“The Way You Make Me Feel…”

 "The Way You Make Me Feel" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. Although this is a romance song, it reminds me of this quote by Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

I recall a funeral I attended for a young man who had an untimely, accidental death. There were approximately 2,000 in attendance. His occupation was as a self-employed carpet cleaner. Interesting…No one cared what he did (although he had established a reputation of doing excellent work & providing phenomenal customer service.)

People were there to honor “how he made them feel.”  Comments described him as ”a Confidante’, Best Friend, Comforter, & Encourager. His smile lit up your soul. His “sports haggling,” made one literally LOL. His commitment & love for his son were inspiring & motivational to other fathers. You left his presence “feeling good about yourself.”

There are people who I find myself gravitating to…because they make me smile & warm my heart.

No one cares…

How much money you are worth.

How great your body looks,

What kind of new car you drive.

These things are reflective of the “All About Me” mentality of today.

“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” – Ronald Reagan

I compared my feelings of this young carpet cleaner to my watching the funerals of Michael Jackson & Whitney Houston. Although their music elicited emotions from me, I wander:

• How many people are grateful that they fed them or clothed them?
• How many homeless people are grateful that they housed them?
• How many hospitalized or sick people are grateful that they visited & comforted them?
• After the music stops…then what?

One of the most inspiring quotes for me is the last line of the poem Success by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.”

So…the questions for you are:

• How many smiles did you extend today?
• How many doors or elevators did you hold open?
• How many cards, emails or texts did you send?
• How many Facebook “Likes” or messages of encouragement did you post?
• How many kind things did you think, say, or do for others?

Can anyone express about you “how you made them feel?”