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9/16/2018 1 Comment underneath a streetlightthe other night, i met an older couple underneath a streetlight. they smiled when they saw me & then we raved to each other about the beauty of the night & then we talked for the next few minutes about the journey life is & our conversation ended with an invitation for me to come over their house the next morning for pastries.
i wrote down their address & memorized their names & let the admiration i felt for them stall me & stun me as i walked away from my new friends & marveled at the kind of radiance they embodied that even the stars above must be envious of. i showed up to their house the next morning & they were waiting outside for me with their garage door open & packed with boxes of baked goods from the bakery down the road. they welcomed me like i was their guest of honor & handed me a bag to fill with whatever looked good to me & asked me questions about my life & my mind. we talked for awhile as i held my plastic bag stocked full of bread & pastries & cinnamon rolls & i don't think they ever stopped smiling & all i could think about was how these two must be living, breathing, walking angels & then as i got ready to leave for work, she gave me a lollipop from the bag she carries with her everywhere & by then i wasn’t even surprised, thinking of course an angel carries around a bag of lollipops to hand out & then she told me to have the best day & to spread kindness, that i would do just fine in life if i did. again, i walked away stalled & stunned by their kindness. & not just a subtle, surface-y kind of kindness, but it became obvious to me that they see kindness as a “that’s what i’m here on this earth for” kind of thing. i left for the rest of my day with a renewed sense of purpose & passion for the hours ahead of me. i left with a confidence in the power of kindness & in the God who created human angels like them to remind me just how kind He is & how stunning this day in front of us could be if we adorn it with kindness. i’m writing all this down & i’m not even sure why i’m sharing it but i felt the urge within me to because i want their reckless generosity & kindness that has no doubt been strengthened & refined over the years to encourage & inspire every one of us to stun the world with radical kindness in random moments & every moment. streetlights are there to shed light so that we can actually see each other & where we’re going. they are a pause from the darkness & an invitation to encounter what’s in front of us. which gets me thinking that there are thousands of different streetlights in the world : there are the standard streetlights, but there are also living rooms & grocery aisles & fitness centers & coffee shops & cubicles & hallways & classrooms & break rooms & elevators & hiking trails. streetlights are anything & anywhere that invites us to really see each other & visit awhile. the next time we pass someone underneath a streetlight of any kind, i hope we see not just a stranger, but a soul & that we listen to what they want to share with us & then invite them over for pastries. & maybe a lollipop, too.
1 Comment
Sue Gaechter
9/16/2018 11:42:38 am
Bethany, they sound like such a wonderful couple. So glad you had the opportunity to meet them. Hopefully you will have the opportunity to touch base with them occasionally. I had an elderly neighbor who I would visit often and learned so much from her wisdom and life's story. Lessons that have stayed with me years after she passed on to Glory. Love, Auntie Sue
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