Connected To So Many

I am often struck by how we all are connected to so many other people, even at our most independent. If I have a normal day, I have depended on the people who wove the cloth in my clothes, the people who built my car, those who made the light bulbs I used in my light fixtures, the people who put in my wiring and work to keep electricity flowing. I am indebted to those who work to keep us safe in our streets and over the seas,to those who work to provide water in our town, for those who built the roads I drive on, those who own and run gasoline stations so I can put more fuel in my car. Then there are all those who cleaned the public restrooms I used, mopped those hall floors at the office building I went into and the one that mowed the beautiful grass out in front. If none of those people did their jobs, my life would be amazingly different. I acknowledge that I pay most of these people for their work, but the fact remains that if they didn't work at their jobs, I wouldn't have any of those things. Of course none of these people knew me as the reason for their work, but they knew there would be people affected. Because of this simple fact, it is my duty as well as privilege to try to turn around and provide what I am enabled to those around me, to pass these blessings on. If I sit on my pile of blessings and only come out of myself when something is wrong, I am robbing the world around me. Daily I need to think about what I am here to do for others. Not just those under my own roof, but all those I contact: the check out girl in the post office, the sweet family who work the vegetable stand where I buy produce, and the UPS man trying to deliver a package with my dog barking his wheels down my driveway. This is the only way to live: connected with all the people I come into contact with. This is the only way to fully respect all as creations of My Lord.