“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” —Acts 20:35, NLT
“Why isn’t the coffee ready?” asked Diane.
“I’m sorry,” I said, tempering my voice.” I just got to work.”
“Well, that’s no excuse. It’s your job!” Diane snapped.
Diane was the charge nurse and she definitely lived up to her reputation! No matter what I did, it was never enough.
The week before Christmas, I drew Diane’s name for the office gift exchange. My heart sank when her name glared back at me. What could I possibly give her?
On the day of the Christmas party, I received an e-mail that Diane’s only daughter was in critical condition from a car accident. I grabbed my thermos of coffee and headed for the hospital.
When I arrived, Diane was sitting alone in the waiting room, wiping tears from her face. I inched next to her, pulled the thermos from my purse and offered her a cup of coffee. With a weak smile, she grabbed the cup from my hands and took a sip.
“Thank you. It’s just what I needed,” Diane whispered.
Ten years later I’m still celebrating the miracle of Christmas over a cup of coffee with Diane and her daughter!
Thought: Giving is so much better than receiving when it’s generated by an act of love—especially at Christmas!
—Connie K. Pombo
Connie K. Pombo is an author, and speaker who now calls Cuenca, Ecuador home!
She is a contributing author to several anthologies.
You can visit her at www.conniepombo.com or http://living-and-retiring-in-
No comments:
Post a Comment