As a single person, happy couple encounters always gives me hope. "AWE" I don't know when he'll give them to her. But I know that when I see couples like this, it gives me hope.
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When I sit in traffic I am always curious of the sea of people around me. I see a family in the SUV next to me and I wonder if they're happy. Do the parents love their children? Do the children love their parents? Where are they going? Where are they coming from? I wonder about their reality. It is overwhelming to realize that every body in every car has a story. Every person is on their way to a place or coming from a somewhere. Everywhere we go we are surrounded by people with history. In my world there are three major things all humans have in common: a soul, a past, and a future. The more we try to learn from each other about these things, the more I believe we grow and find hope in the stories we share. When we step outside of ourselves and ask questions, we find answers. My generation is all about finding answers...but I think we have lost the ability to ask questions. Conversation is no longer a two-way building block of relationship. It is an avenue to state our opinions, not a way to learn anything about the person(s) we are speaking to. Is it too late for my generation to ask questions? Are we so ready with the answers and self-centered mad gab that we will never hear the history and wisdom stored-up in the lives of the people we know? Food for thought: We all stay up at night wishing someone would care about our stories. We spend half of our conversations thinking about what we want to say. What if that interest was invested in the stories of people around us. Teddy Roosevelt once said "Comparison is the thief of joy" What a wise man. you are not a robot. you are a person. people have fat.
One of my favorite things about being human is the mistakes I make. Mostly because of the stories I get to tell when I make them. There's also the fact that every time I make a mistake I am amazed at God's ability to forgive such an idiot.
This idiot found herslef crying on a street corner monday night. Monday was a busy day for me. I had just finished a week of camp in Oregon and was taking the bus back home to Seattle. When my bus departed Portland my official plan consisted of one email to my aunt saying "I'll be at the lightrail at 6:00." I also did not have a phone. I am ashamed that none of this was disturbing to me whatsoever. At our destination I was feeling good. I got on the lightrail and headed for home. That's when the trouble started. Here's a word of advice: NEVER leave for somewhere without knowing how to get there. I knew my stop was one of the last two on the map. So I guessed. I guessed wrong. That is how I ended up on the corner crying over my duffle bag in the rain. No phone, no plan, no helping hand, I lost it. As I sat there sniffling all I could think was "I am going to die. I am going to die. I am going to die." In that moment I was a little girl alone in a very big world. In all reality I really was ok. I had money and I was at an airport. But I think God knew that I needed a reality check. Her name was Tasha. Tasha saw me crying and stopped. More miserable and embarassed than ever, I just stared. "are you ok, honey?" she asked me. "I'm fine....actually no, I'm not" I said. She sat me down, put her arm around me, and gave me her phone. "Do what you need honey. There's no hurry." When I meet people like this I am convinced that when God made humans in His image, it means that we carry pieces of Him with us. I don't think Tasha knew God, but she had a piece of Him in her. Whatever piece of Him she has, she chose to use it Monday night. She chose to take time out of her day to help an overwhelmed college student on the side of the road. She waited as I tried about ten different numbers. She laughed as I called my mom in China to call my grandparents in Seattle. She didn't want to leave me until she knew I was ok. She gave me a hug and kissed me goodbye. Monday night reminded me of two things. 1. to be more prepared and make better plans. 2. to be the Tasha in other people's lives. I think sometimes I get in this mindset where I only want to help someone if they NEED it. Like I am the one to decide if their problem is worthy of my attention. Tasha stopped for me when I was crying. Not because I was going to die or there was some huge emergency, but because Tasha knew I needed a friend. Next time, I want to be the friend. There you have it. Another encounter with the big wide world. |
AuthorMy name is Lily. Archives
October 2016
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