Seeking Purpose

We've all heard about it. We've all searched for it. We've all doubted it.  

PURPOSE..(New Oxford)  
The reason for which something is done or created.

I want to tell you a story..

My grandmother passed away when I was 6 weeks old so I never remembered her, sadly.  My grandfather took years to fall in love again but when he did, it was with his next door neighbor, Jeanette.  They shared a little gate between the two backyards to keep their relationship a special secret.  

Each Christmas, we (my sisters, myself and my cousins) would go caroling around my grandfather's neighborhood.  Our first stop was always Jeanette's house.  She would hand out handbells to have for the night to accompany our Christmas songs as we serenaded the homes.  As the youngest of all of the cousins, my turn sharing the bells never seemed to happen and I returned at the end of the night a little defeated and felt a little forgotten.  I didn't think Jeanette realized that I never got a turn with the bell and I never wanted to tell her in case it would hurt her feelings.  

We grew up, time passed on. We all got jobs, got married, had children and most of us probably never thought about those hand bells again.  When I was engaged to be married, I remember the  excitement of all of the wedding gifts arriving. Silver trays, a toaster and silverware amongst other things, started piling up around us.  I remember seeing a box arrive with the familiar Houston address as the sender. "Sweet Jeanette", I thought.  I opened the box to find a small, golden hand bell.  The card inside simply read:  "Congratulations.  I think it's about time you had a turn."  She had seen me, she had remembered, she had known, and she had picked the perfect time to "hand out" that bell to me.  

Jeanette worked for decades at a Department Store.  She often told me in her later years that she was a nobody; just an old lady selling things day in and day out; that she didn't have much of a purpose.  

Jeanette HAD a purpose and I'm certain that she touched more lives than just my own with her thoughtful gesture and her acknowledgement of me.

I want ya'll to STOP trying so hard to find your purpose.  I applaud you for searching, for trying and for seeking but I also want to remind you that it may not be as hard to find as you think.  

Social Media tells us that we need something beautiful and grandiose; unique and special; big and celebrated and acknowledged.

​Purpose our perhaps is a daily act, not a monumental achievement. 

Be well in spirit, soul and body.

Coach Kim