A Strange Occurrence

I had the strangest thing happen to me tonight: I went to Walmart to pick up some pens for work as well as a small gift for Shinae--a body pillow and Oreo Cakesters. While I was there I went into the self checkout lane and in front of me was a hansom man in his mid-thirties. He was alone. He turned around to scan a few more items, and I noticed that he was wearing a priest's collar. He had difficulty with the item he was scanning. Waving at the clerk to grab her attention didn't work, but he remained there hoping she would take notice. He continued to waive and started to eek out a "ma'am" with a light mousy voice too light to be his own. She finally paid attention, fixed his problem, and he left.

As I was walking out of the store, happy with my purchases, I saw him talking to a woman that was obviously one of his parishioners. She was about his same age and had kids playing all around her. At that moment I felt a surge of overwhelming sadness. I started to cry and I almost made a loud vocal outburst. I'm not sure what it was that came over me until I was half way to the car. I deconstructed my emotions and realized that I was going home to my beautiful wife who has my child in her belly (Oh, crap! I'm starting to cry just writing this), and here was a hansom, meekish, brother-in-Christ whom was bound by a man-made constraint upon his religion. He was standing, speaking with a woman that--had he not been wearing the collar--I would have assumed was his wife with his kids. I felt like my best-friend had just died. My poor brother would never get to see the lavish riches that God could poor out on him! I had everything God could give me, but he was unable to accept the greatest gift, apart from Christ, that God could give a man. I would go home to a warm house, full of love from my wife and child, and he would go home alone... How sad.

I went home afterward with a renewed sense of being loved and lavished upon. I am blessed. Thank you, God.