TWO WORLDS - PART 2

Each fall I swap worlds. Last month I traveled from Moscow to Texas and then moved on for a visit with my daughter who lives in Illinois.  She lives in a lovely town with a population of about 32 thousand people. Many of the homes were built in the early 1920s and there is a nostalgic feeling in the air…in sharp contrast to the cement buildings and Soviet apartments of Moscow.

This morning the first snow fall of the season blanketed the streets. Tree branches bent under its weight.  I had an appointment at the local hospital for a routine blood test. The hospital is located about seven or eight blocks away. Walking that distance is no big deal in Moscow; it’s normal.

When I reached the first entrance, I had to ask for directions to the lab. A voice behind me offered to show me the way. I turned around and saw a friendly face.  Mary (not her real name) shared that she used to work at the hospital and her mother was there as a patient and was in serious condition.  Mary told the hospital receptionist she wasn't going to let me walk home and waited for me until I finished my lab appointment.

On the way home she asked if I needed to stop at the store, an invitation which I gladly accepted. At the checkout stand, she paid for my groceries. Thankfully, I had a Russian chocolate bar in my purse and gave it to her as a remembrance of our meeting. Before departing, we prayed together about the situation with her mother and we shared contact information.

Could this encounter have happened in your neighborhood?

I don’t know why my chance meeting with Mary affected me so profoundly. Certainly, I have experienced abundant expressions of kindness in “my other world.”  I choose to believe it is one more evidence of God’s promise to never leave or forsake me (Isaiah 41:10-13) and a reminder for me to render kindness to others.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…

(Galatians 5:22).