The ATM at the Chase Bank cannot be approached without walking past the Handicapped Parking Area. After parking my car I walked in that direction and noticed a woman getting out of her car, and I realized she would be able to reach the ATM line before I would.
She was about ten yards ahead of me when I passed the rear of her car. I noticed on the back window the name Miguel. Under the name were numerals. One set read 1992 then the dash and the other set of numbers, 2008. (1992-2008). Her son Miguel, I reasoned, had died at age 16.
And then I was standing next to her as we waited our turn. "You have had a very sad loss," I said. She looked at me not sure of what I said. "Your son died. That is so sad," I repeated. Then she understood. "Yes, one year ago." And I saw tears pooling in her eyes. "There is nothing more heartbreaking," I said. "Oh it is terrible," she replied, and then she had to move to the ATM.
Our grief session was over, and it was my turn to move to the machine. As I clicked in my numbers I heard her say "good-bye" as she moved back to her car. I took it as a clue that I had touched her heart in a good way. In 60 seconds her heart had been touched, and mine had been blessed.
She was about ten yards ahead of me when I passed the rear of her car. I noticed on the back window the name Miguel. Under the name were numerals. One set read 1992 then the dash and the other set of numbers, 2008. (1992-2008). Her son Miguel, I reasoned, had died at age 16.
And then I was standing next to her as we waited our turn. "You have had a very sad loss," I said. She looked at me not sure of what I said. "Your son died. That is so sad," I repeated. Then she understood. "Yes, one year ago." And I saw tears pooling in her eyes. "There is nothing more heartbreaking," I said. "Oh it is terrible," she replied, and then she had to move to the ATM.
Our grief session was over, and it was my turn to move to the machine. As I clicked in my numbers I heard her say "good-bye" as she moved back to her car. I took it as a clue that I had touched her heart in a good way. In 60 seconds her heart had been touched, and mine had been blessed.
I had a similar experience today when I rode my bike to the market. By the time I arrived it was beginning to rain so I wanted to quickly lock my bike and get into the store. As I was doing that, a shaggy looking man walked his bike to the 'hitching post'. His bike was so loaded with blankets and bags of stuff, that it resembled a horse. My guess is he was homeless. Since we were locking bikes at the same time I chose to greet him and make a comment about the weather. He acted surprised that I noticed him and immediately began to tell me about how far he had ridden. His story became one about his trusty bicycle and how many miles he had put on it in 20 years. By this time I was getting wet and I found myself trying to think of a way to wrap up our conversation when he told me that in his younger years he rode across the country and seemed to want me to know all the states he'd ridden through. I began to ask questions and this man seemed to get younger as he spoke of his life experiences. Every time I would say, "Wow!" or "Really?" he talked faster and became more animated. I got soaked standing there, but I also got stoked seeing the resurrection of a man who I don't think anyone talks to. I wonder how long he'll remember my saying, "I hope we meet on the road somewhere again."
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