A WORD FOR TODAY, March 23, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, March 23, 2021
“Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do. But we beg you, brothers, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to respect and honor them in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. We exhort you, brothers: Admonish the disorderly; encourage the faint-hearted; support the weak; be patient toward all. See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good for one another and for all.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15, WEB
I am getting ready to go wildflower hunting in a few days. The season was set back a little because of the winter storm a few weeks ago, but the scouting reports are suggesting that now is the time. I usually take my first trip to the south and east of San Antonio. I will chase after bluebonnets in the Hill Country in a few weeks, but the fields in the other direction are different. The bluebonnets are a different type and there are so many other beautiful colors at the same time. Unfortunately, this year is not expected to be extraordinary because the weather (not just the winter storm, but the lack of rainfall) means that fewer of the seeds began growing in the fall, which is necessary for a spring bonanza.
There are two places I particularly like to go when I take the southeastern routes, and both are cemeteries. The caretakers of both have made the decision to allow the ground to go wild during the springtime, letting the wildflowers take over for a period of time. There is something quite poignant about seeing the new spring life grow up around the memories of those who have passed. This is especially true because we are so close to Easter. New life rises out of death, after all.
The first time I found one of those cemeteries happened to be a day when the caretaker was working on the grounds. I am always a little hesitant about wildflower hunting in a cemetery, not because I am frightened by death but because a cemetery is a sacred place. Those buried there were loved by people and are mourned by people. Though they are not aware of my footsteps on the ground above their caskets, I want to give them the respect and honor due. I was little more than a tourist, a gawker there to enjoy the beauty, search the gravestones and take photographs for my own enjoyment. I didn’t want to be in the way if a family happened to come by to visit.
I walked over to the caretaker to let him know why I was there. I know that cemeteries sometimes attract vandals bent on destruction, and though it was the middle of the day, I wanted him to know I meant no harm. I commented about the beauty of the place and asked a few questions about the graves. Then I thanked him. I thanked him for taking such good care of the graves and for keeping the cemetery looking so beautiful.
I live far away from the place where my parents are buried, so I am unable to visit their graves on a regular basis. I can’t be there in the spring to pull weeds or plant fresh flowers. I can’t take care of any damage that might have occurred over the winter months. We don’t need to go to a gravestone to remember those we love, we remember them daily when we share stories and pictures of their lives. The bodies in the grave are empty shells. Yet, I am always sad when I see gravesites that seem to have been forgotten, that the last people to know them are long gone and their memory is dust in the wind. I hope that isn’t happening to my parents’ graves.
I thanked the caretaker on behalf of all those people who live too far away to visit regularly, and for those who are no longer remembered by the living in this world. Weed eating the overgrown grasses in a place that rarely shows signs of life must be a lonely job. It might seem to be a job with little value. After all, it seems like he only serves those who are dead. I think he appreciated the words. He seemed a little happier and lighter of step when we finished our conversation.
There are so many people who serve us daily that we rarely consider. Have you ever thanked the station attendant at the self-serve gas station? Or the kid putting products on the shelf at the grocery store? Or the painters who are repainting the walls in your office space? We have no reason to talk with these people, and yet we would not have so many things without these silent servants in our lives. I think, perhaps, the pandemic has reminded us of their value, but let’s never allow them to become unseen again.
So today, thank someone who is doing a job that seems thankless, because they are making a difference in the world. They might not be serving you directly, but they would like to hear that they are important. Even if you don’t buy that product or work in that newly painted office, a word of thanksgiving on behalf of those who will benefit from their work will brighten their day. They might be a little happier and lighter of step when you have finished, and the world might just be a more peaceful place.
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