I remember...

There must have been fifty cars with at least double that number of people who saw him. We had just left the quaint church and were winding through the northern hills of New Jersey on our way to the cemetery. All of us had suffered a great loss when my cousin’s wife Barbara lost her battle with cancer on June 25th. The enemy blindsided its victim and left only a few short months to share with her husband, two young sons and loved ones.

He was outside on this warm Saturday morning mowing his lawn. When he saw the hearse and its processional, he made a decision that I would imagine came naturally to him. The man, whose name I will never know, stopped his riding lawnmower, removed his hat and placed it over his heart in sympathy for strangers passing by. He remained still in this position until every car passed. I doubt he will ever know how profoundly his simple gesture affected me and so many others.

***

‘The best things in life are not things.’ This magnet on my parents’ refrigerator has probably existed as long, if not longer, than I have. It is amazing how you can look at something so many times and yet still manage to forget its meaning. When Denny and Brian came into my life, I suddenly remembered.

I am not claiming that without the boys I wouldn’t be the individual that I am. I know that I have always been a ‘glass half-full’, ‘bright side of things’ kind of person. Yet as I have followed the stories of their journey, and especially since they came through my door, I now remember the little things that I seem to have forgotten.

I remember…
that a man on a lawnmower is capable of comforting sorrow..
that a smile from a passerby can change someone’s outlook on the day..
that a story of human interaction can create tears of sadness and joy all in one moment..
that taking a minute to help could make an enormous difference..
that hope is one of the most powerful things in our world..
that when you open your heart to others, they will often return the favor..

And that if you are lucky enough to have two strangers with backpacks walk into your life, you will be forever changed, and have made forever friends.

-Laurie Waitzel