I MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY RECENTLY—an opportunity to engage in a random act of kindness. The only thing I can take from this negative experience is a lesson—don’t let it happen again! Seize the moment. Act on impulse. It might well be an impulse from above! Let me share the scenario with you.

Last week I was in the checkout line at Target. The young lady in front of me was in the act of paying for her purchases. She swiped her card and was told that it was not accepted for whatever reason. Now, that was quite embarrassing, I’m sure. She was fumbling around in her pocket book for some cash and apparently she didn’t have quite enough, so she told the clerk that she only wanted to buy half of what she had. I could see that the items she was about to leave behind probably didn’t add up to more than a couple of dollars. I thought about just paying for them, but I did not act on the impulse.

Reflecting on that moment, I have come to the conclusion that I missed the opportunity to bless someone with a random act of kindness. She had a need. I had the means to supply it, but chose not to. Why am I exposing my ineptness? Failure can be a great teacher and motivator. Should a similar opportunity arise, you can be sure that I will act—even if I know it may be rejected or misunderstood. After all, we DO have to live with ourselves. Right?

It kind of reminded me of a young man I read about who was busy at his job of taking out groceries for the local supermarket. He had been in and out of the store on his helpful errands a number of times that morning. Something drew his attention to a woman in the parking lot who was struggling with her groceries. Her cart was abundantly filled, as were her arms. Like many people, she put one of her packages on the roof of the car while she hurried for her keys and opened the door. Then she began to load her packages from the cart to her car. But as she got in and started to drive away, the young man saw that she had forgotten to retrieve the package on the roof. He ran after the car and just as she made a turn to exit the parking lot, the package rolled off into his waiting arms. It was a baby!

Do you suppose she was grateful for his act of kindness? I imagine so. Be on the lookout for ways to bless others. You just might save a life in doing so!

A FOLLOW-UP TO THE LAST BLOG REGARDING ROMANCE begs the question, “Are love and infatuation the same thing?" Infatuation was something that Edison probably experienced in his initial encounter with Mina Miller. Apparently it blossomed into something far greater, but that is not always the case.

Some time ago, Ann Landers wrote a column addressing this matter. She pointed out that infatuation is instant desire; it is one set of glands calling to another. Love is friendship that has caught fire. It takes root and grows---one day at a time.

Infatuation is marked by a feeling of insecurity. You are excited and eager, but not genuinely happy. There are nagging doubts, unanswered questions, little bits and pieces about your beloved that you would just as soon not examine too closely. It might spoil the dream.

Love is quiet understanding and the mature acceptance of imperfection. It is real. It gives you strength and grows beyond you—to bolster your beloved. You are warmed by his/her presence, even when they are away. Miles separate you, but you can wait.

Infatuation says, “We must get married right away. I can’t risk losing you.” Love says, “Be patient. Don’t panic. Plan your future with confidence.”

Infatuation lacks confidence. When he/she is away, you wonder if cheating is going on. Sometime there is even the temptation to check up. Love means trust and that trust is felt and makes the other even more trustworthy.

Infatuation might lead you to do things you’ll regret later, but love never will. Love is an upper. It makes you look up. It makes you think up. It makes you a better person than you were before.

WITH THE ADVENT OF FEBRUARY, thoughts of romantic love fill the mind. After all, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.
And speaking of Valentine’s Day, did you know that there is a lot of confusion regarding its origin? But one thing is certain---we do know who is responsible for keeping it before the public’s eyes---the greeting card, candy, and floral industries.

St. Valentine is the designation for several saints. The most prominent are two martyrs whose feats are celebrated on February 14. One was a priest and the other a bishop. We don’t know a great deal about them, but we do know that they died on the same day!

The custom of sending “valentines” or “love tokens,” usually anonymous, probably had only an accidental connection with St. Valentine. It really owes its origin to a belief held in medieval Europe. It was believed that at the start of the second fortnight of the second month that the birds began to mate. The poets picked up on this, blending mating with love and hence valentines! I only know that when I was a boy, I thought girls were for the birds. Was I on to something? No, I really discovered in my teens that this whole thing about romance is really quite nice.

When Thomas Edison was 38 years old, his wife died leaving him a very lonely man. Six months after her death, Edison began looking for a new mate. He would leave no stone unturned in a systematic search reflecting his scientific nature. Although he liked to be portrayed in the media as a genius who worked in solitude, Edison had quietly assembled a fine research team to search for a new wife.

He hated social events, but dinner parties in the home of friends in Boston helped him meet many candidates at one time. He was proud of this efficient approach. But rather than making a calm, rational choice, he fell head over heals for an 18-year-old young lady from Ohio. She was everything he wasn’t—religious, cultured, and beautiful, plus young enough to his daughter. He threw his normal caution to the wind and acted like a lovesick fool until Mina Miller would agree to marry him. An iron-willed, self-disciplined, workaholic found himself bitten by the love bug. He was unable to concentrate in his research lab and whiled away weeks writing silly notes to a teenager. Finally, after their marriage, Edison settled back into his inventive routine.

Mina wasn’t bothered by Edison’s poor hearing or even his chronic halitosis. She just brushed the dandruff off his coat and fell in love with him. This is the kind of love that sees the best in others. She totally accepted him because love is not always practical or rational.

We do strange things when we’re in love. So does God. He loved us even while we were breaking His laws and heart. His love is not sentimental or theatrical. Neither is it cheap. Rather, it is a deep, quiet, strong love, born of God.

This love is the greatest force in the world—greater than words, than knowledge, even than faith. It alone is able to chase doubt away, banish fear from within, conquer indifference, and send us to our knees.