catapult magazine

catapult magazine
 

Vol 8, Num 17 :: 2009.09.04 — 2009.09.17

 
 

Round and round

The other day, I went to the funeral of the mother of a house-mate in my community. I had wanted to go to show my support for him, to share this difficult time with him and to remind him that he was loved by the community. And I don’t know how well I did that, but I do know that in the midst of my attempt to show love and kindness to someone in the community, I was reminded again of how much love and kindness I’ve received in the community.

As much as it had been good to be at the funeral, it was a long day. I came home tired and hungry, and since I really should have gone shopping several days beforehand, I knew that a lot of creativity would be necessary in order to put together something semi-enjoyable for dinner. But then it turned out that there were leftovers at the main house, and I was invited to join someone else who’d gone to the funeral. Dinner was broccoli soup and pasta with pesto and mushrooms. They warmed it up for us and served us — and we even got dessert. How could I not feel loved?

And when I think about the rest of the day, the feeling of being loved and cared for is even stronger. There were a lot of good conversations in which I felt listened to and encouraged – and I recognized that I wanted to do the same for others.  That day, I also received a gift of a used microwave, which I carried across the canal through the crowds of tourists without getting too many strange looks. In addition, someone loaned me a cat carrier so that, much to my joy, I could pick up a cat the next day. My joy is increased by knowing that my it is shared by the little boy next door who’s fascinated by cats, and by his mom who’s not so impressed with how certain mice have decided to move in.

Thus, on a day when I attempted to let another know that he is loved and cared for by the community, what I am struck by most is how much I am loved here. I sometimes feel that I am not worthy of that love and do an inadequate job of sharing it with others, but whether that’s true or not is something to sort out for another day. This day was about simply getting to delight in the feeling of being loved — and also having joy in knowing that God delights in his children feeling loved. 

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