PERFECT STRANGERS

If things hadn't happened to put us in that exact place at that exact time, there would be no story. 
But, we were.  And there is.  And it is a wondrous story.

My husband and I were walking toward the hospital entrance for his radiation therapy and doctor's appointment, which had been moved up by about 15 minutes in an earlier phone call.  Even then, we might not have been there at just that time, except that we were also called, this morning, and asked to come in for a blood draw at another location, entirely, which also shifted our expected schedule.

Because we were all where we were at that precise moment, we found ourselves walking, almost abreast, with a woman who caught my attention because she was wearing a top in my most favorite color.  Thirty seconds difference would have made a difference in what happened next.

I said to her, "I love your top!  It's my favorite color"

She gave me a little smile and said, "Thanks."

Then, I noticed her big, beautiful eyes....her big, beautiful, sad,eyes, welling up with tears.

Now, in that setting, you can see lots of people with tear-filled, sad eyes.  Sometimes, you share understanding smiles...or a little hug.  Sometimes, the kindest thing is to just avoid eye contact so that person can maintain whatever self control they need, in the moment.

In less time than it takes to write these words, I ran all those thoughts through my mind, wondering how I should respond to her.  A force, more powerful than me, moved me into action.  I asked, "Are you OK?"

She did what we often do at such times.  She lied.  She  said, "Yes.  I'm ok."  But the tears,  now  falling down her cheeks exposed the truth.

I said, "No. I don't think you are OK, at all."

I took one step toward her and she all but collapsed into my hug and began crying on my shoulder,  in earnest.  She told me, haltingly, that two years ago, today, her 26 year old son had unexpectedly died of a brain aneurysm.

She told me she thought coming to work, as usual, might make the day easier but that  now, she wasn't sure.

I invited her to sit down with me on a nearby bench and just talk about it...and about him, her son, Nico, and anything else she wanted to talk about.  Or, we could just sit there while she cried.

My smart husband, seeing what was going on, had already continued on toward his appointment so Annette...that's her name, Annette....and I sat down and shared a most incredible and  powerful and blessed experience.

It probably lasted no more than 10-15 minutes but....the memory of those moments will stay with me for the rest of my life and I would bet my last dime Annette would say the same thing.

Annette chose to trust a Perfect Stranger with her bleeding heart and soul, hurting over her beloved son, Nico.

I chose to walk with a Perfect Stranger, for a few steps, on her painful journey, doing what I could to share her awful burden.

And if she'd been even two steps ahead of or behind us, on that sidewalk, none of this would have happened!

As is often said, 'Timing is everything!'