It’s a Wonderful Life

I’m in an interesting season right now.  Although it’s been almost 6 months since we relocated to Southern California I am still not plugged into my community.  My medical commitments take up a great deal of my time.  The rest of my time is spent taking care of my family and then, if I have energy and time left over I work on relaunching my business.  Needless to say, I’ve not been able to get to know anyone in the immediate area.

So, lately I’ve felt a bit isolated.  Although I wave at some of my neighbors I’ve not been included in the neighborhood gatherings and I’ve not been able to establish friendships here … yet.  I’m also not involved in any of the community events.  In the past, my husband, Chuck, and I have been smack dab in the middle of events, hosting them, connecting people, organizing fundraisers, etc.  But for this season my focus has had to be elsewhere and this has left me feeling a bit lonely and unproductive.

Recently Chuck and I had the opportunity to see It’s a Wonderful Life on the big screen at a local movie theater.  It was a great experience and there was not a dry eye in the house.  On the way home I made the comment that it would be great to have an opportunity like George Bailey – to be able to see the lives of people you have impacted.  My husband immediately began listing things I have done in the past to make a difference.  Although I greatly appreciated his words, I kept thinking, “Yes, but I’m not doing anything now.”

Later that night as I was lying in bed I began thinking about the night before.  The night before was my daughter’s 17^th birthday party and we had 20 teenagers in the house.  She had met these kids at both church and school so many of them did not know each other, but they had a fantastic time.  It was great to stand back and hear the chatter and laughter and music.

I did not know many of the kids, but of the ones I knew there was one with mild autism, a football player who had never been invited to a party before – ever, a girl who sleeps on the floor and feels unloved by her parents, a boy in remission from cancer, and several kids new to the area.  And yet, all of these kids got along and enjoyed each other.

At the party we introduced the kids to several things including: a crazy-picture photo station (we had a separate area with a sheet for a backdrop and a bucket of fun props,) flashlight tag at the nearby park, and quiche.

Several of the kids who attended are in the performing arts so near the end of the evening there were two guitars and kids singing everything from We will Rock You to the Hallelujah Chorus.  ALL the kids were singing, even the ones who don’t perform or sing particularly well.  The kids were everywhere, sitting on the stairs, standing around the living room and dining room, sitting on the arms of the couches, sitting on the floor … everywhere.

Both throughout the evening and the next day Britini, my daughter, got a ton of comments.  One of my favorites was, “This is just good wholesome fun.  I love it!  Can we do this again?”  Many of the kids asked if they could just come back and hang out throughout the year.

Over the next several days Britini and I talked about the party.  She said that since she has grown up with me it was just normal, but that many of the kids didn’t know what it was like to take silly pictures, be crazy and just have fun.  She then asked if it was okay if our house was established as the “hang-out house.”  Of course it is.

So, as I was in bed thinking about the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, I realized that even though I may not be making an impact like I would like to be, just by embracing the opportunities I do have, in this case opening our home to a bunch of kids, I can still help change peoples’ lives.

Choose a Better Life ™ by choosing to embrace the people around you.  You never know how a small act of kindness from you can change the world of another person.