Mac Story Time

Last night I finally caught up with my frieind who lives in Ohio and whose daughter I call my niece.  She lovingly refers to me as her uncle Elliott.  We met about seven or eight years ago and ever since then we have become close.  I love her for being a single mom that has done such an incredible job of raising her child without much support from the dad.  I love her because she will do anything to protect her child from any and all things of the world.  She is one of the best mothers I know of and has this great relationship with her child.  Finally we caught up with each other and I was able to read my beautiful niece a story and say a short prayer with her.  She seeems to delight in this time together and I feel as though I am doing something to serve a little girl who is missing her dad and possibly needs the attention of another male figure who will show her vulnerablility and kindness.  Yesterday I read her a Spanish story about an unruly dinosaur and interpreted in English as well.  Her mom and her both listened attentively while I gave it my all, with teacher inflection and tone all included.  I use to love reading stories to the students that they loved and often times made up my own stories for them.  To my delight and honor I can still keep a kid's attention when I read to them.  Even mom seemed to enjoy it as she laughed in intervals at the antics of the lead character in the story.  

Getting outside myself this way is my healing.  I love to get out of myself and my own stuff and make it about serving someone else which is why I love reading to my niece.  I like to make it about something other than Elliott even though there are those who might not agree.  Reading to my niece is my way of serving and being in gratitude to spirit.  The fact that I can still do this and do it well is a gift that I am happy about and that makes me feel well.  It heals me as if it were medicine to my heart.  Her laughter lifts my soul.  Her questions and inquiries make me feel good.  Her giggles give me life and breath.  It is what we all might consider doing when we are feeling sorry for ourselves or when we need to get the focus off of ourself.  This is what I call "a good thing".  It is a good thing when we go from feeling alone and worthless to worthy and loved.  Sometimes it means that we must do something to serve someone else.  

This afternoon I dropped into a homeless day shelter where I did some missionary work.  As I waited to see the director to discuss some possible ways I could continue to serve the organization one of the homeless women approached me to say hello.  She saw me with a cane and she expressed her concern asking me if anything was wrong.  On anothr occassion she was the person who cleaned another homeless comrads foot and put some anti fungul ointment on it.  Some of the people around her thought it odd but to her it was just a natural inclination to want to help him when he complained of pain on his toe.  In this same manner she approached me and seemed ready to do what she could to help me feel better.  I looked at her and acknowledged her healing nature and her compassion for others.  She bowed her head as if to say there was really no big deal in what she did.  I had to share that to me she was clearly a good candidate for a job nurturing others like a teacher or nurse.  She shyly shook her head leading me to think she had a little ways to go in the confidence department of life.  At that moment I felt like I had said what I needed to say and she smiled back at me as if to acknowledge my witnessing her.  We don't realize how many people don't get witnessed in life and who are ready to be witnessed and in need of a little encouragement.  We take the focus off of us and place it on someone who needs it and we gift ourselves in the process in a way I could never explain.  

I find that getting out of myself and outside my own atmosphere is healing.  I think that many people misunderstand this idea of getting our of their box and serving as a pleasant experience.  They don't realize how healing this is for themselves and for others.  While we listen to someone else we heal our own souls.  When we listen with love we gather love for everyone and we get some back eventually.  If we just get out of our head and into our heart we can find the place in our heart that speaks to us and that brings us ever more close to elation and happiness.  We cannot be constantly fixed on ourselves if we are to grow in different ways.  We cannot believe we are the only ones suffering in order to stop the sufffering.  We cannot think of ourselves all the time if we expect to transform and become more whole.  

Find a person or situation in your life that needs an application of love.  Find one situation where you can volunteer for a day or two a week.  Seek a way to be of service to a neighbor who might be fighting cancer or even a bad fever.  Take a meal to an elderly person near you at a facility in your area, someone you can adolpt.  Get outside your box today and now  Be fearless about it.  

Love Elliott Collazo Gonzalez