a table by the window

The New York couple had looked forward to this evening for weeks.Lobster,dripping in butter, french fries and dessert at their favorite local restaurant.It was New Years' Eve but an early evening celebration: they had a football game to watch together.This was to be a lovely time of feasting with no bother.They felt fortunate to be going after all these married years together.Still enjoying the company of each other.

While praying for guidance for the year to come,the grey haired woman seemed to be nudged to practise the much misunderstood virtue of humility.What? Be a doormat?No, just think of yourself second.There is a beautiful prayer that helps with this effort: ..."From the desire of being praised,deliver me Oh,Lord.From the desire of being extolled,Deliver me oh,Lord." And so on. Daily,she had been sitting with this prayer.

They made reservations which would guarantee their favorite window table overlooking the spilling mill water and pond.When they arrived, they found the table not yet ready so they sat elsewhere.Then, the table was cleared and something happened.A warm glow began as the wife had a startling thought.She would let their table go for the next person that came in.Unknown to them, she would bless them with the view.

"That's not my thinking",she mused."Not me at all.What's mine is mine and I deserve it";but the glow grew and filled her as she acquiesced to this alien idea.

This story is so very subtle that it seems like nothing.A small thing that no one noticed.A summer breeze.A pink dogwood blossom drifting down onto the pond.But for her,monumental.