Saturday evening at around 7:45 p.m. I exhaled and began to relax. In Harmony for Cancer was humming along with Banks and Shane entertaining the audience of 400+, the silent auction was in full swing and all around me were contented faces, smiles, and a deep sense of community. Beforehand, I was experiencing pre-game jitters even though I had tremendous confidence in the team that made the evening such a tremendous success. The sky was clear, a full moon was rising over the church, and at that moment and in that time all seemed right in the world.
The news coming out of the world seemed anything but right during the week. Riots and protests in Baltimore disturbed all who were watching the news. Conflicts with Iran, Russian posturing, North Korean threats, and a whole potpourri of destabilizing politics have created an anxious what is wrong with the world questioning.
So I enjoyed the moment of what was right in the world.
I sat down to visit with Tim Park, Chaplain at Emory Johns Creek Hospital and his wife Mary who is an endocrinologist in Decatur. We talked, laughed, and soaked up the moment and then Mary said something to me that struck a cord.
"This is what makes America great, she said, there is no other country in the world that is as generous!"
Wow! I was focused on what was right before me and Mary took the moment to a different level. Her observation brought to my awareness what I have appreciated my entire life, yet somehow don't focus on enough. We live in a great country which at its heart is built on generosity. Yes In Harmony for Cancer is CanCare's lone fundraiser in Atlanta, but she wasn't solely talking about money. The spirit of our community is a giving spirit where cancer survivors and caregivers volunteer give back what they have been given. This giving spirit permeated the evening and we all felt stronger, more bonded to each other, and hopeful because we had gathered on a ball field, whose land was gifted many years ago, so that one day our community would bear witness on May 2, 2015 to what makes us great!
To God be the glory!!! Amen.
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, fill us with your generous spirit and free us to be cheerful givers who share all that we have and all that we are in Christ our Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.
