He walks the neighborhood nearly every day wearing a lightweight utility vest and a big toothy smile. The belt loop under his round belly holds unopened garbage bags and he pulls one out when his pockets get full. He picks up cans, paper, and plastic.

And he smiles and waves at everyone who drives by.

He’s Santa dressed like a handyman, cleaning up the neighborhood and spreading good cheer.

In the morning, when I drive to the gym, I approach slowly so I can watch his face light up with each passing car. People honk. People wave. People smile. This guy’s our small town angel – an anchor to goodness, to kindness, and to love.

It’s been years now that I’ve watched him perform this ritual and I’ve come to appreciate him as a teacher with a simple lesson plan:

Walk every day.

Leave beauty in your wake.

Smile at everyone you meet.

Sounds like quite a life purpose, doesn’t it?

Every time I catch him doing his thing, I’m reminded that we can all make a difference right in our own backyards. This man has never been on Oprah, doesn’t have a blog, and I suspect he’s not even familiar with Facebook. And yet he touches the lives of hundreds of people.

He certainly touches mine.

It doesn’t take much to make your mark in the world.

And that’s a good thing to remember…

xo Cheryl

P.S. – I’ll be live on Facebook this Tuesday, July 17th, at 6pm EST/3pm PST. You can join me here and watch past sessions on my YouTube channel at CherylRichardsonTV.

P.P.S. – We’re having so much fun sending gifts out to people (and clearing clutter at the same time ). While the cassettes and videos have been accounted for, you can still put your name on our Good Stuff Giveaway list and you may just get a surprise in the mail, too. You can do so, here: https://bit.ly/1CD9QJ7

Smile!!!

Need a little Divine Direction? Use the “Touch of Grace” button on our homepage here.