BRIGHTENERS

She was forty years old in 1912 when she wrote a cheery hymn with the catchy refrain, “Brighten the corner where you are.”  Though not found in many hymnals any more, a lot of folks can still recall part of its opening lyrics and chorus:

1. Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,
Do not wait to shed your light afar;
To the many duties ever near you now be true,
Brighten the corner where you are.
Refrain:
Brighten the corner where you are! Brighten the corner where you are!
Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar;
Brighten the corner where you are!
2. Just above are clouded skies that you may help to clear,
Let not narrow self your way debar;
Though into one heart alone may fall your song of cheer,
Brighten the corner where you are.
3. Here for all your talent you may surely find a need,
Here reflect the bright and Morning Star;
Even from your humble hand the Bread of Life may feed,
Brighten the corner where you are.

Ina Duley Ogdon (1872-1964), granddaughter of a Methodist minister, would live through the Spanish flu epidemic of a century ago, the Depression, two world wars and the Korean War, the polio epidemic, and more. She wrote more than 3,000 hymns, anthems, cantatas, and miscellaneous verse—all with the humble acknowledgement that God gave her the gift of lyric-writing and without Him she could do nothing.

This lone dandelion spread its cheer in my strawberry planter!

The other day on a walk, as I witnessed the proliferation of spring’s dandelions, I thought of people like her. They bloom for a while with cheerful brightness, then allow their legacy to go where it will—much like dandelions release their helicoptered seeds to bloom again. Wouldn’t you know it: the internet has several sites for sayings and poetry illustrated by dandelions, either blooming or releasing their seeds.  Here are some:
In a world of roses, she chose to be a dandelion. 
Wise sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away.
Some see a weed, some see a wish.
Life is a balance of holding and letting go.
Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Then, there’s one of my favorite proverbs:
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.(Proverbs 11:25) 

I wonder if one of the better outcomes of the fears and stringent rules of the Covid-19 crisis has been a renewed appreciation for the grace of sharing and caring.  Even while confined with “social distancing,” people have made efforts to reach out and spread cheer. Like sunny dandelions, flinging the seeds of spent beauty out to be replanted elsewhere. Brightening the corner...where they are.

WHAT'S WRONG HERE?

Once upon a time, people communicated on things called “land line telephones.”  For the recent generation that grew up with smart/cell phones the size of a deck of cards, that’s probably hard to imagine. These old-fashioned phones needed to be plugged into a special wall outlet which in turn connected to long snakes of “phone lines” either below or above ground. If a phone wasn’t plugged in, you couldn’t get or receive calls.  (Believe it or not, we still have a “land line” in our house!)

So what’s wrong with this picture of two “old” phones? They’re not plugged in.  (See the plug-in at the bottom of the photo.) They can’t send or receive signals.

Thanks to wireless technology, we have new opportunities in communication.  With it have come new problems, like Facebook’s recent admission that its users’ personal information had been hacked.  Those private accounts aren’t really so private any more.

I am not on Facebook, although as a proud grandma (with photos in purse) I certainly would be a good candidate. I know many who use Facebook in healthy ways.  But I also have been a victim of cyberbullying (the accusations were false), and such abuse makes me very careful about any media platform.

I've long been concerned about negative effects of social media, so I wasn’t surprised when I read this report:

“While social media is still too new to gauge its long-term effects on human psychology, a handful of studies seem to confirm conventional wisdom to the effect that social media—including online gaming—can have addictive qualities that are harmful to vulnerable people who over-use the new technologies.” The researcher also observed that “teens who log into Facebook more than average are also more likely to be ‘self-absorbed,’ ‘narcissistic,’ belligerent, paranoid, and—ironically enough—antisocial.” In addition, the author concluded, “I believe excessive social media use is closely related to the sense of incompleteness and insecurity which bedevils many teens (not to mention a good number of adults): like alcohol, tobacco, drugs and sex, it serves to occupy a restless, wandering, attention-seeking personality, which believes itself totally unable to find peace and tranquility on its own terms.” (1)

Another study said that “these constant forums for self-expression could be baiting, even feeding, the symptoms of personality disorders, such as narcissistic personality disorder and borderline personality disorder.”  It’s not surprising, given that both mental health issues seem to crave an audience for sharing every detail of their lives, whether good or bad. (2)

Mental health professionals refer to “emotional intelligence” as a gauge of mental healthiness. Its components include “self-awareness, personal motivation, empathy, and the ability to love and be loved by friends, partners, and family members.”  (3) Authentic face-to-face interaction is involved in building those aspects of personality. In other words, people are connected, like those old-fashioned phones.

I’ve been reading through Proverbs in different translations lately, and am struck by how its timeless sayings can apply even to the pros and cons of modern communication devices, like social media.  On the plus side (those who use it for good):

He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed (Proverbs 11:25)

But on the other hand:

Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (Proverbs 29:20)

People-smart and people-sensitive connections do matter, modern technology or not.

(1) https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/155523/social-media-overuse-linked-to-unhealthy-behaviors.html

(2) www.borderlinepersonalitytreatment.com.personality-disorders-social-media.html

(3) Randi Kreger, Essential Family Guide to Borderline Personality Disorder (Hazelden, 2008), p. 54

Lingering

I'm especially fond of a saying engraved on a resting bench at the University of Idaho (Moscow) arboretum:

The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose.

When I “googled” it to find its author, I found décor sites offering plaques and other items with the quote. But I couldn’t find a definitive word of its author other than a quick reference to a mystic in an Eastern religion.

I still like it, because it says in metaphor what the Bible says in plain words: that when you reach out to people in encouragement and help, you bless them as well as yourself. Some of the verses that express that truth:

A generous man will proper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. (Proverbs 11:24)

It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35, Paul, quoting Jesus)

If you had “all day,” I could tell you many stories of people who have given me the “rose” of encouragement and help.  Some that come to the top right now are associated with the tough mouths of recovery after I broke my ankle when I fell down some icy stairs. The timing was awful: my mother-in-law was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. We were taking her meals, helping with housework, supervising laundry, and of course had taken away her car keys.  She needed me just to function.

Then PLOP. My life reduced to days of pain and disability in the recliner. Meals came in.  Someone brought ice packs I could refreeze. Another picked up stamps and mailed packages for me. My closest friend determined to “be there” (for safety) the mornings I maneuvered onto a shower bench to bathe and wash my hair. When I went from a hard cast to a take-off cast, she knelt before me, helped shave my healing leg and trim my toenails. It was such a humble, touching time. I cried. In a few years I would be doing similar things for my mother-in-law as she lost control of bodily functions and could no longer feed herself. But the “fragrance remained” as I recalled how caring friends helped me in my “temporary disability.”

This saying is not about handing somebody a bouquet purchased at the local grocery store (though I’ve done that, too). It’s about giving something you cannot be repaid for. It’s about being the hands and feet of Christ in whatever tasks He puts before us. The “fragrance remains” because it is His.