A Key Ingredient

I’ve waited so long.

For years, I have turned to my next-door neighbor Kathy for help.

I’ve borrowed cots for sleepovers and tents and folding tables for backyard parties. I’ve asked her for vanilla extract for cookies and ketchup for meatloaf. She’s picked up Christmas and Easter candy and other gifts for me and my youngest sister.

I can’t even tell you how many times Kathy and her daughters have helped me navigate school pickup situations. She’s just an incredibly helpful person.

Every time I have turned to her for assistance, I’ve wondered when I would get to reciprocate. I have been hoping for the opportunity to come, knowing and trusting that it would happen. It just had to.

Today was the day.

I was cleaning up after making breakfast when Kathy’s text came through. She was baking and realized she was short on milk. Did I have any on hand that she could use? Of course I did, and she was welcome to it. I was delighted.

Within minutes, Kathy was on my porch holding an empty measuring cup. I filled it with milk, heard about the blueberry buckle she was making, and we parted ways—until the next time.

It was the smallest of requests and the easiest to fulfill. But I was pleased to be able to do it—especially after all the times I’ve leaned on her.

There is nothing like receiving or offering help. In a world full of strife and conflict, where the problems often seem impossibly large and unresolvable, how wonderful to know that some issues are solvable. We can accept help from others, and we can offer assistance in return. Being able to watch out for one another is a beautiful gift, and together, we can create solutions.

“A generous spirit is itself great wealth,” St. Leo the Great said.

Whatever challenges come our way today, maybe we will find someone who is ready and eager to assist us—or maybe we will see a way to help someone else in turn. We are in this together, and today could bring our chance to step forward and offer the simplest of gestures.

And maybe, just maybe, I’ll have the chance to help Kathy again before she saves the day for me. Probably not. But I’ll be waiting eagerly for that moment.

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