Monday, March 23, 2009

Heart of Giving

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
- Psalm 119:105 (NRSV)


I count "Aunt Sweetie" as one of my best friends. People call her Aunt Sweetie because she is a genuinely sweet person. Aunt Sweetie opened the doors of her heart and home to me 20 years ago. She and her husband treat me as if I were a family member. In good times and sad times, their children have shown me how much they love me too.

From the beginning of our relationship, their home was a haven, a place where I could retreat to regain my spiritual and physical strength. There I was surrounded by love, protection, care, and abundant hospitality.

On my most recent visit, my oldest son decided to visit me while I was staying at Aunt Sweetie's house for a couple days, and I had asked him if he needed the Bible that was in my bedroom for his morning devotional. "Actually," he said, "I used the Bible in my bedroom. It seems there are Bibles in every part of the house." Suddenly I came to understand why this woman had been such a powerful influence on me. The source of strength I find in this house lives in these people who embody the Bible's message of love.

-- A. Cantu de Canseco (Tamaulipas, Mexico)