Second Chances
When we volunteer our time, we find out that those we seek to help, help us in return.
-The Miracle Collectors
The start of a new year is the perfect time to write a new playbook, to mend fences, to give yourself and others a second chance. Our question this January is to consider what is holding you back from feeling worthy enough to let your own light shine a little brighter, believe in yourself a little more, give and take a second chance? This month Joan shares how second chances yield powerful results. Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year complete with a miracle or two.
Collecting Miracle Moments One Story at a Time.
Joan and Katie
Sometimes we can become so entrenched in our beliefs that we have a hard time realizing that we are all in this together – that we have far more commonalities than differences with our neighbors. As the writer G.K. Chesterton said, “We men and women are all in the same boat, upon a stormy sea. We owe to each other a terrible and tragic loyalty.” Maybe this is the month we start to look past our preconceived judgments about someone’s past and instead look to a brighter future created together through connection and understanding.
I think that’s why I love the story from StoryCorps about Scott the ex-prisoner and Cyndi the manager at the food bank. It’s a great example of being a miracle for someone else - no thunderbolts required. Scott had just been released from prison, needed a job, and was concerned that no one would hire him. Cyndi ran the local food bank and after they met, she offered Scott a job in the warehouse. When asked why she took a chance on an ex-felon, she explained it was because of her belief, “that we all have a gift that we’re sent to share with the world. When I was a kid, I never knew we were poor. But I knew that our cupboard would be empty before my mom got paid. And sometimes someone would come and knock on the door and when we went to open the door, there would be a box of food. Someone’s kindness made a difference.” Scott shared that for the majority of his childhood he lived next door to his grandfather, a man he always looked up to. He often took Scott with him to deliver food boxes to families in need. As a result Scott feels he has come full circle. In the spirit of true connection, Scott told Cyndi, “Thank you for giving me purpose. When you decided to give me my chance, you changed the entire trajectory of my life. I don’t just get up and go to work every day. I get up and feed people every day. And it’s so much more than a job.” The fact that these two people found purpose and breathed new life into second chances by sharing their personal journeys, overcoming challenges, and ultimately, helping others gives me hope.
We talk about this connection a lot in The Miracle Collectors. It’s one of our three major themes and probably, no surprise here, my favorite part of our miracle journey. By meeting so many people who have shared their stories, I have become less judgmental and much more willing to change my perception, realizing that things are not always what they seem.
Sometimes by opening that window into someone else’s world, we can connect in a new and deeper way that benefits not only each of us and helps others, we can help spread some much needed unity in the world. (Joan)
This year we are going to add one of our Miracle Moment Challenges to our monthly posts.
The Sky’s the Limit:
Consider what the greater good or the purpose of life means to you. What steps could you take to share your own gifts and talents with a cause or purpose that is bigger than you are?