My friend—the one who is in prison sent me a package today. Addictions are such a destructive thing. But, in some ways, he is safe and able to deal with those addictions. He has been clean for a good while now. And has been able to grow in insight and skill because of his incarceration.
He is so tender hearted. Things are okay in my life. Really. But my days have their ups and downs and he is a good listening ear. He is there for me as a good sounding board. Heart and head…he has both.
He sent me a gift today. In prison you don’t get to buy and give gifts in the traditional way.
His gifts are a little different. If you are my friend you know that he makes crocheted animals. I have sold some of them for him. In the box he sent today was a crocheted animal. He hadn’t told me he was working on the animal. He wanted to surprise me.
And he did! It was so out of the box creative that I laughed out loud. It was a good feeling. To laugh at a surprise gift from a friend. His hand-made creation, created over hours of painstaking effort and love.
But then he also slipped into the box a card and a news clipping from a column by Tami Rudkin. Evidently she writes for a newspaper he gets in prison, Boy, I like how she writes! Her column was called “Make a Splash”.
She starts, “I have made a splash in this life. So have you! We made a splash in this world the day we entered it. ….I don’t know your particular circumstances but you popped out into this world with a splash and the world has never been the same.”
With that opening, she had my attention…
She went on to talk about how splashes cause ripples…and suggests that no matter where we are today, right now, we will be making a splash…and ripples. Doing something kind can cause someone’s day to be better. Doing something mean can cause someone’s day to be worse. Either way, those ripples will affect whoever is in their path.
We control our ripples in how we live out our days. Our splashes matter..…and so do those ripples.
‘’My friend’s note said, “Thanks for being a splash in my life….” And with that I had a good cry. Notice I said a GOOD cry….all is okay. Today it’s okay, Tomorrow will be okay. As long as there are good people in my life who create good ripples for me, it will be okay.
Rudkin ends her column by challenging us to make a positive splash today. Reach out in kindness. Send your words out with care. Remember someone today. Compliment someone today. Be a listening ear today. Pay it forward today…
I will do my part….we’ll have a better world if we all do our parts….Peace….❤️
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