overheard at B & N

i was taking time at barnes and noble (b & n) yesterday; reading and people watching, when i overheard a conversation between a retired army veteran and a younger, disabled veteran.

earlier, i had seen an active military personnel whom i assumed was visiting merced, also in b & n. what struck me then was the reception he received from others; people stopped their conversations and interrupted this man's journey to get coffee, to thank him for his service; i had seen that experience advertised on t.v. and through email, but never in person.

so when i observed the interaction of these two military people, one retired and one disabled, i was stuck by how connected they were. the retired person treated the other man to a chocolate treat...evidently they discovered a common bond with chocolate! and when they departed from one another, it was as if they were long-lost friends; i guess in a sense, they were.

it has long been my belief, that we are all connected, in that deep human place. we do not always experience the same things, but we do have common life experiences; service personnel have that shared experience without having to explain. and i understand that 'bond' from my own experience with others for whom i share my own common bonds.

united methodists are like that; we call our bond, 'connection'. no matter where you are, if you connect with another united methodist, you find you're home. even with all our differences, there is a connection. if there is help needed, finding another united methodist pastor is fairly easy. we tend to be very responsive! even with all the emails we receive from people we may or may not know who have been stranded in another country and are in need of money-help -- ignoring those 'bogus kinds of email infiltrations' -- finding a united methodist related person isn't hard to do -- even in these times. with communication happening instantaneously, confirmation that someone is legitimately in need is pretty easy.

but aside from that, as i drive through a community, i actually LOOK for a united methodist church, or think who i know who might have served on a committee with me, or try and figure out the pastor serving in that community. even if i don't know them personally, i know them spiritually. perhaps you understand this from your perspective...teachers meet and they have an 'instant connection'; parents of teens, adult children with aging parents; someone who has suffered a loss; kids in a playground, someone who has just dropped their meal, someone seeking direction. there is more that connects us than separates us.

as i was preparing for sunday's message, this quote came across my research: you have never really lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you. that phrase has stayed with me, and has been experienced in my own life. that phrase came back to mind yesterday as i was privileged to experience the interaction between those two soldiers. and when they departed, i thought that was the end of the story. but no....

a foursome came and occupied the table next to the remaining soldier. the foursome was having a grand time; everyone at b & n knew they were there! and as the soldier was leaving, he offered the remainder of his chocolates to the party of four. i left before he did, as they pulled up another chair and the party of four became a party of five...

offering to share, your chocolates or your life with or for someone else, is a powerful experience. i've heard it said and experienced it myself, that often we get more out of sharing than the one who is the recipient. so it is very true. you have never really lived until you have done something for someone else who can never repay you. if you haven't experienced this, you might wonder what kind of life you're living . . . . if you haven't experienced that phrase in your life, you might want to try it . . . today!