What are the daily gifts in my life from people I do not know (personally)? How can I pass those gifts on to others?

Years ago I created some art that I believe was inspired by my readings of Teilhard de Chardin. I gave it away to someone whose name I can no longer remember, but I think it had something to do with recognizing that the man who tightened the lug nuts on the wheels of my car was every bit as important to my well being as the surgeon who cut out the tumor that was growing on the front edge of my spine in 1991. My surgeon’s name was Orville (first name. I have forgotten his last name). I don’t believe I have ever known the name of the dozens of men who have tightened the lug nuts of the wheels of the cars I have had serviced over the past 47 years, but I am grateful for their faithful service to me. Years ago when I was the interim pastor of a small town church, a young boy in the congregation won his school’s patriotic speech contest. He gave his speech in church during the Sunday morning service for all of us to hear. I reflected after he spoke of how I had always imagined I would be more important in the world than I was – I imagined that the President would ask me to come to Washington to help him somehow, but he never asked. But now I could see that maybe this boy would go to Washington one day. I did not imagine that I was very important to the boy, but I was important to his father. I thought my role was to be a good influence on the boy’s father and through the father, the boy. I might never go to Washington, but the boy might and my having a small part in that would be an honor. This is all a long way of saying that to be faithful in doing our work in the world is a great service to the world, no matter the value that society places on our work. And we make important contributions every day whether we know it or not.