Generosity

It took most of a lifetime
for her to understand
that it wasn’t so much gifts
or kind deeds
as it was something much simpler
and more challenging.

It was a willingness
to enter another person’s world
and sit with them in the context
of their own circumstances,
which were,
she would learn,
usually quite different
from her own.

Still, even with this knowing,
she often found it difficult
to suspend judgment.
It felt, somehow,
natural and unnatural
at the same time.

But when she could manage it,
when she could shed a gentle light
of generosity,
she discovered
that most people are just doing
the best they can
to piece together a life
in the brokenness
of this world.

Just like her.
Just like you.
Just like me.

By Maria Brady-Smith
Photo by Mike Smith