Dear Friends ...... I just HAD to share this true story with you. It’s a little longer than a usual blog, but well worth reading! Received this from my friend and former co-volunteer at San Quentin State Prison. ENJOY! Leslie
“Earlier this week as I headed for the frozen food section at Trader Joes, honing in on a specific item, I saw a brown envelope laying smack-dab on top of my edamame. "OPEN ME" it said. I picked it up and turned it over. "Yes You!" it said. Oh goodie! Trader Joes is hiding envelopes around the store with secret $5 coupons inside! But no. Instead I found a folded up piece of paper, *handwritten not copied, *in different colored crayon, which you can read below.
It was a classic Candid Camera moment with me looking around to see who was watching me. Did someone leave this just for me? Was it a friend who saw me in the store? An employee? Where was the camera? But I was the only one in that aisle -- pretty unusual for a busy Trader Joes!
Needless to say,* I* L O V V V V V V E D finding this note on top of *the one thing* I was buying from the freezer that day! And I needed that message, too. Which has me wondering how I can "Pay it Forward" by leaving anonymous little notes for a stranger to find. Just the thought makes my heart feel good.
A perfect way to end this story is to relay a conversation I had yesterday with one of the inmates I volunteer with at San Quentin. He was wondering if any of his work with other inmates was making a difference and if they were even hearing his good advice. I told him about The Note In The Freezer and asked him if he remembered any little tidbits from long ago that someone might have told him. Maybe even as a throw-away line? After thinking a minute, Kevin shared that his son, who is now 30, still remembers something that Kevin used to tell him when the son was 4 or 5 years old. Namely, the answer to the question *"What is the biggest room in the Universe?"* is "The Room for Improvement."
You can think about that answer any way you like, but the reality of that story is that we are all farmers. Farmers who sow seeds. Seeds we may never see sprouting, but we sow them nonetheless! Like it or not. I love the thought of being a Farmer who sows inspiring/good/fun/helpful/delightful seeds for others to find. How about you?”
Sending Blessings from the Universe for YOU! - Susanne M. Karch