As I entered the grocery store yesterday, I almost bumped into an elderly black lady. We smiled at each other and I ushered her to go ahead of me. When we met in passing a few moments later, she stopped me and asked me how I was doing. I replied that I was doing fabulously and began to walk on. She then spoke to my back saying it was her 50th anniversary so I turned around and mentioned that I was a widow. She grabbed me in a bear hug and blessed me.
All of this happened in a few short minutes of my shopping trip and it left me feeling truly happy and truly blessed to have just made contact in this way with a stranger. Hugs and kind words are not given often enough. If they were, this would be a much nicer planet to live on.
I'm not saying that hugging every stranger you meet is necessary but a smile and a kind word should come out effortlessly. They can make someone's day.
I mentioned the lady's race only to make a point that some of us fear other races but this lady showed a kindness to a white person and we all know how badly black people have suffered at the hands of white racists. She and I both understood that skin color should never matter when bringing people into your life. What matters is the soul beneath the skin.
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