Love one another

I think I've probably had a post titled that before.  My family has a video of me wandering around the house singing, "Looooove one anoooooooothuw" to no tune in particular.  But I am dancing. So that's pretty cool.

I had another weird bus ride home today.  It's snowing outside. Heavy, wet, fat snowflakes. The sidewalks are super-slippery. It's just an allaround yucky day for April 18th. I wore my big winter coat.

When I got to the bus stop the little bus coverings were crammed full of people, so I just stood in the snow letting the snow blow into my back and legs. My coat's pretty warm, and since the wind was blowing against my back, it wasn't too bad.  But I watched a man in a wheelchair sitting outside in the snow. He looked Native and he also looked like he was possibly homeless.  He didn't look like he had enough strength to wheel himself with his arms, so he was just scuttling around by shuffling his feet.  He rolled by me, and stopped next to a young student who was smoking a cigarette.  The man in the wheelchair looked at the student and said, "Hey, can I buy a cigarette from you?"  He was shaking change he held in his hand. The student didn't look at him. He asked again, "Hey... can I please buy a cigarette from you?" Still nothing. And one final time, he said it louder because he though the student just wasn't hearing him.

Nothing.

Not a look.

Not a glance.

No acknowledgement he was even there.

The man started scuttling back toward me in the wheelchair.  I called out to him, "If I had a cigarette, I'd give it to you!"  He smiled at me.  My public health-self had to follow that up with, "You know those are bad for you!"  He nodded.  He then asked if I had an extra quarter so he could afford his bus fare. I gave him one.

When the bus pulled up, the students all started racing for the bus. Yes, it was snowing. Yes, I raced toward the bus, too. But we all just... went around him.

Not a look.

Not a glance.

No acknowledgment he was even there.

When I entered the bus, I was greeted by a woman sitting in the row behind me. An older black woman with wild grey hair.  "Well, hello, darlin! I haven't seen you in so long!  Has it been years? Howya doin?"  Having worked with elderly folks with dementia before, I went right along with her. How are you? How have you been? Where are you headed? Do you know where that is?

"Oh, dahlin I been prayin for you ever since we last met."  She then asked me if I had a dollar.  I didn't, so I gave her a bag of almonds. She wrinkled up her nose and said she couldn't chew them because of her arthritis.  I believe her. I also believe her teeth probably couldn't handle them.  But it was all I had (and I prefer giving food over money, anyhow).

I got some strange looks on the bus. I'm not sure if they thought I really knew her or not.

Every day when I leave class, I ask God which way I should go.  There are a few different paths, and I always want to take the one He wants me on. I'm pretty sure I went His way today.

I was just overcome with... how much God loves us. I really felt like I was feeling a portion of the compassion God feels for people today. Not that I do it perfectly. Not that I do it every time (I probably miss it more than naught). And not that I feel it that strongly every day. But when I looked at this man in the wheelchair and this older woman, I could see God in them. I could see God's fingerprint... His image in them. His love for them.

Let's look for that in one another. Let's not look through people, but AT them. God, teach me how to do that.