A Nudge

Yep. A nudge. Verb: to push against gently, especially to gain attention or give a signal.
Noun: a gentle push.

Do you ever get "nudges" or that queasiness in your stomach when you know you should/shouldn't do what ever you are not doing or what you are doing? Well, I get them all the time. Sometimes I call it my over-active conscience. And I got a nudge about 2 weeks ago, and I just did something about it today...

One of my favorite old "grandmas" at my church hasn't been around for the last several weeks. She always gave me the biggest hugs and was always smiling and joking around. She has a lot of spunk. ;)

Well when I noticed that she hadn't been there for a while, I got a nudge that said," hey you should give her a call tomorrow." Yeah well that didn't happen. Didn't happen for 2 weeks.

I called her today. And now I know why I got that nudge. She's always been a very straight forward person, no beating around the bush with her. So I said,"Hey Betty! This is Katy from church! How are you doing?" "Oh, Hi. Well... Not really... I just lost my son." (that was Betty) and me: "Oh." *my mind," Oh you idiot. You should have called her 2 weeks ago. You idiot." *
Me again,"Oh. Are you ok?" Betty: "Not really. My other son took me to Colorado to be with his wife for a week and help her with all the paperwork. And I've been trying not to cry. And making my bed..."

Yeah that was me the idiot. The conversation lasted for about 5 minutes. I got off the phone and just started sobbing.

So why do we ignore those promptings, those gentle nudges, to do what we know is the right thing to do? Is it because we are too prideful? Because we don't want to look "uncool" in front of our friends (which is pride)? We're too busy (yet we have time to waste 3 hours of our day on the computer)?

There's a girl in my Spanish class at school, a girl that I would probably never talk to, and ya know what? I think that I'm going to one of these days.

Here's the lyrics to a song that goes along with this:
Hero by Superchick
[Verse:]No one sits with him, he doesn't fit in
But we feel like we do when we make fun of him
Cause you want to belong do you go along?
Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong
It's not like you hate him or want him to die
But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide
Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side
Any kindness from you might have saved his life

[Tag:]Heroes are made when you make a choice

[Chorus:]You could be a hero
Heroes do what's right
You could be a hero
You might save a life
You could be a hero, You could join the fight
For what's right for what's right for what's right

[Verse:]No one talks to her, she feels so alone
She's in too much pain to survive on her own
The hurt she can't handle overflows to a knife
She writes on her arm, wants to give up her life
Each day she goes on is a day that she is brave,
Fighting the lie that giving up is the way,
Each moment of courage her own life she saves
When she throws the pills out a hero is made

[Tag]

[Chorus]

[Verse:]No one talks to him about how he lives
He thinks that the choices he makes are just his
Doesn't know he's a leader with the way he behaves
And others will follow the choices he's made
He lives on the edge, he's old enough to decide
His brother who wants to be him is just nine
He can do what he wants because it's his right
The choices he makes change a nine year old's life

[Chorus]

[Rap]Little Mikey D. was the one in class who everyday got brutually harassed
This went on for years until he decided that never again would he shed another tear
So he walked through the door, grabbed a four four out of his father's dressing drawer
And said I can't take life no more
And like that life can be lost
But this ain't even about that
All of us just sat back and watched it happen
Thinkin' it's not my responsibility to solve a problem that isn't about me
This is our problem
This is just one of the daily scenarios which we choose to close our eyes
Instead of doing the right thing
If we make a choice and be the voice for those who won't speak up for themselves
How many lives would be saved, changed, rearranged
Now it's our time to pick a sideSo don't keep walkin' by
Not wantin' to intervene
Cause you wanna exist and never be saved
So let's wake up and change the world
Our time is now

[Chorus]

I'm gonna start responding to those nudges now, before it's too late. I encourage all of you to do the same.