The Question Shaping My Life

Blog Prompt: “The questions you ask shape the story you live. What story do you want to live?” ~The Life Organizer by Jennifer Louden

The question I try to ask myself a lot is: “How can I make a difference?” This impacts a lot of my decisions and actions.

Here are some ways I try to make a difference:

Last night I was leaving class late and stopped at Krispy Kreme donuts on the way home. I had two friends with me who had never been there or watched the hot donuts come off the conveyer belt so I thought they would enjoy seeing this. I also knew that my husband had been alone all evening and I wanted to do something nice for him so I bought him a bunch of donuts as a surprise.

When we are out walking in the park, I see people with sad faces and I make sure that I smile and say hi to them. Now, they may be sad because they are exercising or they may be sad for some other reason, but when I smile, they usually smile back and I hope for just an instant, I have cheered them up.

I have an elderly friend in New Jersey who used to spend a lot of time on the computer and we emailed each other frequently. Now due to her health, she is unable to use the computer and since I am not thrilled with talking on the phone, I try to write her letters about what is going on in my life. When I talk to her, she says how much she looks forward to getting these letters.

I am teaching two grad courses this summer to teachers getting their master’s degree in Special Education and I also write a teacher’s blog (Successful Teaching). I hope I will be able to share my knowledge and expertise so that teachers can be more effective in their classroom.

I feel that God has given me a purpose for being here and I need to listen to where he leads me. Sometimes I resist this and I usually end up miserable. It is hard to trust and to give up control but when I do, I usually end up happy with what I end up doing. If I keep in mind that He wants me to go out and make a difference in someone’s life, no matter how small that difference may be, I am doing the right thing.

Original image: 'Sweet Smiles' http://www.flickr.com/photos/60168589@N00/814428452 by: Marcus Vegas