The best definition of love I've ever heard is also the simplest:
Love is concern for the welfare of others.
Mary and I saw an example of that yesterday, in two parts.
Part 1:
Every Tuesday and Thursday Mary rides a community shuttle bus from Metaline to the Kalispel tribe's community center, along with several other folks, for water aerobics. Yesterday I went as well. On the return trip, we discovered the tribe holding a 2nd Harvest Mobile Market free food distribution event in the parking lot. Several passengers expressed an interest, so our bus joined the line of vehicles.
After a while, a volunteer came on the bus and handed each one of us a small container of bean salad, something to nibble on as we waited, and a plastic spoon. Reaching the front of the line, which took a half hour, the clipboard lady didn't ask for any particulars about need. Instead, she asked how many were on the bus (nine) and placed a '9' placard on our windshield.
When the car in the loading area moved, a worker waved us forward. The moment the bus stopped and opened the loading door, a cadre of workers flooded the bus, filling every available flat surface with veggies, fruits, breads, and canned goods. Within moments we were loaded and sent on our way.
Where is the love? The love was in this - every single person we encountered, from bean salad lady to clipboard lady to loaders, was filled with the energetic enthusiasm found only in the service to others. No one seemed weighed down by their tasks or eager to be done and gone. They truly loved the ministry they performed because they truly cared about the people they served.
Now on to part 2 -
And This is Love... foodbank Style, part 2
After leaving the food distribution, the bus drove north to Ione, where many of the passengers were getting off. Once parked, everyone joined in sorting the foods and giving what was desired to each person. When all the food was dispersed and everybody's needs were met, a sizable portion of fruits, veggies, breads, and cans remained.
Looking out to the parking lot, I saw a lady sitting in her car. I got off the bus, walked over to her, and told her about the food distribution and how we had more than we could use. She responded that she had no needs of her own, but she was part of the local HeadStart program and knew of several families in need of such things. She asked if we would allow her to take the excess foods and distribute it to them. Of course, we had no objection.
Like I said at the top, love really isn't much more complicated than caring about the welfare of others. The lady in the red car, and all the workers at the distribution, demonstrated that to a Tee!
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