Therefore encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
1 Thessalonians 15:2
A friend in one of our congregations said his favorite song was Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” Jim was such a positive, loving, caring guy, and I expected his “favorite song” to be a hymn. I listened to Armstrong’s rendition, and I understood why it is so appealing. People greet one another with the words, “How do you do?” What they’re really saying, according to the song, is “I love you.”
When we greet one another here at Epworth Villa, we’re not likely to say, “I love you.” It’s just too loaded with romantic and sentimental implications and prone to be misinterpreted. We’d rather use other words. (Choose your own.) I do believe in greeting people and calling them by name when I can remember—or see their name tag. I’m convinced there is no sound more welcome to most folks than the sound of their own name spoken in a loving, caring way.
Soon after we moved to Epworth Villa, over ten years ago, I decided that as much as I loved the facilities, staff, and services provided, what makes Epworth Villa so very special are the people who live here. I still believe that. The people who live here care for each other. It happens every day in so many ways. We can all offer a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, and a heartfelt prayer. It makes a difference. Let’s not underestimate the difference we can make in someone else’s life.
