At the health food store, I held a paper bag handle in my left hand while trying to load groceries with my right. I juggled my purse, accessing a discount card on my key chain to hand to the checker. I had my hands full.
The woman behind me in line offered assistance. Here, she said, taking the bag handle from the far side, let me help you. I expressed sincere gratitude for her kindness. Then she added, We all need to take care of one another.
Surprised at the synchronicity, I commented, Funny you should say that. I’m on my way to a theater rehearsal for a kid’s show I’m directing and that was going to be my exact message to them—to care of each other on stage.
She smiled. I’ll tell you a story if you have a moment. I’ll be brief. One day I was feeling particularly out of sorts. So, I said to Jesus, Please help me be more like you. I was walking in Manhattan, and there was this homeless man sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a shirt, but it was windy and about 60 degrees. I walked by and gave him a dollar. As I continued, I found that I couldn’t take another step—literally I was stopped in my tracks. I realized inside myself that I hadn’t done enough for this man.
She continued. I looked up to see a store in front of me selling sweatshirts for $5.00. I went in and bought a sweatshirt, kneeled down to this man and said, Please put this on; I can’t bear to see you cold. He looked up at me, and actually replied, what are you, a female Jesus Christ?
In that moment, the wave originally gifted to the speaker crashed upon the shore of her listeners—the checker, the woman behind her in line, and me. We fell into a slow motion expression of awe and grace. She finished by saying, I got my answer. What I mean by being more like Jesus is just to take care of your brothers and sisters.
What the storyteller didn’t know was that before I left home for rehearsal, I had asked for help from my spiritual teacher, too. Concerned about the upcoming theater performances, and with a personal issue weighing on my heart, I asked, could I please have some kindness, and some reassurance that I’m doing the right thing with these kids?
I walked out of the store with the gift of our “chance” meeting pouring through me. As I pulled out of my parking spot, I happened to see the storyteller getting into her car. In a sizeable lot, we’d parked facing each other. I waved and smiled, and she warmly waved back.