She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. Her children arise up and call her blessed, her husband also.
  ~Proverbs 31:25-28

I worked in a hospital back in the late sixties when the conveyor belt was used to deliver information and materials to different departments. This simple piece of machinery used a belt and balls to move consistently throughout the organization or company. While it is possible that the belt could bring bad news, most parcels were greeted with enthusiasm because they typically contained the documents and items that were needed in a given department.

Over the past few months I have felt much like a human conveyor belt, as I repeatedly find myself bringing information to a person or persons who need validation for a decision or a direction for their lives.

Most recently, I found myself meeting with a beautiful young woman who is the mother of two wonderful boys. I will call her Ronnie.

Ronnie is a successful business woman who believes in giving rather than receiving and her bright smile and sunny personality made the overcast Southern California day light up like the Las Vegas Strip.

Sitting across from Ronnie at lunch I couldn't help but marvel at her perfection. She was a woman who took care of her physical appearance, a woman who knew where she wanted to be in her life, and a woman who had many great accomplishments to show for her efforts.

As our conversation moved along, I shared with Ronnie that I was a writer and randomly told her about an article that I had written back in January of 2011. The article that I had referred to was about elder abuse and the impartiality of its victims.

I talked at length with Ronnie about the story and shared that the part of the story that was most heartbreaking was the fact that woman who was being abused by her husband, also became a victim of abuse by her son.

As I expounded on the story I noticed Ronnie’s face turn red and tears form in her eyes. I grew worried that the information I was sharing might be overwhelming for Ronnie, so I stopped my story and began to apologize. It was at that moment that Ronnie asked me to stand up from my seat in the restaurant. She then came to my side of the table, hugged me, and whispered in my ear, “You are a gift.”

Ronnie was a victim of spousal abuse and felt as if the story that I was sharing was the story of her life. It seemed that my story helped her to solidify the decision to which she had recently come. It was the realization that one of her boys could become an abuser, her abuser, was the final straw.

This experience reminded me of the great need for people who are willing to reach out and touch the lives of other people. It rekindled in me the awareness that people need other people, and that the greatest good comes from people working together for the good of all mankind. In a culture that feeds on me-centered living, choosing to live in service to others is not only good, it is needed. Because while we may not always know that we have the answer to another person’s problem, if we share openly there's always a chance that we will spark hope ... And that's a great start.

Be open to goodness. Become a CONVEYOR of good news for others. For as the old Jamaican saying goes: Today For Me, Tomorrow For You ... You rejoice with me today, and tomorrow I will rejoice with you.