A friendly young voice called out while serving at the register beside me “Hello Mrs McEwan! How are you?” I looked across seeing a hint of familiarity but having to admit (with a smile and a ‘hello’ first) that I couldn’t recognise him. He told me his name and a heap of context whizzed through my mind as I looked at this tall and smiling young man that I hadn’t seen since being about 3 feet tall. He had to serve another customer so I thanked him for saying hello, told him it made me so happy that he had – and asked him to say ‘hey’ to his mum for me.
And it was true – it REALLY DID make me happy that he said hello. He was under no obligation to – I hadn’t glanced at him and even if I had I wouldn’t have known who he was. Young boy to young man creates huge change!
In just a few seconds-worth of exchange I saw friendliness with beautiful smiling eye contact, risk and an OK-ness that had to be a total joy to his mum who I knew would have been praying agonisingly and relentlessly his whole life through. I’d sat with her when this boy was 3 feet tall and I knew what lots of those prayers had been.
I left there so tickled to see this snapshot. Tickled for a boy/man doing well, tickled to know another mums heart is soothed, and tickled that the curtain had unexpectedly pulled back enough to let me see a small part of their ‘now’ chapter. This was something beyond happy. This was joy connected to a river of reason.
Totes awesome!