Faithful (Sat): Belated Help

Ooops!  I forgot to write a Faithful Friday post yesterday.  Of course I realized it was Friday - I mean who can miss such a great day of the week?  I just neglected to ever put a post together, until this morning.  My hope is that you'll excuse me, as the afternoon was spent preparing for some upcoming "RAK" ideas I have.

As the saying goes, it's better late than never, right?  And that is also true for helping someone.  While RAK can be either planned or spontaneous, we often overlook helping those in need because "time" gets in the way.  Maybe someone you know has just suffered loss or was recently in the hospital.  You missed the funeral or weren't able to visit them in recovery.  So we sometimes shrug, maybe say a prayer, and go on with our lives.  It's easy to not do something because time has passed.

But it's never too late to do an act of kindness.  Even if it is a phone call or hand-written letter (yes, people still do that), just to say you've been thinking of them.  What I know from tragedy is that the pain and the need doesn't go away after the first few days.  Perhaps your delay in offering help was God's plan all along.  You were sent to that family at just the perfect moment they needed a ray of hope.


Is there someone out there today that you could be a help to?

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ -Matthew 25:35-40

A Month of Thanksgiving

If you followed this blog last November, you know what the month is for us - a mix of emotions ranging from deep mourning and loss to blessed thankfulness.

November 29 wasn't ever a date I expected to have such significance.  Days after Thanksgiving, it was normally such a happy time for our family.  Now, it is a day laced with painful memories of losing our 14 year old son, Austin.  In fact, the entire month seems somewhat like a countdown to that horrible night.

It's been nearly four years and what we've learned along the way is to focus on the positive.  Remembering what we're thankful for and how much we're blessed, despite this great loss, is how we've survived.  But more than that, it is the launch of the Random Acts of Kindness we do in memory of Austin.

Last year's post explains it more for those of you who are new.  And a recap of the beautiful acts done for Austin here.  And one of my favorite activities last year we're making an annual tradition.  So many wonderful stories of how this simple act of helping others helped us heal.... 
(you can search "acts of kindness" to read more).

As I've done for the past two years, I'll dedicate my Facebook status to something I'm thankful for each day.  This blog will also be focused on thankfulness and we'll sprinkle in stories of the acts of kindness being done.  I hope you'll join us.

Today I'm thankful for... a month dedicated to remembering my son, Austin. 

For the blessed memories...for the 14 years God let us borrow him...

for the random acts of kindness we now do in his memory.

This post is linked up with:

Thankful Thursday Link-up