Will away the quirks

One of the nicest people I know tries so hard to walk according to his faith. He comes to see me on a regular basis. We used to work together. He has since retired, but my son's predicament touched his heart. He comes about 3 times a year just to check that I'm all right.

Another of the nicest people I know works in the same building I do, just a few offices away. I don't see her on a daily basis, but she always has a cheerful greeting when we do see each other. She doesn't hesitate to try to encourage me with a story from around the world of some Christian happening or another.

One of my very nice friends calls to eat or visit sporadically through the year. He' always seeking to find God's heart on matters. He's such a philosophical guy. We'll go out to eat, and two hours will have passed without notice. He's just so interesting to talk to.

Another of my very nice friends calls every so often just to say something nice that he remembered from a previous conversation or from a vibe that he had that something might have been tough. He is so grounded in the Christian faith that caring about others is so natural to him.

These are some of the nicest people I know. I could actually have different memories of them. Each one of them has "quirks." That just means they conduct their lives just a little differently than I do. I could focus on the fact that one of them is manic depressive and considers himself to have a drinking problem, or that one of them shuts himself off from the world and has a hard time making himself be around people and takes anti-depression medicine just to get out, or that one of them is oblivious to times and schedules, so shows up to work or comes back from breaks according to when she is ready rather than looking at a clock. Oh, there is a considerable quirk list I could draw up. But, why would I do that? These are the nicest people I know.

When I walk in the park in the silence of the dark, cold mornings sometimes, I think of what others think and say about my life. I wonder if I am one of the nicest people they know or if I am one of the quirkiest people they know. I have plenty of quirks that rub people the wrong way. I only hope that people will remember the part of me that helps them in their faith walk. The rest of it isn't worth anything to them and they need to drop it out of their minds. It only works for me and is not help for them. In fact, I want them to drop any memory of me that does't light up their face or their soul.

I choose to remember the nicest people I know for how they help me stay on the path that leads me home. And, I hope on someone else's list out there, my name is on some kind of similar list for them. I could be a repeater on a number of people's quirk list. I hope they see past that, though.