MIDWEEK MESSAGE – March 5, 2025

I have been here in Paris now for a week and have enjoyed every bit of it.  I have met people from all over and have found that most of the time we receive the same treatment from others that we give out, often without realizing it.  

When we treat others with kindness, courtesy, humility, and a smile, we receive the same treatment from them.  Yes, sometimes we can experience something a bit less but when we don’t respond with that behavior and continue to treat the person as we wish to be treated, they respond in like.

I spent a lunch in a small vegetarian restaurant with 3 French women who initially were total strangers.  Only one of them spoke any English and not much.  By the end of the meal, I felt like I had made 3 new friends.  Kindness, courtesy, and humility overcame any language barrier.

For me when I am treated rudely or dismissively, I try to think that it may not be me personally that they are lashing out to but reacting to some difficulty in their life that has nothing to do with me.  Maybe they are not feeling well, or maybe they have just received distressing news or just having a bad day.  Not taking others rudeness personally makes my day brighter.

Every day I get to choose how I want to not only live my life but how I want to show up in the world.  For me, I pray every day to be someone who makes the world a better place and others a bit better to have met me.

Quote of the Week

“Be the one who nurtures and builds. Be the one who has any understanding and a forgiving heart, one who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them.”

Marvin. J. Ashton