An aging man, living in New Jersey, annually planted a tomato garden, his pride and joy.  His only son, Vincent, helped him till the soil, but this year, Vincent was in prison and not there to help.  The father wrote his son.

“I am afraid that I will not be able to have my garden this year because I am unable to till the ground.  After relying on you for years to help me with this, and knowing you were happy to help, I am sad you are not here.  Love you.”

Not long afterward, the father received a letter from his son.  “Dear Papa,” he started, “Please do not dig up the yard.  That is where I hid the bodies.”  The next day, the F.B.I. and local police showed up at the elderly man’s home.  They came with excavating machines and immediately dug up the back yard, finding nothing.

A few days later, the dad received another letter from his son.  “Dear Papa, go ahead and plant the tomatoes now.  That’s the best I can do under the circumstances.”

Last week I wrote about the Olympics and mentioned that there was a good chance none of us would ever compete at that level.  Most of us are not destined for stardom.  We will not pastor a mega-church, become a best-selling author, star on Broadway or perform in the Boston Symphony.  We will not hit three-pointers like Stephen Curry, sing like Celine Dion, vault like Simone Biles, throw a backward pass like Patrick Mahomes (Was that not impressive?), find the cure for cancer or even be as clever as this imprisoned son.

Actually, we might not even win the grand prize for the best pie at the county fair or be recommended as a church deacon or        have our kids compete to care for us in our old age.

If we all were renowned celebrities, life would be boring.  God knows that.  So, He creates us to use our giftedness in other ways, and yes, we all have gifts. The ones lacking fame are all around us, and in my mind, they make life so much easier.  This past week, Dave and I relied on people who changed and balanced our minivan tires and others who replaced a windshield and an antenna that had broken off deep inside the truck.

I needed a chipped tooth repaired and Dr. Patterson, as usual, did his magic. Left to my own ability, a Chiclet would have substituted.  Pilots flew me to KCI, and the flight attendants…well, let’s just say that they were there in case of an emergency.  (How times have changed since I had that job years ago!)  Sonic employees served my hamburger well done with pickles and ketchup only, just like I ordered it.  Famous?  No.  A blessing?  Yes.

While talking to Judy, the woman organizing a ladies’ retreat in Iowa where I will be speaking next month, she filled me in on the details of the theme, the organizational plan and her design for table decorations: pumpkins and autumn leaves in plaster of Paris with lights running through them. (I cannot tell you how gaudy that creation would be, had I been entrusted with those three ingredients.  No doubt hers will be spectacular.)

She shared that she had been her husband’s caretaker after a disease left him unable to speak or walk, so daily she looked for ways to brighten his day. After he died three years ago, God encouraged her to use the gifts He had given her to bless other people…which is why she loves “making the women of her community feel special.”

This past week, Judy, and the other “less famous” people in my life, made me rethink my definition of the word “celebrity.”   After all, in God’s eyes, anyone who uses the gifts He has given them deserves that label.  I just need to do a better job of recognizing it.