Her tears glistened in the sun as she tried to catch her breath. I was overwhelmed by her reaction. For a few precious moments, it felt like it was just her and me. Two people sharing a moment, for me, it was unlike any other.
Ten minutes prior, I was leaving the supermarket, a lady pushing a shopping cart outside, with multiple shopping bags hanging off it asked me if I had any change. I politely declined, as since the pandemic I rarely carry cash. I apologized, it felt weak and empty. We made eye contact and politely exchanged warm greetings and headed in different directions.
After a quick stop in another store and considering what my options were, I realized I could go back to the supermarket and use the bank machine to get cash to give her. I panicked when I could not see her, but proceeded to the bank machine. Scanning the parking lot, cash in hand I noticed a small laneway and knew she could not be far. I found her looking for bottles in the recycle bin on the side of the supermarket and I was relieved to find her.
I politely extended her a $20 bill and she gently took it and started to weep, as if I had given her $1,000. She asked my name and I asked hers and we hugged and cried. I was humbled and honoured. I shared with her I truly wished there was more I could do for her. Her name was Lisa and I will always remember her raw emotion and the moment we shared.
It was human connection at its strongest. What she gave me, she will never know, it is priceless.
As dear Jim Burke stated, “I take for granted what some people pray for.” I thank Lisa today for the reminder today to be grateful for every meal I have, every night in a warm bed, a circle of friends, family, peers, and acquaintances that I love and so much more. Being kind brings dividends no financial investment can bring. Thank you Lisa for sharpening my perspective on what is truly important.
What a heart warming story. I once came across a lady out of sorts I was on vacation in South Dakota. She was sitting along an Alley wall. I found myself staring at her wondering what caused her fall. I offered no help that day and it has stuck with me. I wrote a poem about it called walking one the street where I offered her nothing to eat. And it left me feeling empty incomplete ashamed to be a stranger passing on the street. and it has stuck with me all these years. I do what I can now when I pass a homeless person.