I had a most unusual experience today in the grocery store. And since I’m not one to mince words – ever – you’re in for the whole story, whether you like it or not.
I was on my way home from a baby shower for a friend this afternoon when I stopped at Kroger for my weekly shopping trip. I needed to stop in the restroom first (yes, this IS important to the storyline and no, that’s not TMI), so I parked my shopping cart outside the restroom door. As I did, I noticed an elderly man in a motorized chair (you know – the kind with the shopping cart attached) sitting between the restrooms and the registers. I figured he was waiting for someone to finish up with the groceries before he left, so I passed by him and went into the restrooms. When I came out, he was gone and I really didn’t give him a second thought.
I began shopping at the opposite end of the store from where I usually do, just to be different (and also it was closer to the restrooms and I wouldn’t have to backtrack). As I passed by the refrigerated dairy case, I happened to notice that the elderly man outside the restrooms was behind me. Without turning to stare at him, I began to sense that he was following me. He would slow down when I did, stop when I did, and start when I began moving forward. This unnerved me slightly, but I figured there was no reason to be scared. By the time I turned the corner and headed toward the milk/yogurt area, I KNEW he was following me. My initial reaction was to ignore him…maybe if I didn’t make eye contact he’d go away and leave me alone. As I put the milk in my cart, he moved his scooter close to me and said, “Excuse me.”
I turned to look at him and noticed he was much older and more frail than I had expected. He had several teeth missing and a few more that looked as if they were on their way out. Age spots freckled his face, but he had kind eyes and a sincere smile. My heart softened as I realized he probably needed help getting some groceries (but I couldn’t rule out the fact that I had toilet paper hanging out of my jeans or some such thing). Now that he had my attention, he continued, “Would you be willing to let a nice old man give you a hug?”
Huh? Right here in front of the milk and orange juice? The store wasn’t crowded, so there weren’t very many people around…it wouldn’t really make a scene, would it? I hesitated for a moment, and then decided, “Okay.” I took a step toward his motorized chair, but he held up one hand and stopped me. “Let me stand up,” he insisted. My heart began pounding, almost visibly. I had my guard up, ready to redirect his hands or body if necessary. What was I thinking?? Letting a complete stranger put his hands on me, probably some dirty old man who had been watching me walk?
He approached me and wrapped me up in one of the sweetest hugs I’ve had…much like my grandfather would give me when I was younger. His clothes smelled musty, but clean, and as I pulled back from him, he placed his hands on my arms, looked into my eyes and said, “God bless you.” With tears welling up in my eyes, I looked back at him and stammered, “God bless you, too” as he once again gathered me up for another hug. Once we were done, he sat back down and we went our separate ways.
I tell you, my mind was racing. What did I just do?? Was I crazy? Was he? For a long time I didn’t see him again and I began to wonder, could that have been a Divine encounter? Did I just hug an angel unaware?? But on the hair care aisle, our paths crossed again. Trying not to be awkward, I smiled at him…but he looked at me somewhat confused. Down the next aisle, I saw him again. This time, I stopped and said, “Thank you for that hug earlier.” He looked at me, bewildered, and said, “Did you give me a hug today?” Assuring him that I had, he asked, “In this store?” Again, I assured him that I had indeed hugged him. He shook his head and, with a big smile on his face, said, “Thank you for that hug.”
The next time I saw him, down the pet food aisle, I smiled and he returned my smile with a big one of his own. And that was the last time I saw him.
Tonight at dinner, we were reading from our devotional book and the topic was about respecting the elderly. The scripture passage was from 1 Timothy 5 where we’re instructed to revere the older men as fathers and the older women as mothers. How like God to orchestrate this chance encounter on this very day! Who knows whether that man is “all there” mentally or what his situation is. But I hope that in some small way, that hug meant something to him.
I certainly know it meant something to me.
Good story…