The movie poster on the wall in a small family-owned Italian restaurant in Leuven took me to the era of flamboyant Hollywood movie stars in the 1950s. I could have recognised the actor and the movie. On the night, I caught myself experiencing the artwork with a clear sense of shared emotions and passion. It was as if time, distance, and setting did not matter. It was all about the human heart, the soul that drives us all, and the shared dream of being deep into the moment at hand.
Today begins with reminders that time, distance, and setting do not matter as much as the shared calling to care with kindness wrapped in love. In every spot of the world, individuals are hurting, uncertain, and at times lost. The answer, then, there, and now is the same.
Every moment is an opportunity to respond with care. I continue to catch myself responding from where I am. In the light of a new morning, I can feel the sun reaching out to warm me up where I am. She has reached out and I am touched. In turning towards each other we discover Divinity facing us. The invitation to experience Divinity by being divine is found in the moment.
Each step is an opportunity to close the distance between oneself and others. Kindness is a two-way street that blesses both ends. When I read how “The Greeks – all the way from the Macedonians in the north to the Achaians in the south – decided they wanted to take up a collection for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem,” (Romans 15.26) I know the receivers were blessed along with those who gave. It is a promise that I experience with each act of kindness. Near or far, seen and unseen, the result always touches everyone involved.
Today is an opportunity to express and experience love. In this moment, taking the step, the opportunity is here. I am in the car and the driver’s seat. It’s time to open the door, let someone in, and drive.
