10-18-09 I often find myself looking for the message in daily occurrences. Two such moments from the last few weeks stand out.

I always wake up to National Public Radio. At my local radio station they were beginning their fall fundraiser. As they talked about gifts that were available for various levels of donations, they mentioned a two-pack CD of “Driveway Moments,” those times when you simply have to hear the rest of the story before you get out of the car. To my pleasant surprise, they played one of them. I had heard it before. Troy Chapman is a prisoner in one of Michigan’s prisons. He had written and entered a selection for NPR’s This I Believe, and it had been accepted. Somehow, they had managed to get Michigan’s prison system to allow him to tape it.

Ever since I spent some time volunteering with a local prison ministry program, I have maintained correspondence with two prisoners, one of whom has developed significant health problems. I guess advocating for this prisoner has become my mission. Hearing Troy’s essay seemed a good way to begin the day. A bit later, I opened my Bible at random. Guess what passage I opened to? It was the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. Considering that writing an important letter on behalf of my friend in prison was on my agenda for the day, I was very pleased to feel that I was on the right track!

At church this morning, still winding down from a week of moving my massage business to a new location, my mind wandered as I wondered if I would be successful? I thought about a few shoulder massages I had done recently. I thought about the pleasure, relief and comfort I had been able to give. One was to a caregiver, worn and aching from lifting and caring for a spouse with Alzheimer’s. Another was to a recovering alcoholic who hadn’t been able to re-connect with his family even though it had been twenty years. He was feeling very alone. The third was a “take-charge” volunteer who was running out of steam after volunteering extra hours, in addition to working a regular job, and being a mom and a wife. I know my shoulder massage, however brief, made a difference to all three individuals.

Coming back to the present, we began to sing the closing hymn, Be Not Afraid, and I had to take heart. Being allowed to lay my hands on people and to make them feel better feels like such a privilege, and an awesome one at that. Being a massage therapist is an opportunity to bring a little bit of healing into otherwise disrupted lives. Moments like these sure make it feel like I am heading in the right direction…but I will continue to look for messages in the upcoming days.