Today marks 8 years since my Dad lost his battle with cancer. It was a day full of emotion as you can imagine. I felt sad that I would never be able to hear his voice, see his face, have him walk me down the aisle, chat about the Patriots, tell me another not so funny, but funny dad joke, or how to properly make instant coffee. Yes, apparently there is a “good’ way to make instant coffee.
I felt comforted though, knowing he was no longer suffering & with the Lord. It’s this knowing that makes it “easier” to deal with the sadness of not having his presence here on earth.
Today, thinking about him I have this overwhelming feeling of being a light or sharing kindness for others. My dad always was this, he’s give the shirt off his back to someone if need be. As I was driving to work, I thought about how normal my day would be. Grabbing my coffee at Starbucks, listening to my morning radio show while commuting to work, sitting at my desk doing my daily tasks, going to the gym and then heading back home. Pretty typical day on the anniversary of a day that changed my life forever.
I thought about how many people sitting in the morning traffic with me are going through something, or remembering someone like I am today. The people I pass in the hall, the people I am emailing back and forth, the people grabbing their coffee along side me. All of us going about our day, perhaps carrying a heavy heart.
I’ve always believed in being kind to everyone around me, sometimes lost in the hustle and bustle of every day though is a smile, a hello, a good morning. Small little gestures that could mean a lot to someone on a tough day. I want to become better at that, thoughtfully and meaningfully acknowledging strangers, coworkers, whomever it may be. A smile, a hello, a kind gesture, whatever it is, I want them to know they matter. As I challenge myself to be more mindful of this, I challenge you as well. All these small acts can make a big difference.
I am sharing this below verse, Psalm 34:18 to those who need to hear it. It was a verse I repeated and thought about often after the passing of my dad.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
-Coco
thecocochroniclesblog.com 