I Was a Stranger and Ye Took Me In

I LOVE, LoVE, love hosting people.  I live alone; I love the company.  I love getting to know  people.  So when my friend Alicia e-mailed me to see if I would let someone come stay at my house while she had a job interview in St. Louis, I was really happy to do it.

I didn't know who I would meet, but Lonnie would grace my life for the next four days.  She was a lovable woman.  We would chat well into the night most nights.  But again, I find the same phenomenon.  I always end up getting more than I give.  So my first blessing was company.  I had someone to eat breakfast and dinner with.  Someone who looked forward to my arrival home.  Someone with whom I can talk about my day and who enjoyed sharing an ever so brief segment of our lives.

All I offered was a place to stay.  The lodgings weren't fantastic because all I have to offer is a hide-a-bed for her to sleep on.  It isn't terribly comfortable I'm sure, but I don't have a spare bedroom or a spare bed. 

What I got back: 

• I told her I had plenty of food, but she insisted on buying me dinner on Thursday and Friday.  I also had plenty of food for breakfast, which I told her, but she bought breakfast and left most of it here. 
• Thanks to Lonnie I was able to go to a concert with a friend of mine that I wouldn't have been able to attend without her.  We all went to dinner, we ended up getting into the concert for free, and then we went to a party where we were graced with fresh fruit and homemade fudge to take home. 
• She bought me candles for my dining room, stocked me up on toilet paper, and bought the vegetable for our Sunday dinner. 
• While we were out shopping for these items, we ran into an old client of mine.  I had really worked hard to help this client while I had her case.  I gave my old client a hug and she turned to Lonnie and said - "This is a really good person, I mean a really good person."  Naturally, this compliment warmed me. 

But most of all, Lonnie is a woman with lots of faith and she shared that with me while she was here.  There are points in all of our walks through life where we are exerting a tremendous level of faith.  It is right after we have followed guidance, but before we have not yet received the realization of the faith.  That is where Lonnie is at.  I think at times this is when we burn the brightest.  We are unsure of ourselves, and living on hope until the faith is realized.  I wish Lonnie all the best and hope to see her back here soon. 

I read a book once that has greatly impacted my life, Who Really Cares by Arthur C. Brooks.  It is all about giving.  The lesson secured in my head by the end of the book was that by giving, we become more giving.  It is a cycle.  And that by giving, we become better people and more likely to give.  My birthday goal of giving is now teaching my heart that lesson. 

Today I was thinking, you really don't realize the blessings of giving, how real and amazing they are until you do it.  When you do it, that realization really sinks in and motivates you to give more. I can only hope for more opportunities to give.  Last week I had no idea who Lonnie was, this week my life is greatly blessed by opening up my home to her. 

The opportunities to fulfill the Lord's expectations also come more rapidly.  We are asked to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort those who stand in need of comfort.  While Lonnie was here I got a text from a friend at 4 something in the morning asking me to come over.  She was having a particularly hard time and just needed someone to be there as she dealt with an incredible level of pain and anguish.  She apologized, but I was so glad I happen to be up and honored that she felt comfortable asking me.

Oh, I also gave a co-worker a card for his birthday and passed on a chocolate Santa that had been given to me.  When I got to my desk on Friday there was a Christmas card waiting for me from my co-workers.  One of my co-workers checked out my car (which was having problems) on Saturday and took the tires off and worked on diagnosing the problem for me. He is a consistently awesome co-worker, but he goes above and beyond. He had spent the other portion of his morning helping our other co-worker house hunt.  I love the guys I work with. 

Now I have 967 little kindnesses to go before next September!