I was at a funeral with my dad several years ago were we met a longtime family friend. My mother and this special woman had been friends since I was in elementary school. Immediately, this lady walked toward my dad and me, greeted us with a beautiful smile and words of endearment. Instantly, I was filled with a renewed appreciation for the positive and encouraging heart of this wonderful person. This friend, now on the edge of her golden years, was even more affirming than I had remembered. It was like finding a treasure that you misplaced years ago and found it serendipitously with its value tremendously appreciated over time.
Harriet’s eyes sparkled and a smile broke out across her face with every pause in the conversation. As we stood in the parking lot on a beautiful, windy, spring day, her healthy silvery hair was blowing around her face like an aura of positivity. This lady had the rare ability to always affirm everyone just by the way she tilted her head and looked at them when she listened to every word they said. She always boosted your esteem with comments like, “that’s great!” And “Wow!” which made you feel like you’ve just told her the most wonderful and interesting thing ever, even when in fact it was the most mundane. She made you laugh, and she lifted your spirits with witty words and Barnabas-ish quips in response. Whenever you asked her a question, she always adeptly weaved the focus of the conversation back to the person I like to talk about the most… me! And she did it without you knowing it, until you realized later what had happened.
The three of us reminisced about the antics and adventures of our yearly family vacations to the beach together and an unforgettable 2-week tour of the Western U.S. with 6 kids (14 and under) and 4 adults in one RV. She recalled specific memorable moments from those adventures that made us all snicker, and laugh, and sigh with fond remembrance. As we visited for just a few minutes, I realized what a precious gem this person was to those who were privileged to interact with her on the regular. She always saw any negative situation from a positive perspective and helped everyone else see it too. Her four children enjoyed the empowerment and success that came from the lifetime of accolades and affirmations of a proud mother.
After seeing this friend again, I was glad to know that nothing had changed about her except maybe that she had become even more adept at saying the most optimistic words at just the right moment. She was an expert encourager and an inspiration to all those around her. I would be thrilled to be half encourager she was. She was a rich blessing to us all.
I think of Harriet when I read this from God’s Word: “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11 NIV) Her words were always made you feel like you had just received a great gift that both valued and validated you as a person all at the same time.
