5 Virtues in Action

I saw these 5 virtues in action this week. They each blessed me in a special way. 

1. Joyfulness
There are certain things that universally bring joy. Like, babies.

On Sunday afternoon we had our monthly family get-together at my mom’s assisted living facility. My nephew and wife brought their 2-week old baby. They graciously let us take baby Alexander to the Memory Care unit to show the other residents. Oh my. It was a blessing to see pure joy in the eyes that saw him.

I’m glad God seeded us with certain joys that cut through all ages and minds and hearts.   

2. Openness
On Sunday night one of our church elders gave a different kind of talk for him. I saw that he’s making genuine efforts to learn and try new ways of relating and teaching. I’m not calling him old, but it made me feel good to see that old dogs can learn new tricks. Maybe there is hope for me, too.

3. Loyalty
We met with a realtor on Wednesday to get the ball rolling to sell my parents’ house. But not just any realtor: the next-door neighbor to the house. But not just any next-door neighbor: the one who was my daily playmate as a child.

I’m so grateful that Valerie is so loyal to our family, even though we both cried through our meeting. She spent many nights in this house, too, playing paper dolls with me and hide-and-seek-in-the-dark and lots & lots of giggling. Loyal friends are wonderful.

4. Protective
I’m glad my brother canceled his two-week business trip to England. We depend on him to keep us level-headed here, and to keep us moving forward on the hard things. This week I’ve enjoyed being his sidekick again at meetings with the banker and realtor. I feel so protected knowing he’s on top of things and watching out for us.

5. Love
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
~ 1 Corinthians 13:13

I could cite dozens of examples just from this week alone. Here’s one:

Because my mom took a noticeable decline yesterday, we’re getting the feeling that people are saying their good-byes to her. When two of her sweetest caregivers (Gwen and Tonya) came in yesterday afternoon to tend to her needs, they were gentle and respectful as always. But when I saw their tears falling, telling Mama they loved her, I had to tell them how much I love them.  And how special they are to me because of how they love my mom. 

Love is the highest virtue of all, yes?

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How have you been blessed by someone else’s good virtues this week? Please share.