Moments of Grace

Today was an ups and downs type day.  The downs were really trying and the ups were so gratifying!  I spent long hours at work on my feet, worrying and wishing I was somewhere else.  As soon as work was done, however, time did one of those wonderful tricks where it seemed to mosey on by, happy to be of service (and yes, I did have to look up the spelling of 'mosey').  I relaxed and cooked dinner for loved ones and took a wonderful mother out for an early Mother's Day movie with my main man Michael (ooooo alliteration!).  In the midst of it all, God managed to find more opportunities to give all-knowing me (HA!) a little more of His awesome grace.
Its those little things that really try on you.  The big ones?  Piece of cake!  Sure, I can remember to take a deep breath before responding to that comment that was aimed perfectly for the heart!  No problems here not holding a grudge against the stranger who cut me off in traffic (for the most part....).  What about that lady who sits RIGHT in front of you at the theater when the whole other side is empty and has the nerve to ask you all offended to move your feet off the chair they were occupying before she showed up!

Nope...no difficulty letting THAT go!  (You can see I've let it go right??)
These definable annoyances, the ones we complain about to loved ones at the end of the day and forget about, these are fairly easy to respond to with a Christian attitude.  Its the small moments that boredom or apathy or repetition have reduced to nothings that are tragically passed by without so much as a nod of acknowledgement.  Isn't this lack of acknowledgement the same as discarding it?  Where are these moments, which seem to make up so many moments, in our march to sainthood?
As I stood at work today, irritatedly watching my unattended table of children which was my contribution to serving a 120-person party, I realized how wasteful I was being.  What about this moment was special?  Why was I doing this?  I have always taken these kind of questions as challenges; a rousing soundtrack worthy of any epic drama begins playing in the background as flags majestically wave behind me.  I was meant for more than boredom!  THIS moment was there to teach me something!  I could either be annoyed that the kid just spilled the third soda I brought him after he sucked the first two down so fast I thought there must be a hole in his throat, OR I could look with compassion and meet his apologies with true forgiveness instead of thinly veiled irritation.  I could aimlessly polish wine glasses or I could offer up the work and turn my mindless work into soul-saving work.  When looked at in this light I get so charged up with the amount of good I could be doing in the world, in my own small way!  Imagine saving a soul while doing the dishes...while folding the laundry that never seems to stop...while cooking dinner when you would rather just sit and see if it makes itself.  I guess this is all just what St.Therese of Liseux says in her little way of the cross, but I love it when I get those kind of aha! moments, don't you?