Just one person can make a difference.

You are human.

A human is prone to failures. They make mistakes. And they face anxiety. At least it’s been true for me.

I could not count the many times I’ve had this pep talk with me, myself and I.

But they have a hard time cooperating. AND listening.

When my girls were younger, we often went to the park.

I have to confess, I was that goofy adult you may have seen that day hanging from the monkey bars, see-sawing or scooting down the slides with my girls.

I didn’t really care what anyone else thought. We were having too much fun for that. (I miss those times)

I noticed something though. One by one, parents laid down their need for “adulting” and off the benches they came.

The strange looks we got were priceless! But more so was the chain reaction it created.

Joy has a way of changing people from inside out, especially when we become as little children. Even if for a spontaneous second.

On another occasion, my daughter and my younger blonde self were waiting near the exit of a store. There was a heavy downpour, and the rain had set in. We got tired of waiting, so we decided to make a run for it to our car.

A person simply cannot wait until Christmas to leave a department store during a heavy downpour.

Someone had to take the bull by the horns.

We were soaked to the bone and looked like drowned rats with our hair clinging to our faces!

But the giggles we enjoyed in the rain was another sunshiny moment.

People all over were cracking up laughing and running to their cars.

All it takes is being the FIRST one to step out and not be afraid.

It only takes just ONE to make the difference.

And that brings me to a very HUGE example of what making a difference can truly mean to someone in their life.

I want to give a great big shout out to a new, but old friend.

Micheal Beal.

I had just started working at Holiday Inn Express almost a year ago. The pace of being a breakfast host in some places can be extremely fast-paced.

Our little town is growing by leaps and bounds since a new industry has been built here, bringing lots of jobs to many people. Many diversified people from all over the world, actually.

Micheal was here to train some of those men back then. And he was back this week for more training.

He remembered me from last time and mentioned the fact I was still there.

I recognized him instantly from the year before. (and believe me, sometimes that’s hard for me with “my” memory 😆)

He has a very magnetic personality and is not ashamed to talk about God. Just a wonderful all-around person!

Here’s what he did for me…

I had just started work and did not think I was going to make it there. To be honest, it had been a while since I worked a public job. And I’ve never been a multi-tasker, to boot.

There were so many things to remember, and I felt as if I could not get the flow of how things should run to make the job go smoothly.

I was having a rough morning and in Micheal walked into the dining room.

He greeted me and told me I had turned things around since I had been there. 😳😲

It surprised me and totally changed my mind-set from then on.

Isn’t that what we all crave? To make a difference in our little corner of the world?

Every morning the alarm went off at 4:20 a.m., I dragged myself out of the bed with tears in my eyes, making my way to work. Full of anxiety, especially when the job got very hectic.

I would repeat those words he told me, and add more of my own.

You are turning this place around, Renee. You can do this. You’re making a difference. You will do valiantly with God’s help.

So here I am a year later. Still at it. But a better person for not giving up. And a better person for just ONE person’s influence.

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭25:11‬ ‭

“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, When it is in the power of thine hand to do it.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:27‬ ‭

Thank you, thank you for your kindness that day MICHEAL a year ago! And thank you for the bbq lunch plate today! God Bless you! Keep up those encouraging words!

YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

One of my own personal “happy moments,” in trying to make a difference is when a person kept coming into the dining room not saying anything or returning my ‘Good Morning.’

I just kept pecking away every day until one day my smile was returned. And a ‘Good morning’ was returned. Which shocked the mess out of me when it happened!

And now that person has the biggest smile every day they come through. I hope you know who you are, MY FRIEND. 😄

It makes me happy to see people smile!

A smile can totally make a difference in this world!

Or a word fitly spoken.

So smile. Don’t be afraid to make a difference.

Because you ARE making a difference however big or small.