Ordinary People / Extraordinary Moments

 

It bein' Sunday and all

good day as any for a bit

of confession.

 

I was at a restaurant

last week

tucked into a booth

with some nice comfort food.

I had just begun to sip my coffee

when a waitress

seated a couple

in an adjacent booth

very near mine.

 

They were ordinary people

maybe a few years younger than me.

He was tall in a flannel shirt.

She had a scarf wrapped

all around her neck

and looked tired.

Across the table from one another

I would likely have paid them

no special mind

but I happened to see him

reach for her hand

across the table

shortly after they had ordered.

 

She hesitated.

I saw him smile

and heard him say

"Give me your hand."

 

And she did.

 

 

From that point on

it was hard to turn away.

There was something about the kindness

in his smile

when he reached for her hand.

There was something about the

look on her face when she hesitated.

I had no idea what was going on

but I could tell it was big

and it was deep

and it was important

to them both.

 

I don't think it's a sin

that I eavesdropped

on two strangers

on a cold winter night.

But I think it would be a sin

to treat the things I saw

and the things I heard

with anything but

reverence.

 

The threads of their

conversation

loomed before me

the rough draft

of a love story.

 

My breakfast came

right about the time

I heard her say

"Can I plant flowers? I love to plant flowers.."

and he laughed

reminding her the deer would really enjoy that.

They both laughed.

 

It was their laughter

and their smiles

to which I was drawn.

They were real.

Sincere.

While I had no idea

of the meaning of this evening for them

or the story behind it

their laughter and their smiles

told me everything I needed to know

about these two.

 

I couldn't leave.

I sat there longer than I would have

but I couldn't bring myself

to do it
I couldn't get up and leave them
I was

so completely lost

in their story.

 

Even as I hung

on their every word

the two of them were oblivious to me.

They joked and laughed

with the waiter

but other than that

the night belonged to the two of them.

What a joy it was

to peek into

their world.

 

Just before they left

I heard him say to her

"I have a dream....can I share it with you?"

She laughed.

These two laughed lots.

Not gut-busting stuff

but the easy laughter

between people

who are comfortable

together.

 

She laughed and I actually think

she got a little bit shy when he asked

but she said, "Sure".

 

(And yeah, at this point I thought

shame on you Debbie

this is really personal

you shouldn't be listening

but I listened anyway.

After just a few minutes

I really 

kind of felt like

it was

the three of us

in this whole

love story together.)

 

He told her

he could see the two of them

growing old together.

 

(WAS I was tempted to jump up,

shove her out of the way

and beg him to marry me?

Yes.

If fate leads us to cross paths

in line at Walgreens

some afternoon

I still might.

Is that the sweetest thought

he could have shared with her?

I mean, ever??)

 

They got really quiet for a few minutes.

They looked out the windows.

I could tell they were both

just lost in the moments

and doing some thinking.

 

Then he asked her

one final question.

I'll never forget it.

Not as long as I live.

I'll hear it in his voice

I will see the smile on his face

and the tears that welled up in his eyes

and I will see the look of peace

and wonder on hers

as he said it.

 

 

"Can our home be filled with

laughter and with love and with

family and friends?"

 

(Tears in my eyes at this point.

Drink your coffee, Debbie.

Just drink your coffee.)

 

I heard her exhale

at the question.

It was like she

released every pent-up thing

she had trapped inside her

and letting it out

felt so wonderful

I could just see it on her face.

She smiled

as big as can be

and said,

"That's exactly what I want, too.

Yes. You and I will fill our

home with

laughter

and with love

and with

family and friends."

 

Really.

I've never heard anything

more innocently beautiful.

It was a sacred moment.

Why God allowed

me to hear those words

and to see the smiles

and to feel their hearts....

well, I really don't know.

But I did

and it touched me deeply.

 

They slid from the booth

and left into the night.

 

I think of them often...

these ordinary people

whose lives intersected with mine

in such a lovely

and unexpected way.

 

I think of them as a gift.

I remember them in faith

that the beauty

of their simple shared dreams

will come to life.

 

And I pray for them all the time.