The People We See

Derek, and Lance, and Me

I was talking to a friend this morning about the people we see.  There are people we usually see -- at church, in the neighborhood, or events we have in common.  And there are people we see on purpose, whose businesses we choose to go to when we need something, or family and friends that we take the time to track down and communicate with.  And then there are the people that we happen to run into when we are out and about.  My family likes to guess how many people we will see that we know at Walmart when we shop, and Derek and I ran into someone from Payson once when we were visiting a different country!

Two or three weeks ago Derek and I were on a date at KFC.  While we were there I came really close to colliding with a tall man.  I mostly saw a shirt -- but somehow he saw me.  He saw who I was and took the time to stop Derek and me as we headed out the door.  It was Lance who we hadn't seen in years.  It was so fun to see a friend and to get to catch up on each others lives for just a few minutes before we each headed our different directions.

I have often felt blessed by the people I have seen when I was out and about, and I don't think we should ever underestimate the power of a friendly smile, a kind greeting, or real interest in how someone is doing.