I’m not exactly sure why but every 4th of July it seems that life pauses just long enough to let me count my blessings. This year’s reminder came in the form of a 67 year old widow who I met outside of Kinko’s.
My husband needed to make a few copies for his business, so I drove him to the nearest Kinko’s store. I knew I didn’t have any change and I didn’t want to tempt the meter maids again, so I waited outside by the trunk of my car. Less than a minute after I parked a woman emerged from the store. I asked if she had money left on her meter. She walked all the way around her car and said, “nope, only one minute left.” She said she might have some change in her car, but I told her not to worry, that I was just waiting for my husband.
She asked me if my husband had just walked into the store. When I told that he did, she told me she thought so, and that my husband looked particularly kind. We started talking and she told me that her husband had just passed away after a long bout with cancer. She told me that the last time she was in Kinko’s her grandchildren were copying bookmarks that displayed a verse from the bible and her husband’s photo.
She began to tell me all sorts of things about her life and her husband and I must admit that my eyes teared up a couple of times as she described their love for one another. She told me about how she met her husband, how kind he was, and how much she loved him. How they had been married for over 25 years and how she knew that he would be waiting for her in heaven. She said, “always cherish those small moments in life. Always cherish your husband.”
Sometimes I wonder if the fates don’t align for me. I am both thankful and grateful that I didn’t have money for the meter. I spoke to that kind-hearted woman for nearly twenty minutes and when she drove away I stood by the trunk of my car and began to count my blessings.