Gifts Abundant and Accessible

My area is blessed with a face-to-face meeting that occurs at noon every weekday. As a young professional, I’m thankful for this regular lunchtime meeting, though often, when I am able to make it, I’m rushing in and out between work appointments. Rushing, to be honest, is a byproduct of some character defects I’m asking my Higher Power to remove: pride and greed. I have so many things that I want to do with my time, and I want other people to know I am important, so squeaking in right as the meeting starts is a way I feed my ego.

These last few weeks, I did not have to work prior to the meeting, and I committed to making it to the location with enough time to exercise, meditate, and help set up the meeting. Creating space for these positive activities felt so unnatural to me that I found myself antsy the first week. The second week, I walked across the street to a nearby lake, found a place to sit, and enjoyed a long, restful meditation session.

When the time came to head back over to the church for the meeting, I was very surprised to realize there’s another lake right beside the church! This serene body of water has a full complement of lush trees and a rustic bench just begging someone to spend some time there in quiet reflection. How many times had I attended this particular meeting without taking note of this gift? How many times had I zoomed in and out of the parking lot, blinders on, ready to get what I needed out of the meeting and hurry along with my busy day?

It amuses me that I crossed a busy street to sit beside a lake not as picturesque as the one right beside the parking lot of my meeting. But I have no regrets! Step Eleven instructs me to seek through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with God as I understand him. I understand my God as patient, humorous, and rewarding. As soon as I paused long enough to seek out his offerings, he made me aware of their abundance and accessibility.

Hopefully, next time it will not take me so long to put aside what I want, so I can see the beautiful gifts God has placed right before me. I am always thankful for a moment of recognition, no matter how long it takes.

— Elizabeth H., Orlando, Florida USA