I met a man yesterday. Didn't get his name. And I'm confident, I'll probably never ever see him again. And that's ok. The purpose of our meeting, it's destiny, and it's fate, was fulfilled in the 5 minutes we spoke.
He was an elderly man. Quite elderly. I'd say with no more than a few years left in him, on this earth. If he's lucky.
I didn't see him at first. Had to search for him. Search for the owner of a very worn and old wooden walking stick, which was left half hanging outside of a shopping cart.
I called out to a man who was walking away. I knew it was his. Had to be. It was. And he returned (slowly) to get it.
I wa
s in a friendly mood so started a conversation. And that's when it happened. That's when this man blessed me, with his story. And what a story.
I stood outside the supermarket with him for 10 minutes. Just listening. Just witnessing this man and his life. And that's all he wanted. To be heard. To be seen. To SHARE HIS STORY. And his life. To know that his 90 something years on this planet had mattered.
They did.
As I stood there listening to this man share his heartache and pain over losing his first wife during childbirth to his only son. And then later his joys of raising this son on his own, and traveling the world. To finally ending in true love where he married a childhood sweetheart. This story. His story. Is all our stories.
We all suffer. We all grieve. We all love.
We all yearn to be loved. We lose love. We find love. And we all want to know that it mattered. That our life mattered.
At the end of our conversation this elderly man clasped both of my hands in his, raised them up to his heart, looked me in the eyes and thanked me. Thanked me like I've never been thanked before. So sincerely. So heartfelt.
He thanked for listening and allowing him share his story. And then he turned around and walked away. Forever.
I needed to sit down after this. It was almost too much. This man. This dear man had just gifted me with a gift so precious - him. His life. His story. Who he was. What he was. And something so deeply intimate.
As he walked away a feeling so strong washed over me. And I heard a voice. A voice of God maybe. A voice that told me he was at peace now. That he could happily leave this world now. Knowing that his story mattered. Knowing that HE mattered. That someone had heard him. Seen him. Listened. And witnessed.
Strangers are never strangers if you open your heart to them. Often they are angels in disguise. Waiting to bless you or to be blessed.
Yesterday I was both. An angel to this man, yet at the same time, blessed by him.
Open your heart. Connect with others. Listen. Share. It's what we are all here for 💗
He was an elderly man. Quite elderly. I'd say with no more than a few years left in him, on this earth. If he's lucky.
I didn't see him at first. Had to search for him. Search for the owner of a very worn and old wooden walking stick, which was left half hanging outside of a shopping cart.
I called out to a man who was walking away. I knew it was his. Had to be. It was. And he returned (slowly) to get it.
I wa
s in a friendly mood so started a conversation. And that's when it happened. That's when this man blessed me, with his story. And what a story.I stood outside the supermarket with him for 10 minutes. Just listening. Just witnessing this man and his life. And that's all he wanted. To be heard. To be seen. To SHARE HIS STORY. And his life. To know that his 90 something years on this planet had mattered.
They did.
As I stood there listening to this man share his heartache and pain over losing his first wife during childbirth to his only son. And then later his joys of raising this son on his own, and traveling the world. To finally ending in true love where he married a childhood sweetheart. This story. His story. Is all our stories.
We all suffer. We all grieve. We all love.
We all yearn to be loved. We lose love. We find love. And we all want to know that it mattered. That our life mattered.
At the end of our conversation this elderly man clasped both of my hands in his, raised them up to his heart, looked me in the eyes and thanked me. Thanked me like I've never been thanked before. So sincerely. So heartfelt.
He thanked for listening and allowing him share his story. And then he turned around and walked away. Forever.
I needed to sit down after this. It was almost too much. This man. This dear man had just gifted me with a gift so precious - him. His life. His story. Who he was. What he was. And something so deeply intimate.
As he walked away a feeling so strong washed over me. And I heard a voice. A voice of God maybe. A voice that told me he was at peace now. That he could happily leave this world now. Knowing that his story mattered. Knowing that HE mattered. That someone had heard him. Seen him. Listened. And witnessed.
Strangers are never strangers if you open your heart to them. Often they are angels in disguise. Waiting to bless you or to be blessed.
Yesterday I was both. An angel to this man, yet at the same time, blessed by him.
Open your heart. Connect with others. Listen. Share. It's what we are all here for 💗
4080 Reads
- Posted by brindlegirl
- Apr 23, 2017
- Comments (25)
Readers Comments
greenurlifenow wrote: What an incredible story!
Sometimes, we can miss important experiences, if we aren’t paying attention.
Glad you didn’t miss this opportunity.
Sometimes, we can miss important experiences, if we aren’t paying attention.
Glad you didn’t miss this opportunity.
Pam Grossnickle wrote: Sometimes if we don't stop and listen, we miss the miracles in front of us. What a wonderful story shared that expresses how important it is that we take the time to be kind. Amazing story.
cabbage wrote: Wow. What an incredible story. So powerful, the blessing of presence. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
NoOnesNME wrote: What a blessing indeed! Thanks for sharing. I've not seen your or your toes in quite sometime. I trust all is well with you.
Aarsun Woods wrote: Fantastic! What a beautiful designed and carved wooden walking stick.
Aarsun Woods wrote: Fantastic! What a beautiful designed and carved wooden walking stick. Look at aarsunwoods. Com
etainclub wrote: Wonderful story. Thanks. I felt blessed by your story
ChrisG wrote: I've herd that life is what happens while we are busy making plans, and i'm always taken aback at how true this most accurate saying intelligently expresses reality!
Raindrop1972a wrote: What a beautiful story, thanks for sharing.
kking4 wrote: So moving.
