Story #4

4.There is a nice neighborhood grocery store between our home and my office. When I discovered that they make sandwiches, I began stopping each morning to pick up lunch. Their employees were helpful, their shelves were crowded with interesting foods, and the aroma of freshly ground coffee was often in the air. It was an enjoyable stop, except on those mornings when one particular counterman waited on me. He was good at his job, but seemed preoccupied and often angry. I felt that while he was making my sandwich, his mind was somewhere else. One morning when I was in the store, he wasn’t there, so I asked about him. The man who waited on me said, “He’s at the hospital with his wife.” Then I learned that a year before, the angry counterman’s wife had undergone a heart transplant that her body was still trying to reject. During the past ten months, he had been in and out of the hospital with her many times. From that day on, no matter who took care of my order when I was there, I took a minute to speak to him and inquire how he was, what kind of a week he was having, and about his wife. This morning it was early when I went in, and he was the only sandwich maker there. I was glad, because it gave us time for a leisurely visit, and I headed to my office feeling good. He hasn’t changed. His personality still shows the effects of the terrible load he must continue to bear. It isn’t going to get any better for him. It’s my attitude that has changed. Abba, Help me to be aware of those around me whose loads are too heavy to carry alone.

JESSICA