I absolutely love this time of year. It's hard not to be happy when over a month's time, I am able to see friends and family for numerous get-togethers. It's a time of year, that I am always very thankful for having the ability to provide for my family. Not to mention, I absolutely LOVE gift giving! I seriously have so much fun shopping for friends and family and finding those unique gifts! (You can say I am my mother's daughter, to say the least. :))
But, this time of year is not just about the gifts, it's also a great time to reflect on faith. Yesterday, I received a check from a utility company as a refund from when we were in our old house. Sweet! A check right before Christmas, the extra cash is always nice, right? Well, not exactly. This was the 2nd check this company had sent. Although I knew what the right thing to do was (call the company and return the check), I actually considered cashing the check! Woah, Ashley, get a grip! This is not who you are! Your parents would be so disappointed in you! Yes, even at the age of 28, I still worry about what my parents will think of me. Well, after a series of phone calls of explaining and reexplaining what I believed had happened, it was in fact an accidental check that shouldn't have been sent. After several thank you's from the company, I dropped the check in the mail so that it could indeed be voided.
Now, the moral of this story? I titled this blog, paying it forward. Well, although for a few moments I was "tempted", at the end of the day, I would make the same decision every time. Because hey, what goes around comes around and I firmly believe that it's not right to take something that isn't yours. So today, as I'm pulling up for my favorite coffee indulgence at Starbucks, the man in front of me pays for my coffee! Coincidence? Maybe, but maybe this is God's way of telling me that I made the right choice.
So today I challenge everyone during the holiday season to have a very blessed, safe and most importantly good choices!
