Cindy Trane Christeson -- The Moral of the Story

‘o7 ‘Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are

truly endless.”

f7 -- Mother Teresa

I feel undeserving of reader’s kind responses to this column. I don’t

refer to it as “my” column because this column belongs to God. He planted

the seed of the idea for it into my heart years ago, and he was the one

who worked through people and circumstances to bring it to fruition. I’m

thankful to God and to those who have been and are a part of the process.

I’m also thankful for all you readers who I also feel are very much

partners in it as well. I know many of you, and many of you have read

about yourselves on this page. Friends and family members often joke

about being careful about what they say or do around me because they

might read about it the next week. To put your mind at ease, let me

clarify that I never intend to embarrass anybody, other than myself. That

is of course unless I have your permission.

Each week I pray for God’s guidance with the column. While I often

have ideas, they are usually more what I’d call half-baked ideas and I

need God to show me what he has planned on the menu. I’m always curious

to see what he has in store. The best way to describe the process is that

I work with God to chisel away at a block of marble for hours until we

find the statue underneath. Many times by the time I finish writing, it’s

taken a totally different turn than I thought when I began. I’m often

surprised, and occasionally have to change the quote at the beginning to

fit the story.

So when I hear that a column has somehow touched or encouraged someone

in someway, I know the applause and credit really goes to God. I want to

thank those of you who tell, write or e-mail me with encouragement. I

appreciate it more than you know and replay or reread the words

frequently. The positive words are like fuel I store up and replenish

myself often. I’m sorry I don’t respond as quickly as I want to.

The column is one of the jobs God has called me to do, just as he has

plans for you. Each of us is unique, and everyone has important parts to

carry out in this great organization of life.

I was reminded of this last week at church. One of our friends named

Roy is part of a team that directs traffic and parking there. Roy puts

his all into his role, he’s always friendly and always greets us with

some phrase from last week’s column. Roy’s and all of your comments echo

through my mind repeatedly. They make me want to encourage others, in

whatever part they play in what they do at work or in the community.

There are so many more behind-the-scenes jobs than upfront ones, yet each

is vitally important and worthy of recognition and appreciation.

Therefore this column is a thank you note to all of you. Thank you,

may you draw closer to God, and may God bless you abundantly.

And you can quote me on that.

CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks

frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at o7

cindy@onthegrow.comf7 or through the mail at P.O. Box 6140-No. 505,

Newport Beach, CA 92658.