Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
People are placed in our lives for a reason. I’ve always believed that … we are supposed to learn from each other. One of my favorite quotes comes from Mother Teresa (so says the internet): “Some people come in our life as blessings. Others come in our life as lessons.”
This point has come home to roost the past couple of weeks.
We can learn from both situations. My hope is that I’m always a blessing; but realistically, I get that I’m probably a little of each. But then, aren’t we all?
There’s a new show this fall, “Speechless,” about a family whose son lives with cerebral palsy, and has communication and mobility issues. In one scene, a rather unpleasant woman smirks from her car that there isn’t a handicap placard on the family’s van. About that time, the back of the van opens and the wheelchair-bound son rolls out to the ramp. Cue uneasy laughter. After a bit of a smack down from the mother, played by Minnie Driver, the smirky woman looks a little chagrined and drives off.
The truth is, we’re all on different journeys. The only way people know what’s happening in our lives is if we choose to share it. And if we don’t, we’re often judged by what people see or assume they know about us, not the reality of our situation.
I’m fortunate to have the people in my life that I do. And they have all been blessings and lessons. Case in point is one of the best people I know – my dad – who has been both to me. Every moment with him is a gift, an adventure to say the least. Blessing. And I’ve learned how to approach the world by his example. Lesson.
When I mess up, I’m fortunate to have people who won’t throw it in my face. Blessing. I’m able to fix the mistake and move on. Blessing. I’ve also seen the reverse, where someone has a mistake thrown in their face constantly, long past the expiration date. Lesson. They’re never allowed to grow because a mistake from the past isn’t left to the past. Yet another lesson as to how NOT to treat someone.
I’ve been fortunate that my people look at life lessons as just that … a lesson and an opportunity to grow. Rather than tear each other down, we could do so much more if we built each other up. Then we, too, could be a blessing AND a lesson in the best possible way.
Patti Dobson writes about faith for the Portales News-Tribune. Contact her at:
