Let Your Heart Be Your Guide

I got back late Wednesday night from my trip to Las Vegas for the ASHP Midyear Conference- what a whirlwind! I want to do my trip to Las Vegas justice, so I'm choosing to write a detailed post about it tomorrow rather than throw something together tonight. However, I wanted to share a short story with you that I ran across in one of my older journals.

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Beautiful Day, Isn't It?
Barbara Johnson

The day started out rotten. She overslept and was late for work. Everything that happened at the office contributed to her nervous frenzy. By the time she reached the bus stop for her trip home, her stomach was one big knot.

As usual, the bus was late--and jammed. She had to stand in the aisle, and the lurching vehicle pulled her in all directions.

Then she heard a voice form up front boom, "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Because of the crowd, she could not see the man, but she heard him as he continued to comment on the spring scenery, calling attention to each approaching landmark. This church, that park. This cemetery, that firehouse. Soon all the passengers were gazing out the windows.d The man's enthusiasms was so contagious that she found herself smiling for the first time that day.

They reached her stop. Maneuvering toward the door, she got a look at their "guide:" an older gentleman with a beard, wearing dark glasses and carrying a thin, white cane.

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This story always makes me tear up (shocking, I know)... I have such a clear picture of their "guide." It reminds me of the people I've met who have may have fewer possessions but have so much more in spirit than I ever will know. The first person that comes to mind is Regina, an elderly women in Montgomery, Alabama whose house I worked on during a summer mission trip. Even though her surroundings were falling apart (literally), she was full of gratitude, kindness, and love. I don't remember giving her my address, but the following September, she sent me a birthday card filled with her blessings and prayers. I haven't received anything from Regina since then (it was 1999), but the letter she sent me remains a very treasured keepsake and reminder of the "guides" in my own life.