Encouraging Others

Do you sometimes feel like you’re a character in the movie Groundhog Day during the troubling days of this Pandemic? Many people say they do. Others say it’s more like being in an episode of The Twilight Zone. Some are more appreciative of their homes now and have discovered things about the quarantine they actually prefer with the slower pace of life. Others say they are going stir crazy.

I have a friend that loves to mail cards, letters, and notes often. She has done this for years and it is a strong characteristic of her personality. She includes in her mailings bookmarks, magnets made from family pictures; I call them little treasures. She loves to encourage and brighten someone’s day with a greeting in the mail provided by our wonderful post office. She brings so much joy to many people that way.

A Massive Problem

A post card she created that I received recently shared that there truly is no place like home. As Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid. We all are afraid during this time. To name just a few of these fears, huge unemployment, illness, and the decline of everything we have always known being taken away from us. But our faith leads us to start anew each day with hope that maybe when this is all over we will have learned that this nation truly needed to rethink many things. We’ve been heading toward danger for quite awhile. It’s almost like everything is broken and our nation is so large. We need to reassess what we are doing. Could we actually learn from this massive problem?

Ways to Encourage

Have you ever considered sharing your stories, poems, drawings, and paintings with the people that love you, just to encourage them during these difficult times? Perhaps clean out that picture album you’ve been meaning to for years, and copy and mail to people that would appreciate them. We know that Grandma and Grandpa enjoy getting things from their grandchildren but don’t stop there! Think out of the box. What about your neighbor down the street you haven’t talked to since the quarantine began. It could be as simple as a favorite coupon for a food item, stamped envelopes for someone on a tight budget. How about sending a grocery or takeout gift card in a cheerful card with encouraging Scripture verses?

My ten-year-old granddaughter and I decided to share jokes and riddles by email and we have such fun. She even sent me a “new” math problem which I refused to answer on the grounds that I couldn’t! But she didn’t get all my riddles either so we are even. What matters is we are keeping in touch.

How about reading a Bible story over the phone to your little one? Make plans with the child’s parents and read them their favorite bedtime stories in the evening. Have them get ready for bed in their pajamas and wait for the phone to ring.

Christine Collier writes from New York.

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