How Can We Offer Our Gifts?

When the ice storm began it was a gentle storm at my house, then as it wore on it was clear, this was going to be a great challenge.  Like lots of people, I lost power for a while and lost many of my favourite trees around the yard.  However, there were things to be found.  I saw great community solidarity on my neighbourhood Facebook groups, helping one another, picking up baby formula and diapers for strangers. People checking on others, lending out generators offering help to clear trees blocking driveways.  Communities opening warming stations and community members with woodstoves and generators offering their own homes as places to get warm and have a coffee.  And so much of what we were missing we normally take completely for granted.  The hot shower, the charged phone, the Wi-Fi, the lights, the water for rural folks.  All these things that we depend on but often fail to even notice as a blessing in our day to day lives. So how about this, lets notice, let’s just take a minute acknowledge the wonder of our conveniences after we missed them for a time.  Let’s think about how we can offer our gifts to our communities even when not in a state of emergency due to weather.  We often feel our challenges so deeply because, well, they are difficult and heart wrenching. And just when we get through one crisis another one is brewing.  But maybe, just a few moments in the morning or evening to think about what is great, what is working and all we have could break it up, alter the course, lighten the load and light up our days.