeks of diligent research prior to an election can make us informed. Listening the rest of the year just encourages them.
We “longer in the tooth” are blessed with the knowledge of our experience. Our past mistakes; the observance of others’ triumphs. Even a few of our own. We should be passing on such understanding to these “kids” by both instruction and example.
Read a book to or with a child. Spend some time enjoying His Creation with someone young.
Please have a New Year of Peace, Better Health and Much Happiness! Thanks for joining us!
