You Don't Know ...

I have no special talents.

I am only passionately curious.

Albert Einstein

You don't know ... how you touch the lives of others whether intentionally or unintentionally.  When you snip a small bouquet of flowers from your garden as a last minute act before you depart for a friendly visit, the gesture remains in the friend's thoughts for days afterwards, long after you have forgotten.  When you gently smile and tell the elderly woman how lovely she looks in the color she has chosen for the day, she beams with the recognition, shining her joy throughout the day, long after you have forgotten.

You don't know ... how special your gifts are even if you use them every day.  We all have been gifted with a special talent, but we seem to minimize it and take it for granted.  Extending a compliment on a personal gift, such as gardening or floral arrangements, the person usually responds by saying something like, "Oh, anyone can do this!" 

You don't know ... how important your contributions are until many years have passed.  Albert Einstein humbly says of himself, "I have no special talents.  I am only passionately curious," even though he was a recipient of a Nobel Prize in Physics,  credited with the Theory of Relativity, and created the basis for Quantum Physics.  He developed the formula that eventually led to the Atom Bomb, but he was clearly opposed to that discovery.  He also worked with another researcher in discovering the refrigerator.  It is also notable that he created a mental image of the Universe and used it as a basis for his theories.  Many of his ideas stemmed from fantasies and dreams.  What would have happened to Albert Einstein if he had simply given up when he initially could not find a job as a teacher?   

You don't know ... where your life can lead if you maintain the courage to see your dreams through; if you pay attention to the guidance within;  if you sustain desires with the support of friends, relatives, and co-workers; and if you carry courage in your heart rather than fear.

God has blessed each individual with a unique gift or talent.  For many of us, our gifts and talents will be blended into the nature of our being  ... character, honesty, integrity, and creativity ... rather than a brilliant discovery.  Either way, we will have to account for what we accomplished with those gifts and talents. 

Do you have an incomplete list of dreams that went unrealized or simply faded with time?  Have you simply never become all that you wanted to be?  With courage, simply begin again, so that you can joyfully account for the passion in your heart and where it led you throughout your years!