A Basket of Encouragement

I walked toward the laundry room of our apartment building early one winter morning—so early it was still dark outside. In the middle of the night I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to transfer my clothes from the washer to the dryer the evening before.

In our large building of many tenants and few washers and dryers, that could be a real inconvenience. We each had two hours a week to do our laundry. I hurried, eager to get in and out before the person who had the 6:00 a.m. slot arrived. I wanted to make sure the machines were empty and ready to use, and the folding space wiped clean.

Too late!  As I pushed open the door, there sat Laverne, my neighbor who lived down the hall.  She was leafing through a magazine as the washers and dryers pounded rhythmically beside her. “Good morning,” she said.

“Good morning,” I replied.  “I’m so sorry. Last night I got caught up in . . . and I forgot to . . .”

She finished my sentence for me. “Forgot to put your clothes in the dryer?”

“Right,” I said, too embarrassed to look her in the eye.  I walked toward the folding tables, expecting to find my wet rumpled clothing in a heap.  But instead I saw two piles of socks and shirts and towels and underwear—mine and my husband’s—dried and neatly folded.

“Laverne . . . did you . . .” I pointed to the clothing.

“I did.” She smiled. “I got here early today, so why not?”

“You didn’t have to do that. Not only did you dry our clothes but you folded and stacked and categorized them too!”

Laverne looked at me, her bright eyes brimming with kindness.  “I didn’t mind. Isn’t that what we’re here for? To help each other?”

Slowly, I rolled her words over in my mind. “Isn’t that what we’re here for? To help each other?”   

Laverne was a testimony to the Scripture, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves” (Rom. 12:10 NIV).

I hugged her tight, piled my clothes in my basket, and went upstairs–feeling more joyful than I had in weeks.

I took her lead, and in turn, I encouraged someone else that day.  How could I not?  “Isn’t that what we’re here for?” I reminded myself.