Recognizing the messengers

As they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. In this reading we hear about Elijah who in the Old spoke of the coming of Jesus - as powerful as his message was, the people just didn't fully comprehend it. Through whom did God speak to me to today? Was I really paying attention? What a great question! If I listened to God's whisper between the words of everyone I encountered today what would I have heard? I was at Dante's swim meet today for most of the day and the message that I consistently heard throughout the day, was "stay connected, get involved, make a difference!" I'm in the final stages of getting certified as an official for USA Swimming and my mentors were so grateful and supportive of me and all of the parent volunteers. God's message rang true through them: by volunteering at meets we make a difference in the lives our kids. I talked to two of Dante's coaches today and heard more messages of being connected. I hadn't talked much to coach Sarah before but she gave me a warm invitation to swim with the Masters group at our club, something that I've thought about before but never pursued. The message: connect with other swimmers at the club. And when I talked with coach Julia she had another invitation for me to consider: would I be interested in coaching some training rides for members doing the Tierra Bella Century Ride in April. The message: connect with other road bike riders in the club and if I bring Frankie along for the training rides, I can connect with him too! To connect is to love. As I go about my day I will continue to look for invitations to love.