How do you leave your mark?  Is it visible?  Would everyone know it, if they saw it?  So much of our influence is not visible. 

An Episcopal priest once suggested that half his congregation showed up on Sunday mornings out of a sense obligation/inspiration.  There was an older couple who passed the offering plate every Sunday, walking slowly but deliberately down the aisle of the church.  He dressed as if a six-shooter on his hip would not be out of place, and she wore western dress worthy of a good square dance.  The congregation knew they would be in attendance, and if the older couple could make it church the rest of us should probably find the motivation.  It was an invisible mark but one that created a web of connections.

Our impact is embedded in the questions we ask, the small nod as we make eye-contact across the room, the quick wave as we pass an outdoor enthusiast on the trail, or the applause we give to a job well done.  None of these acts can be carried beyond the moment, but they leave a mark.  Invisible and remarkable.