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September 15, 2008 - Appreciating What We Have

This past weekend we hosted our 27th Annual Fundraising Dinner/Auction.  We got close to our financial goals, and are very appreciative of the support and contributions we received.  Appreciation is something we endeavor to show regardless of the economy and circumstances around us.

I recently heard a wonderful story that helps us understand the importance of appreciation.  

A very busy middle-aged businessman entered a floral shop to order a dozen roses for his mother who lived a couple hundred miles from his location.  He had been too busy to buy a card or nice present for his mother so he thought the florist could help bail him out of his forgetfulness by wiring to his mom an order for some nice flowers to be delivered on Mothers Day.

After paying for his flowers the businessman walked outside only to find a little girl crying.  He asked, “Little girl, why do you cry?”  With big crocodile tears streaming down her face she said, “I don’t have enough money to buy my mom a flower for Mothers Day.”  The man responded the way most of us would when he guided the little girl back into the shop and offered to pay for a flower.

The girl picked out an exquisite red rose and carefully brought it to the counter.  The man paid for the rose then asked the girl, “Do you need a ride?”  The little girl looked up and said, “Yes sir, you can give me a ride.”  She directed the man to the edge of town where she pointed to a parking place across the street from an old cemetery.  The little girl got out of his car and walked up the hill to a fresh grave site where she placed the rose upon the newly placed turf.  She kneeled down and began to pray and cry.

The businessman immediately drove back to the florist and canceled the order for his flowers.  He then picked out the biggest bouquet he could find, got into his car and drove the two hundred miles to personally deliver the flowers to his mother. 

How do we show appreciation to those we love?  Are we willing to break away from our busy lives to become personally involved and communicate our love?  The Apostle Paul reminds us about the importance of showing appreciation and being kind to one another, “Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Gal. 6:10