In Reality, They Are Saving You!

In my ‘play’ book, I turned to a black piece of paper and wondered…what might this page need to be next? I dug through my gel print scrap pages and found these with punched holes. Which means, those holes were glued into another piece, somewhere. Never wanting to throw good colors out, I arranged, then glued, then hunted for the right quote:

…indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.

– JK Rowling – The Harry Potter Series

All of us have people we do not like, for a variety of reasons, too many to list here. Usually dislike is an outcome from a behavior. Someone said or did something that the other person cannot abide. I know that not everyone will like me, and some people would probably categorize me as someone they dislike. I’m okay with that. If everyone liked everything about me, I’m not sure I would be being true to myself.

I like this quote from JK Rowling, as it reminds us that the worst thing in the life is not that people do not like you. Indifference and neglect do more damage, indeed. To have a living thing in your life and then to neglect it is horrid behavior. It treats that other living being in your care as if they do not exist. And who are we to do that to something God created?

However, there is a bright side to neglect – salvation! I am writing this late at night with our new kitty Saba sleeping on my lap. He is a short hair mackerel tabby. We picked him up two days ago from the county animal shelter. He is three months old, and quite a great fit into our family. He has had his shots, is fixed, has had all the necessary examinations, and was just waiting for someone to care enough to take him home. He was more than happy to come home with us…and he is VERY warm on my lap! I’m not sure if this is going to become a regular thing, yet I can see that it might!

No matter how forgotten or neglected, how indifferent one person treats us – there are hundreds of other who will care enough to help us grow into the person we are supposed to become. There is healing with giving a living thing a new purpose, new opportunities, new chances to become better. Not only for that recipient, it does something to us. It reminds us of our blessings, our abundance, our gifts and helps us learn that generosity is not just about money. Giving is about sharing ourselves and our blessings with others. And they might just be the missing piece we were looking for yet never knew we needed.

Let me encourage you to give thanks for the people who invested in your life. Who picked you out of obscurity and helped you become who you are today. The Mentors, Teachers, Neighbors and Friends who have changed you simply by giving of themselves. None of us would be who we are today if someone had not given what they had to help us be better. And forget those who dislike you, maybe it is better that they do. Stay clear of those who are indifferent or neglect you…they are the true damaging influences we can all do without. Let our kitty Saba – which means mackerel in Japanese, remind you that no one is past saving…and you might think you are saving them, when in reality they are saving you!