I moved to Beverley in one suitcase, in hopes of simplifying my life and also out of sheer laziness. I passionately loath having to drag around bulky pieces of luggage for excessive amounts of time. Even the thought of it makes me cringe. Therefore, I packed what I deemed as the minimal amount of clothing I believed necessary to hold me for a year. This same principle applied to my shoe choices. I packed only those that were essential to help me "survive England": Rain boots, running shoes, chacos, tennis shoes, and of course, my TOMS. It didn't ever occur to me during the packing process that I may actually have to go to events this year that required me to dress up. Although I packed one dress and a skirt, "nice" shoes never entered my mind. Ergo, my TOMS which are battered, torn, patched, and faded from years of wear, have now accompanied me to numerous formal affairs and have become well known by all in the Beverley area. Europe's sense of fashion has clearly had little impact on me. :)
Tuesdays I lead support groups with a friend for girls in the local high school. And, as all schools in Beverley, this fine institution requires uniforms and has a strict dress code that even has rules to inform the girls how high up pony tails can be on their head. Thus, there I am, every Tuesday, dressed up and rocking my TOMS.
This past Tuesday when we had finished working at the high school my dear friend and I decided to go out for coffee, as one must do if you live in England. On our walk to the coffee shop she mentioned that her son had just boughten her a pair of TOMS, and she has completely fallen in love with them. This gift is precious since she has had a horrendous year with tragedies one wouldn't wish upon one's greatest enemy, she doesn't currently have very much money, and her son rarely buys her gifts.
Thrilled to have a fellow-TOMS lover finally with me in Beverley I began to gush like a giddy school girl about the shoes, how I feel instantly connected to people that I see wearing TOMS because they have to care about people and the world seeing as how they purchased a pair of TOMS, and for every pair that is boughten a pair of shoes is sent to someone who doesn't have any. How could someone that buys these shoes not be an incredible person that I should be friends with? I continued to discuss the incredible aspects of these shoes with my friend, and even went as far to inform her that someone once told me that "TOMS aren't just a shoe...they're a lifestyle." All my frivolous chatter continued, and we finally reached the coffee shop, yet my friend kept walking, insisting that I go with her as she wanted to show me something.
Shortly, we arrived at a shop full of TOMS! My excitement was evident as I ran around examining the various shoes, all the while my friend stood silently watching.
"Pick one," she said.
"What?"
"Heidi, I want to buy you a pair of TOMS. Don't look at the prices. Just pick one."
If I was an emotional person I would have started crying in the middle of the shop, but that's not exactly my style. Instead, I stood speechless. Here was my friend who has so little willing to give so much of it to me. Me. The one that has come here to serve, ending up being served. What my friend did for me, although to many may not seem like a great gesture, means more to me than I can adequately express.
As I stood dumbfounded, groping for words that seemly had escaped me, attempting to piece together how I could verbalize my gratitude to sufficiently reveal to her the extent to which she had moved me, she just smiled and said:
"Be blessed."
Blessed. This past year I have been blessed by the individuals I have encountered in more ways than I have probably blessed anyone. Ironic how that is. Yet isn't blessing others what Christianity is all about?
2 Corinthians 8:1-2 says, "And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity."
Here the churches in Macedonia were going through a difficult time and they didn't have much, yet they never ceased to give. They continued to bless people, to look after one another, to share God's love. And because of this they were blessed even more.
Too often, especially in the States where we have so much, we become incredibly materialistic, focusing predominantly on our wants and needs and having the best of everything, placing ourselves before others. But that's not what it's about. What's better, to have all the material possessions that you want/"need", or to show others love by giving them something, blessing them, serving them?
2 Corinthians 9:6 says, "...and whoever sows generously will also reap generously," and 2 Corinthians 6:10 says, "...having nothing, and yet possessing everything." They had few material goods, yet they had everything because they had numerous other blessings from God. They had love, joy, and the support from each another. That is the essence of Christianity: Support each other through both good and bad times, whether this means giving material goods or providing emotional support or doing a random act of kindness/service. That is what we are called to do on a daily basis. And truthfully, most of the time it doesn't even actually take that much effort to bless someone else. So now please stop reading my blog already and go out there and do something nice for someone to brighten their day! :)
And remember.....be blessed!
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