OK, enough whining. Here's a cute story about one of my favorite people. I used to work with her a lot on church service projects. If someone were sick, had a baby, was returning from, or had a relative in the hospital, it was her job to rally the troops and get some meals over to them. However, I knew that she didn't just do this because it was a calling. She did it out of genuine love for people.

She'd been a librarian at the elementary school before she retired. I would often run into her at the grocery store. While standing there chatting, children of all sizes would run up and hug her! Older kids and even adults would greet her with a joyous smile. She was equally joyous to see them, treating each one as if they were a cherished loved one.

Anyway, while serving in her calling she didn't have the means to contribute much in the way of meals herself. However, she could afford Jello, on sale, to which she'd add mandarin oranges. After many years of serving in the church I doubt there was a single family that had not been the recipient of this simple but comforting treat.

On one occasion we'd noticed that a certain lady hadn't been to church for a while. I decided to stop by on the way home and see if she was alright. When I got there she seemed a little bit 'loopy', but not too bad. We had a nice visit, (I thought). Not being very experienced I did not pick up on the fact that the way she was acting represented a problem with her diabetes.

My friend also visited her that day, but didn't see any red flags. The lady's son came by as well. Knowing more of what to look for, he recognized right away that something was not right and rushed her to the hospital where she was admitted. Fortunately, they got her regulated and sent her home in short order.

I went to see her again a day or two later. She had no memory of anybody visiting her, or anything that transpired in between. However, when she went to her refrigerator and found a small container of orange jello, she knew that she had been loved and cared for.

Before knowing this sweet friend, I was never a big jello fan. Now, just thinking about orange and mandarin jello brings tears to my eyes as I think of her kindness and great love for people, all made tangible in the tangy jiggley stuff. At this moment she is battling cancer again, for about the fourth time. The thought has come to me... If all the people she's ever brought mandarin jello to decided to make some for her, her refrigerator would not be able to hold it. So too, if all the people she's brought love and kindness to... returned it in equal measure... well, I don't think Heaven could be more glorious.