The other day we were out having dinner at local restaurant. An elderly women rose at the adjacent table and slowly wandered to our table. She spoke softly with a gentle smile on her face. I noticed a tear in her eye. Our family touched her. She told us how at her age she had learned to appreciate many things, among those appreciations was our family. Apparently watching us brought a tear to her eye. She explained how she loved watching our family interact. She thanked us, placed her hands on Kelly and Josie and returned to her seat.
That encounter made me pause and think. Our family must be content. That is the only plausible explanation on why a total stranger would take the time to tell us how she appreciated our family. I love how we are seen as a family, and no one ever questions the different skin colors. Our smiles and laughter are truly colorless.
And I thought a little more. What would it have been like to see through that woman's eyes? To think her thoughts. To feel the raw emotion that led to the subtle tears. During all those times where we are angry, sad, or frustrated, it would be nice to step outside ourselves and see our situation through another. Maybe then we would realize that life is what we make of it, and often our stressful situations are quite trivial.
No comments:
Post a Comment