Yesterday was a big step. Another big step. A big life step for us, for Tayler and for Derek. We loaded up and moved them to Jamestown. University of Jamestown, Jamestown, North Dakota. Second year for Tayler, so the emotions were a little more in check than last year. In fact, Facebook reminded me of last year. All the emotions flooded back of us walking away as Tayler sat crying in her room. The hardest thing as a parent is watching the pain of your child and not being able to help. For us, that day, we had to walk away because it was the right thing to do. 

We got to Jamestown late morning and unloaded the trailer. After getting unloaded and going to lunch, we then took Tayler and Derek to Walmart to help them to get their apartment set up because it was the right thing to do. We got the car all loaded and were heading back to the apartment. On the corner, there sat a person in a wheelchair and a sign. A sign. Many signs, other than the cardboard one he was holding, were being shown. 

Opportunities to do the right thing are always present. We just have to open our eyes to them. We have to open our hearts to them. Because it’s the right thing to do. We have to listen for the knocking. We have to answer the door. Because it’s the right thing to do. 

I have to admit I was being a little bit cynical. There are so many scammers out there. You just never know. But what if he wasn’t a scammer? I have work to do on myself. My husband, on the other hand, has the biggest heart. He passed that on to Tayler. I am grateful I get to witness it on the daily. 

But, something was telling us we should stop. Something. The right thing to do. It was pretty much a collaborative decision. We all decided we needed to stop and give him some money. Tayler was driving so the turn around took way longer than it should have. She has a strange sense of direction. You know I couldn’t let that one go Tayler! LOL. 

We finally got back around and pulled up to the curb. The man sitting on the corner. The man with an artificial leg. The man with the cardboard sign. The sign indicated he was a Vet. The man who looked broken. The man whose pride was being tested. The man sitting on a corner in a wheelchair with a sign. The man who looked broken. The man. 

John only had a 10, I gave him another 20. He got out and walked up to the man and handed him the money. The look on the man’s face instantly brought tears to my eyes. The shocked look on his face. The gratitude in his eyes. The tears forming, the words forming. The emotions, so real, so true. The heart, so real, so true. 

We drove away, feeling good. We answered the knock on the door. We answered God’s knock. 

Be kind to people. Because it’s the right thing to do. 

As I was getting ready to write my blog this week, I gathered my several notebooks out of my bag that gets hauled everywhere. I carry them with me all the time, in case an idea strikes or if I just take ten minutes in the morning and write. Sometimes I put notes in my phone, but I would much rather feel the pen on the paper. I like to feel the smoothness or the scratchiness of the pen, depending on the tip. I like the cool look of the dotted journal. I love to fill in the empty pages with my thoughts and musings. 

I grabbed several of the notebooks and headed to my computer to start the process. As I opened the yellow notebook to find the next blank page, I opened to a page that had one word written on it. It made me wonder what my thoughts were when I wrote it. It made me wonder why I didn’t go back and finish what I started. Ha. How ironic now that I am sitting down and thinking about this. 

There is something in our lives that is very, very hard for us to do. It just is. That is the word that was written on the page. The word was “change.” Wouldn’t you agree that change is something that can be hard? We get so comfortable in our little comfort zone. Bring on the comfy couch, blankie and bowl of popcorn. Turn the TV on and we are set. It’s our after-work-zone-out, mindless-eat and withdraw-from-the-world routine. I would bet that most people are grabbing a beer or a glass of wine as well. I know I used to. 

Change can be scary and change can take time. Sometimes we don’t think we need to change. We are so busy denying anything is wrong that we just stay in our little bubble of comfort. Denial keeps self-sabotage alive. It’s a defense mechanism we use to keep us from feeling things we don’t want to feel. It essentially numbs our emotions. Kind of like too much alcohol. Kind of like too much food. Kind of like a lot of things. 

Take some small steps towards change. One thing can start the ball rolling. For example, if you think you can add some extra steps to your day, that’s a start. That might be all you need. 

Change can also be exciting. It can help us see things in a different way. It can help to motivate us. Once we start seeing some positive things happening, we want to keep going. 

Be patient with yourself. Clean off that lens of perception and take a good hard look and see what can be possible. The truth really does set you free. 

Let your life flow. Let your life change. Break away from the fear of change. Embrace it. Live it. 

The definition of change is to make or become different. Take a chance on yourself.