I go to Metro a few times a week as a run in and run out. I care for my Oma twice a day and it's right across the street. The prices are insane, so I will just go to grab sales or milk or cans of rotel because it's the only place that I have found it in town. Their deli made pizza is also really great on a busy day once in a while. Fourteen dollars for an extra large pepperoni that doesn't taste like card board is a real deal. 

After Oma's on Saturday evening, I ran into Metro, just hoping that I wouldn't meet anyone that I know. You know those times? lol I was dresssed in my burgundy sweat pants and black zip up and birkenstocks and my hair was a mess. I was in the produce department looking at bags of honeycrisps for $2. Quite a steal. I also had a pizza in my cart for the girls for supper on Sunday night as a treat. An older man came up to me and asked me about the pizza in my cart. He said that he had heard negative things since the place had been renovated. I assured him that they are good pizzas and that my kids love them. He was happy to hear it. He said that he never shops here, but he got a gift card. He seemed put out that he needed to figure out how to spend it. I wanted to say - Hey I've got you. I can help you with that. (: 

It's not unual for me to talk to someone in the grocery store. For an introvert, I am pretty social. But this day, I wanted to crawl under the shelves because I wasn't counting on stopping anywhere, felt messy and was in a hurry. I often find myself running physically and mentally, with a cup that's not full and empties quickly. But there was something about him that made me pause and give him time to say something else before I smiled and said good bye. I had to tell myself -"Stop. Wait..... It doesn't matter that you are going to miss supper that Ken has on the table." My shoulders went down and I relaxed as he started the conversation. I stood there rocking with a bag of apples in my arms for 20 minutes.

We touched on so many topics. The state of the world. The loss of his wife 20 years ago. Her job as a nurse, his as a community service worker. Their adopted daughter who ran off at 19, 12-ish years ago-He has lost a lot. The school system. We talked about Ken's job, Micah's cancer and having 6 kids. Movies that he has watched. The trauma that comes with nursing and with spending time in the hospital. What he learned and how he grew walking with his wife as she died. I talked about how the Lord grew us in our dark times and that it was hard, but that I wouldn't trade them in for an easy road. He also gave me life advice. 

Sometimes someone just needs to be heard and understood. They need eye contact and care. They need to know that they matter, even to a stranger. As we were ready to say good-bye, he shook my hand and we introduced ourselves. He told me with shining eyes that it was a pleasure to chat together. His eyes told me that those 20 minutes mattered. 

This meeting in the grocery store is so small in the big picture and I didn't do anything extraordinary. But it has reminded me to slow down and watch for the opportunities that I will miss if I don't have my eyes open. The Lord put me in that place at that moment to listen to a man who needed someone. It reminded me that we are made for connection in our homes, in our churches and in our communities.  

I was energized by this meeting in the produce department and was thankful that the Lord told me to pause and that I could give to someone. I will likely never see him again, but I am going to pray for him and his losses and lonliness and that maybe if he heard a little bit about the Lord's care and the peace that a relationship with our Saviour brings, that a seed will be planted. 

Stop. Listen. Open yourself. Give. Encourage. Be encouraged. Pray.