A Chance Encounter
by Lee Ann Livingston
Spiritual Care Specialist
Imagine my surprise when he walked up to me and called me by name, especially since he and I were both wearing facemasks. At the time, I was standing in a shop, waiting for my cup of soup to soothe my chill from the cold night air. While maintaining my distance as I talked with a couple of other folks also waiting on their orders, he called me by name and commented that it was so good to see me. I had to apologize that, although his voice was familiar, I had no idea who he was. Thankfully, he laughed and commented on the facemasks, then identified himself.
As it turned out, he had been in to talk with me a couple of times last year after his mother died. I remembered those conversations positively and gratefully. He seemed to be a gentle man who simply loved his mother, missed her, and needed a little reassurance about where he was in his own life at the time. Sometimes we all just need a listening ear.
It seems that we had both come to town to walk and take in the beauty of the seasonal decorations. I had met a couple of friends for the outdoor walk; he said that he wanted to come see the lights, and his wife didn’t want to join him, so he just came to walk alone. As he walked past the shop where I was waiting for my cup of soup, he saw me through the window and said that he recognized me by my eyes. We talked until my soup was ready, not too long, but enough for me to know that he is doing well and he is happy.
As we were making our way to the door to leave the shop, he told me that he almost didn’t come to town that evening, but he had the feeling that he just needed to be there. When he recognized me through that shop window, he knew why he felt compelled to be downtown that evening. We acknowledged that our coincidental meeting that evening was anything but a coincidence. It was a gift.
On the sidewalk, we said our goodbyes and offered our best wishes before parting. As I walked away, I gave thanks for soup to warm my chilled bones and a special thanks for the unexpected encounter that warmed my soul in ways I had never expected!
Recent Posts
Archives
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- November 2017
- October 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
Categories
Recent Posts
- Nutrition for Caregivers: Nutrition and the Immune System January 14, 2021
- Grief in a New Year January 4, 2021
- Updated Visitor Policy December 28, 2020
- A Chance Encounter December 18, 2020
- Nutrition for Caregivers: Mindful Eating December 18, 2020
Categories
- Blog (90)
- Children's Services (5)
- Community Resources (2)
- Family Services (53)
- Humor (2)
- Kora (5)
- News (51)
- Nutrition for Caregivers: The Series (2)
- Project HOPE (2)
- Special Events (16)
- Uncategorized (8)
- Veterans (9)
- Volunteers (26)