Your Impact Part 2
April 16, 2025
Why is it even a need to have an impact on others? Isn’t it such a need born of an unhealthy ego? Why not live without impacting anyone else? Our impact on others may be strong and an unhealthy ego can impact others negatively. Yet, regardless of how peaceful, minimized, or withdrawn we may be, we all impact others to some degree. We all relate to other people on many levels, and the ripple effect of our thoughts and actions reaches far beyond the point of initial contact.
An older lady lived near my apartment when I was a young, single graduate student. She was home-bound, and her family checked on her every day. Her grandson, who was my age, introduced me to her, and I was fascinated with how content and happy she was even though her physical condition prevented her from leaving her house. I found myself going to visit her at least a couple of times a week to join her in a feast of Coca Cola and Oreos. But the real reason I visited her was to be in her presence, which impacted me greatly. As a young person in self-doubt and struggling to find my way in the world, I found something very special about “Heho,” which was her “grandparent name.”
One of Heho’s greatest impacts was her statement to me that, “We may pray for something, but if it doesn’t happen, it is not best for us, or it is not the right time.”
I experienced her essential qualities such as warmth, hospitality, merging love, and unconditional acceptance. Though she wasn’t my grandmother, in a way, she held me in the space of being a grandson. She asked nothing of me. She was a living document who exemplified humility and showed me that we can extend ourselves for the benefit of others regardless of our condition. Experiencing these authentic essential qualities led me to take her guidance seriously when she offered it.
I am not sure that Heho would think that her life impacted mine as much as it did. However, she was just as instrumental in my spiritual development as any professor or mentor. She may have been a “little old lady,” but for me, she was a spiritual giant.
Spiritual practice: Who might you have impacted, but you were unaware of your influence on them? You might want to write a story of how you guided or mentored someone and the ripple effects of your relationship with them.
Self-inquiry: In times of anxiety, why might we be drawn to those who are humble and wise?
Dear God,
For the spiritual giant who gave me strength from her weakness, I am so grateful. Amen
