"Untitled"

Yesterday, Mothers Day, I woke up in an unusual mood.  Because yesterday was Mothers Day AND what would have been the 93rd birthday of my adopted mom, Bea (who died in January), I expected to be a bit sad for my loss.  Instead, I woke up thinking about OTHERS who might be sad on Mothers Day, and wrote this poem about 5 fictional people (but real situations) that might make each of THEM sad.  It turned out to be a blessing from God....I'll explain that later.  First, the POEM which I wrote in "Notes" on my phone yesterday in the wee hours of Sunday morning....

Writing this poem (above), focusing on how OTHERS might be sad on this holiday, was something God used to prime my heart for a special task.  You see, at church, we had a visitor to the Men's Sunday School class I teach.  When it came time for prayer requests this poor man, sobbing, mentioned how his wife of over 40 years had recently passed away and he couldn't stop grieving.  My heart naturally went out to him because I'd lost MY first wife, after 38 years, a few years ago but there was MORE than that...I felt more compassion for him than I ordinarily would have because GOD PRIMED MY HEART FROM THE MOMENT I'D AWAKENED YESTERDAY, TO THINK OF OTHERS, you see.  

And had I been feeling sorry for myself that it was Mothers Day and my adopted mom was dead now, I probably would have felt pretty stupid next to a man who recently lost his WIFE of four decades!!  

I might have felt embarrassment , instead of empathy.  As it turned out, I directed this brother to the man in the church who gave Grief Counseling to ME when I became a widower...but I believe he trusted me to make that recommendation because he could see I really, really felt his pain and it was NOT just that I wanted to push his pain on someone else, having had enough sadness of my own to deal with yesterday.

I didn't know what to title this blog except to say that I thank GOD for the gift of overcoming my native selfishness and self-centeredness yesterday.  It may have robbed me of the blessing of TRULY being able to enter in to the pain of another, and helping him!!  I thank God for the ability to have an "Others-Focus."