Who Are They?

I'm sitting in a tire shop while I get some brake work done. Since it will take several hours, I thought I might as well make the most of my time and write. But what? Up to this point, I have written only the previous sentences. On the plus side, I have enjoyed a cup of their coffee and a small bag of popcorn. I have done a crossword puzzle and written a sizable check for the work that is being done on my car.

The people waiting with me include a young boy with a green shirt on his back, tousled hair, and glasses. He is finishing off a bag of popcorn while going back and forth between the window where he can see the tire guys working and the table where his dad, a bearded dude, is sitting. The dad, clad in neon orange, is also drinking the shop's coffee and visiting with another coffee-loving customer. Both of those guys are wearing baseball caps. In the corner of the room is a young man deeply involved with his electronic device, whatever that is. If it starts with an "I", I'm practically clueless. I have to think awhile to sort out i-phones, i-pads, and i-pods. All I know is that he is busy pushing buttons on something.

Who are these people? What are their stories? Are they married, single, divorced? What kind of jobs do they have or are they unemployed, Do they have families? What are their joys and sorrows? Do they know the Lord? I just sit here and watch, then wonder.

And then there are the cars that speed by--cars of all colors, sizes, makes and models, And the trucks--pickup trucks, trucks with campers, trucks with crew cabs, and semis. Each one with invisible people inside heading someplace important on a Saturday morning. Who? Where? Why?

These may seem like silly observations and a waste of time, but just watching and wondering takes me back to times in my life when I asked myself entirely different questions as I watched people, especially people in cars. The question was, "Don't they know the hurt I'm in?" I wondered how they could be laughing, eating, or talking when I was in pain,

The first time was right after my mother's death. That was almost ten years ago. My husband and I were on the last leg of our cross county trip, and just hours from my parents' home in Oregon, when we got the call from my dad. Mom had died, She had been in the hospital for a week with pneumonia. She had also been experiencing much pain from back surgery she had undergone months earlier. We knew death was near, but I don't think anyone is ever ready for the news when it finally comes.

The rest of the trip was spent in relative silence. My husband and I were each deep in our own thoughts. Dealing with things in my usual way, I felt no overwhelming sadness. Sadness? Yes. Overwhelming sadness accompanied by tears? No. Instead, I wondered how my Dad was doing as well as my siblings, especially my sister. Her youngest daughter was getting married in a matter of days. I fell into the big sister-make everything alright frame of mind.

Funny though, in spite of the fact I shed no tears, showed no emotions, I would look at people in the cars around us a wonder, "How can you just speed by like that without a care in the world? Wake up, people, my mother just died!"

Ever since that time, I look at people differently. I may be speeding through life, seemingly without a care in the world, and the person sitting next to me or in the car ahead of me may be in the depths of despair or experiencing overwhelming grief. I would love to know what's going on in their lives because I want them to know that someone cares.

I am so thankful that during those times I felt alone in my distress, I wasn't. I am thankful I was not only in the arms of Jesus, my Lord, but I was also in the arms of Jesus as he revealed himself to me through family and friends who loved and cared for me.

An hour ago, I had no idea I would end up talking about my mom today. Since tomorrow is Mother's Day, I think I will tell you more about her then. Maybe by doing that, I will discover words besides "superficial" to describe our relationship. (see my post "I Tend at Abandon Others" from two days ago).

Have a God day, all

Jan