Do What's Easy

“When I came home I was overcome by the kindness on display!” - Jill Jones

Do What’s Easy

“It’s easy!  Here, I’ll show you how.” Said the artist as I admired his work.

“You don’t understand!”  I said.  “I’m the guy who, when taking basic drawing to fulfill a liberal arts requirement in college, was told by the professor, ‘you’ll do alright in this course, but don’t take any more art.’”

“You can do it!”  The artist replied.

Then he proceeded to talk me through his way of composing an amazing hand-drawn portrait.

“Now you try!”  He said, smiling as he handed me the pencil.

Unfortunately, his smile quickly turned to a look of utter confusion as he watched my unskilled hand work in futility.

“I can see it’s wrong!”  I said while looking at his amazed face.  “I just don’t know what to do to correct it!  I don’t have the same talent as you!  It’s not easy for me!”

That was more than forty years ago, yet the memory came flooding back to me as if ushered in by a tsunami as I heard similar words from my friend Jill Jones.

“They said it was easy for them to do and they hoped it would help us!”  Jill said as she related a cherished memory of her early married years while attending college.

At this time of life, Jill and her husband were both completely absorbed by their class load, not long after they were married.  They were in lessons or studying day and night.  Of course, their small apartment was not as tidy as Jill would have hoped it would be upon the impending arrival of important house guests.

“I just knew my mother-in-law would disapprove of the state of our home!  But there was nothing I could do about it.  I was still on campus, in class, and they had already arrived.  So, as I was about to enter our apartment I steeled myself for criticism.  But it never came!”  Jill said as she recounted the story, as if it had happened yesterday.

Her emotion as palpable.  She stopped to gain strength in her voice so she could continue.

“When I walked into the apartment my mother and father-in-law had cleaned and tidied the whole thing!  But that wasn’t all!  They had also ordered dinner in, because we didn’t have a stitch of food in the fridge or cupboards.” 

She caught her composure again before continuing.

“When I thanked them, they simply said, ‘it was an easy thing for us to do.  We’re so glad we could help you in such a small way!’”

“It’s easy!” Said the artist as I admired his work.

“It’s an easy thing for us to do!”  Jill Jones’ in-laws said as they turned a dark night into a dawning of increased love.

“You can do it!”  The artist replied.

Yes.  You and I can do what’s easy for us, yet challenging for another.

After all, it’s an easy thing for us to do!