Who's your donkey?

 

Happy start of Holy Week ---

I was pondering what to write on for today (clearly I pondered a bit too long, yet, I'm getting this one in) and I've been thinking about my youngest nephew, who is expecting his first child in a month. My thoughts have been on him and I remember when he was just this little kid who always moved and lived in accord to his own rhythm, a free spirit, humorous, empathetic, so much his own person that his nickname, given when he was 5 years old, is Cheez.  

He tends to get focused on something and then goes all in. When he was a young boy, he loved donkeys which of course led to his family buying him shirts with donkeys on the front, posters of donkeys, plastic donkeys, ceramic donkeys......

On this Palm Sunday thoughts of donkeys seemed wonderfully appropriate.  Years ago in the very early steps on my faith journey, I read a story where the author focused on the role of the donkey in that first Palm Sunday by making it a metaphor for who are those persons, often un-sung, who helped to move your individual story further down the road toward fulfillment. I liked it.....

Examples of "my donkeys" would be: 

• Sarah Waltenbaugh, a pillar church member of my home congregation who every time I did anything in worship like read a prayer, lead the call to worship, offer the offertory prayer.....that Sunday after church she would call me and offer affirmation and appreciation.
• Mary Ann Balmer, youth leader, who when I stopped by her office to let her know that out of 150 applicants for 15 positions I was selected as Program Staff for the Conference Summer Camping Program.  She said, "I knew it! I knew you were going to get it because you are supposed to be there....you are...this will be an important summer for you."  Truth: it was during this summer that I received my call to ministry.
• Jan Porter who sent me a $25 check every month while I was in seminary.

Blessed be there are many, many more "donkeys in my stable," yet this is a blog post not a novel. 

 

The point is for all to take a moment sometime today, or, this week and ponder who are the  persons who may have been previously overlooked in regard to the more obvious ones, yet, whom without one's journey would not have gone where it is currently and continues.  

See them.  Thank them.  Respond by helping another person to move forward in their journey.