Chance Encounters. . .of the God Kind
alejandro-escamilla from www.unsplash.com
Last Thursday, I was at the Shell gas station at the corner of 198 & 1 in Laurel, taking advantage of the .05 off on Thursdays. As I pumped gas, a car pulled up in front of me. The gentleman who got out to pump his gas was wearing a white tunic, white loose, flowing pants, and a pair of pull-on shoes. His skin was dark, and from his appearance, I guessed that he was originally from India or Pakistan.I headed inside to the cashier (I never seem to have any luck getting my Giant bonus points to register without help!). The man's name there is Salim. As usual, he greeted me warmly. After I had paid, I asked, "Are you observing Ramadan?" He looked a bit surprised, then smiled and said "Yes." I put my hands in prayer position ("Namaste" position, if you're familiar with yoga) and said, "A blessed Ramadan to you." He beamed, and I walked out.As I walked to my car, I noticed an African American woman putting gas in her car. Yet what I really noticed was her bumper sticker. It read "Racism is our national disease." In that moment, her eyes caught mine. I gestured to her bumper sticker and said simply, "Powerful message there." She smiled. I said, "You're a brave woman." I got another smile, and I went on my way.
Memories of Cultural DiversityI thought back about eleven years, when I went to Wilmington, Delaware to be an interim rector. I remember going into a Borders bookstore near my apartment and wandering around. Then I called Pat while I was in there, and with awe, reported that in the space of twenty minutes, I had heard three or four languages being spoken. It was wonderful, going from a place that had been very homogeneous to what I called "the United Nations" apartment building where I lived. In that building lived many Indians, who had come to work for Dupont or pharmaceutical companies. There were three sets of Sisters of Mercy nuns. There were young people and older people. There was an old woman down the hall who was crabby, but she played Bach on her piano like a master (I know. . .what irony. . .)Then I remembered something else: the amazing experience of watching some of my favorite actors (Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Judith Dench, for example) in the movie The Most Exotic Marigold Hotel. It was an overwhelming experience in terms of the colorful sights and sounds of a culture with which I am totally unfamiliar. While the movie did not push me to buy a ticket to go to India, I can more fully appreciate what that culture may offer--and in a deeper way now that I've seen that movie (and its sequel.)Last Thursday night, as I drove away from the Shell station, I found myself being grateful that I had eyes to see three different human beings, perhaps from three different original cultures, and to appreciate their diversity. Obviously Salim and I do not practice the same faith. Yet he (like Ali at Main Street Pharmacy) is always courteous to me, and I return that courtesy. I suspect that his job is not an easy one, and that he must deal with crabby people all that time.Summertime and The Chance to See New ThingsWe are entering into summertime, when you and I will be keeping a bit of a different pace. Fewer meetings for me. Vacation time for many of us, at some point. We will be in different situations, with all sorts of people.
saul-venegas-101563 from www.unsplash.com
I invite you to pay attention, wherever you go this summer. Look at people with new eyes. Listen with your heart. See people with whom you have casual encounters--like really see them with the eyes of Christ. Do you see loneliness in them? Pain? Joy? Try to meet people where they are, not where you wish they were. Be fully present. And as you leave that encounter, be grateful that God has given us each other. For it is in the other we encounter God. And it is in the other that we can learn new lessons--about our fellow human beings, and about ourselves. May you and I learn something new in these summer months--and be blessed in new ways. ~Sheila