Blessings: Thursday's Reflection

Monday mornings I go to school. I walk the three short blocks to the elementary school in our neighborhood where our grandson Peter is a second grader and where our granddaughter Maren attended until middle school. One morning a week I volunteer in the library, shelving books. An easy and pleasurable task, even the weekly necessary reorganization of the ever popular animal and sports sections, which are always in much loved disarray!

The school no longer has a full-time librarian, and volunteers are needed to keep the library running smoothly. My part is minor, indeed, but I am grateful the children of Groveland Park have a pleasant environment in which to connect with books and develop a love of reading, and I want that to continue. 

Although shelving books may be the acknowledged reason I am there, I have discovered I am actually there to offer blessings and gratitude. 

As I walk up the stairs to the main school doors, I whisper to all who are there--teachers, the principal and other staff, but especially the students--"God Bless. May all be well." 

 This past Monday while I was signing the volunteer register, I heard a parent with unskilled English enrolling his child in school, and I wondered about their story--where they were from and what brought them here. The little girl looked dazed and uncertain, and I wished I could ease the fear within her. What I could do was whisper, "God Bless. May all be well."

Sometimes I hear a student who is unhappy about something. I know I can't reach out and try to comfort him, but I can whisper, "God Bless. May all be well." Or I sense a teacher's frustration when a group of students are not behaving respectfully. "God Bless.  May all be well."

One day a second grade student, but not in Peter's class, asked me to help him find him a book about leopards. He had pulled a book off the shelf about wild animals, and I asked him if we should see if that book had any information about leopards. We looked in the index in the back of the book, but how challenging that was, for he did not yet have a good grasp of the alphabet. I ached for him, hoping he is getting the help he needs and that it will make a difference for him. I found him a simple book about leopards with lots of pictures and he seemed relieved. "God Bless. May all be well."

2010, Grand Opening Celebration of Library

When I leave, I see children on the playground, buses waiting for the preschool children to board, and sometimes a parent coming up the walk. So many opportunities and reasons to offer a blessing. "God Bless. May all be well."

And the amazing thing is that I feel blessed, too. 

An Invitation

Where do you go, what do you do that is part of your everyday life that could benefit from the gift of a blessing? I would love to know.