Every day, each of us passes by countless strangers. To us, each of these people is simply “stranger,” but to someone else, they are mother, son, sister, professor, paramedic, any number of important, beautiful things.
Stop and think about it. That waiter you just chewed out for bringing you back a burger with onions when you specifically said “no onions”? Someone’s only son. The cashier you almost made cry by calling her manager when she gave you back a one-dollar bill instead of a ten-dollar bill? Someone’s mom.
All these people around us? They’re not just extras in each of our own life’s films. They’re features in their own lives, trying to break their way out of surviving and into living.
Sometimes the strangers around you will become an intrinsic part of your life. In my mom’s case, a lady who stopped by her garage sale and chatted with her for several hours one day became–through entirely different workings of fate or coincidence–mother-in-law to my just-younger sister, Rachael. That same lady, several years later, would be like an angel in my mom’s last days:
Jeanne held Mom’s hand. When Jeanne said it was time to go, Mom said, “Can I hold on just a little longer?” Jeanne smiled with her incomparable warmth, crouched down, and said, “Of course.” And Mom admitted for the first time, “There’s so much I want to do, but I just can’t get up.” ♥ Jeanne’s loving presence.
No comments:
Post a Comment