I don't remember exactly what grade I was in when it happened. All I remember is that suddenly Math was no longer fun. Since the first grade I had always loved Math. I was a wiz at adding and subtracting. I got 100 percent on almost every paper I did. All at once, though, we were doing something called multiplication and I was no good at it. I struggled on my first few worksheets until the teacher gave us each a card. On it were written the multiplication tables. I stared at them and smiled. Here were all the answers I needed. I read them over and over until they became stuck in my head. On our next test I did great again. I continued to love Math until I reached high school and encountered something horrible called Algebra.

I also began to notice how multiplication flowed through God's Creation. I saw how a tiny handful of seeds could produce a garden full of food. I saw how having two rabbits could soon give you twenty. I saw how tossing a little pebble into a pond could produce ripples that seemed to go on forever. I also saw how a single prayer could sooth my soul's troubles. I saw how a few caring words could heal a hurting heart. And I saw how a single act of loving-kindness could travel from person to person, heart to heart, and soul to soul until it circled the world.

The truth is we are all multipliers in this life. The only question is what are we going to multiply. Are we going to multiply the fear, anger, and distrust that exists in this world? Or are we going to multiply the love, kindness, and forgiveness that God so freely gives us? I for one choose the latter and I hope you will do the same.

Be a multiplier then. Help God make this world a better place. Spend your days sowing smiles. Spend your days planting kindness. Spend your days sharing love. You will be amazed at how much and how rapidly it multiplies. You will be amazed at the harvest you will reap.