Crisis Averted!

 Last Monday, on a much-needed workday,

Shauna the Art Teacher was working on spooky decorations for this year’s Fall Festival.

As I was leaving to get lunch,

I popped my head into the art room to see how things were going.

Bent over working, Shauna said, “Come and see.”

Expecting to see a dark monstrosity,

I rounded the corner and saw nothing of the sort!

Instead, I saw a huge puddle of thick, orange paint on the floor, and

Shauna feverishly trying to get it up before it dried.

“Oh no!” I said.

“Yeh. I was looking for black paint and accidentally knocked over the orange.

It’s a small disaster.”

Without thinking twice,

I picked up some paper towels and began to help.

Thankful for a plethora of paper towels and mindful of our age as our knees hurt,

Shauna and I worked together to get up as much paint as we could.

Afterward, Shauna prepared the mop water and hoped it would finish the job.

It did.

The custodial team’s kind wrath was avoided!

A crisis was averted!

And Shauna went about her day making spooky decorations.

 

I had outlined my day in my head.

I had prepared myself for things to do and places to go.

I hadn’t allotted any time to help avert crises,

But as soon as I knew that a friend needed help,

I dropped everything and went to work.

 

Sometimes something more important than the original plan pops up.

Sometimes we must drop everything to help those in need.

Sometimes giving our time and energy to others is the most important thing we can do.

And sometimes the work will be messy.

But let’s do the work.

The messy work.

Of helping others amid disaster.

Both great and small.

Amen.