I accepted the bowl of noodles with a heart of thankfulness. The smells were amazing. Visually, I could imagine what was going to follow. My stomach growled in anticipation. Every part of my being was excited about the experience I anticipated would come. As I paused with thankfulness, my thoughts turned to the lady who had prepared the bowl.
Years had passed since my last visit. With the first bite, I relived my first experience of joy, wonder, and happy satisfaction. It was a fantastic testimony to her perseverance and commitment to her patrons. I listened to Life’s whispers, reminding me this was the answer to the question raised across the generations. “What’s the point of working your fingers to the bone if you hand over what you worked for to someone who never lifted a finger for it? Smoke, that’s what it is. A bad business from start to finish.” (Ecclesiastes 2:21)
Life’s dividends are found in the hearts and minds of those we touched along the way. The negative is also true; Life’s dividends are not found in the material things we leave behind. I have long forgotten those I touched, even as I remember those who invested in me, helping me realise my potential when I struggled to see it myself. The physics professor took the time to help a struggling teenager visualise his math homework, turning an ordinary moment into a pivotal one. The school principal invited a student in detention to play a chess game, opening the door to a life conversation that still replays in my mind. The high school teacher lent his car to a student with a crazy idea and, along the way, revealed what trust looks like in the real world.
Life is realised through words and decisions. The models have always been in front of me. In a restaurant defined by one’s experience, I experienced the legacy she was leaving in the hearts of everyone who came in. As she handed her gifts to me, as underserving as I was, I heard Divinity’s call to follow.
