John Downsized Doe

Today in the "dear abby" column a writer complained about being totally dropped from the friendly circle of his former workmates when the now common casualty of downsizing hit him. Not only was he unemployed, he became friendless. Of course, he had family and a spouse who still stood by him to validate him. However, he was crushed by the loss of friends. I will call this John Doe my unsung hero for today. Because, he has turned readers inward to think of how they may need to respond to such a person among their acquaintance. His "heads up" will remind readers that they do indeed need to treat others as they would like to be treated themselves. And, the loss of work is not a catchy disease, as prevalent as it is in America today. Fun and friendship can continue without costing a single cent. A walk, a talk, a listening ear, are all tax free and reciprocal. It has been my experience that kindness is like seed money. Always returned in a multiplied fashion, many, many times over. I'm sorry that John Doe's former workmates missed out on this special opportunity for happiness. Read Ps.67:1. Lord be merciful to John Doe, and to me.

Will you still need me when I'm 64?

A good friend had his 64th birthday yesterday. I worked hard to fix a "suitable" dinner for him and his wife, our very good friends, because I thought he deserved to be feted this way. This friend I will call FS. To the casual observer, FS would not, perhaps, be an unsung hero. He's had many interesting exploits and he is a raconteur of no small talent. However, one of the items that few know is just how dedicated he is to whatever he puts his hand to. Right now, he puts his hand to being a houseparent for intellectually and mentally challenged adults. No small deal. And his supervisors are not ever considerate of their staff, demanding more and more and more. The demands are beyond what anyone could rightfully expect. Yet FS and his wife are more than considerate and loving of the clients. Because it is too often that good guys get the shaft, I wanted this 64th birthday to be really special, out of step with his current terrible situation at work. When he and his wife danced before they left in my living room, as we played, "will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64", I knew, at least for the moment, by God's Grace, we were all blessed. Happy Birthday FS. Read Matt. 5:3-12.

Ms. Z

Ms. Z took me to lunch today (vegan, naturally). Do you remember the song "Purple, People Eater?" (she was a one-eyed, one-eared flying purple people eater). Well, Ms. Z was all in purple--not a laid back purple but a BOLD purple. She's my unsung hero/ine of the day. She spends all her heart caring for others and worries herself to death in the process. She spends a long time at the altar rail praying for many. Selfless. That's what she is all about. The purple clothes are camouflage--meant to distract and subtract from this selfless person. The purple and many other outrageous outfits are real distractions from the work that goes on within her soul. A Christian, no doubt about it, in the image--though sometimes she gets Him confused with that strange John the Baptizer, and mimics him too, just to be different. Just to be strange. Just to do the work the Lord has given her to do. And to do it in secret. And to do it for love. And to do it with style. Thanks Ms. Z. Read Mark 12:43-44.

Jesus as unsung hero

Yesterday the reading in church was about Christ healing a leper with the admonition to "tell no one". The priest's homily reflected to us just what a big deal touching a leper would have been at that time in history. Touching the leper would make Jesus himself untouchable. But, Christ did touch and didn't flinch. The priest pointed out how we treat the homeless, the poor, the dirty and the different as untouchables, like these states are "contagious". While Jesus is a "sung about hero", in many ways, I saw a different Jesus, an unsung and unfollowed hero. Struggling as I do to be more like Him, I've seen a new side--one that we talk about perhaps, but seldom follow. Mother Theresa did, for sure, as she just held and loved the dirty, the poor and the diseased. And we try perhaps with our soup kitchens and charities. But money is not acceptance nor love. To be an unsung hero, I know I need to do more. Read Luke 18:22-23. Make sure this isn't you.

Best Friends

There are several people who have come my way that I refer to as "best friends". These are the people who are like the pets we have who love us no matter what and require nothing but an occasional pat on the head, so to speak. Of course, like our pets, it is best to do more for these friends than an occasional pat.
And sometimes these "unsung hero/ines" do more for us.
Yesterday I received a thank you gift from my college roommate and BF, Jean, way beyond what I merited. I find this happens often to me. I'm one lucky BF! I guess that loving people must be enough sometimes.
So to all the Best Friends that I have, I salute you today, on Valentine's Day, for all the love and generosity shown to me over the years. I hope that today you are surrounded by love and valued for the treasure you are.
Happy Valentine's Day.
Read Luke 11:5-10 and know that you always have a friend. God always loves us even when we forget to love back. It is the hope for every Christian to be the friend that God is to us.

Lilias

Lilias Trotter (1853-1928) was an early social justice person with a passion for the poor. Though brought up wealthy, and with an early talent for art, Lilias turned her back on her own advantages to provide advantages for others. She opened the first public restaurant for women and opened a hostel for those on the street. Furthermore, she funded her own mission in Algeria! She was a radical Christian who lived her beliefs, not imposing her ideas on others, but lifting others lives up. Lilias produced many books, sadly all out of print now. She is another unsung hero(ine), and a good leader for this unsung leaders blog. Read Luke 18:22. Lilias followed this. She turned her back on riches and shared and spoke of God's Love, following Christ in her lifetime.

The First Unsung Hero/ine

I once had a cat that I didn't name. The cat became Eskay, for my first initial, S and the Kay sound for cat. Eskay still didn't have a name but an identity. I didn't really want a cat, but my housemate insisted on giving me one so her cat would have a buddy.
This blog is in honor of that poor cat that I did not name. And perhaps in honor of all those that I ignored too often in my life. The unsung heroes, just being who they were, ignored by too many of us, but who do the really great (but unheralded) jobs, perform the monumental tasks, and have the heart for love. The ones that the "headline" stories are not about. This blog is for them. The stories are their stories. Read Luke 7:38-48. She was not named but her story was told.