Friday in the First Week of Lent
I waited patiently for the Lord,
God stooped to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 40:1
My receipt comes with a piece of chocolate, a lovely offering from the postal worker who cheerfully helped me with a complicated transaction. I am pleased and almost feel like a kid receiving a lollipop after getting a shot at the doctor’s office. Encounters with bureaucracy seldom go smoothly, much less pleasantly. After all, earlier in the day, one of my kids called me for mom support after a not-at-all congenial encounter with the DMV in another part of the country.
A small gesture can have a big impact on someone. For better or worse.
I think of the Lenten road barely begun, my pace not yet regular or even familiar. The way ahead will require patience and care and consideration for myself and for others. And I am so grateful that I know that God is about loving-kindness.
