Welcome to this week’s Grateful Heart Monday, a time dedicated for expressing gratitude for someone or something from my life I truly appreciate, which for today is for a friend named Lori Lefevre Johnson.
I’ve known Lori for about a year now and have had the privilege of getting to see her every week at the place my partner Chris and I attend on many Sunday mornings, that being Angels Landing Spiritual Center. There, I’ve always been greeted with a huge hug by her and enjoyed just how positive of a person she always seems to be. Much of that gets radiated through a gift Lori most assuredly has that I often wish I did too, which is an incredible singing ability.
Her voice is soothing and beautiful, much like her personality. Whenever she sings, I can always see the joy radiating from her soul as she gives her gift up to God in worship. There was one Sunday when I heard her and her daughter sing together, and if color could have expressed the joy I felt all around that room that day, it probably would have encompassed the entire spectrum! One time I also got to hear her sing some jazzy tunes in this neat little room in the Toledo Museum of Art that made her voice sound even more amazing!
Beyond her singing, I find that Lori is just one of those people who is so approachable and will carry on any type of conversation with you, no matter what the topic is. And she’ll do it with this level of grace, where she maintains eye contact making you feel in that moment as if you are the most important person to her in the world.
In my case, the one type of conversation Lori and I have quite often is about movies. We both are movie fanatics and tend to watch many of the same artsy and indie type of films. I really do appreciate having the ability to talk with her about all the movies I’ve seen, as it’s rare to find someone into them as much as I am! I very much enjoyed actually catching a movie (The Peanut Butter Falcon) one day with her last summer, along with a mutual friend David, who too is an avid film buff. We all had a fun time together and it was nice discussing it afterwards with the both of them.
Regrettably, I’ve only had the good fortune of spending one other time with her, that being over a coffee at a Starbucks for a few hours. Unfortunately, our schedules and free time have tended to be quite the opposite of each other. But in that one afternoon, sitting outside on that Starbucks patio, with the sunlight shining down brightly upon us, I felt her presence shining brightly upon me.
You see, Lori has that type of personality, that seems to light up the environment all around her wherever she is. That’s probably why she made such the incredible teacher I’ve been told she was, for all the years she taught before she finally chose to retire last year. I can imagine with the personality she has how many kids in her classes were most likely inspired and uplifted on a daily basis! I’m sure many of them to this day still have plenty of fond memories of her classes, even well into their adulthood.
Soulful, vibrant, warming, and welcoming to all, Lori is most definitely someone who deserves to be the recipient of this week’s Grateful Heart Monday!
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
