Dear Man in the Starbucks,
The one with your eyes closed and head bowed- your coffee and muffin all but forgotten- I see you.
As I rush to grab an Americano with room and return to my office for the day- in a clinic, in a hospital- I see you there. Burdened and yet hopeful.
I’m not sure why you are here- a sick child, spouse, friend? Is it cancer? A stroke? An illness still baffling the doctors? Have you been here for days? Weeks? Months? Are you afraid? Angry? Exhausted?
As I asked myself these questions, I thought of the man with the baseball hat sitting in his beat up red truck watching the Christmas light show... alone. Hot chocolate and lights synced to a radio station play list is an Eskridge family favorite and like many family holiday traditions, each year we forget the “stop touching each other” and “sit down you can see fine” moments.
Last night while we were on our third house stop and things were really picking up in the back seat, I saw him and wondered why he was alone. Then I noticed his eyes. They were watching but not watching the light show with sadness. He was there when we arrived and remained when we left. It didn’t appear he would leave anytime soon. How much do the two of you have in common? How long did he sit there and what was the cause of his sadness? Is this the first Christmas without her? Maybe his children can’t make it home this year and it will be his first Christmas alone? Maybe today he too heard a diagnosis that will soon place him in a Starbucks, in a hospital, with shoulders slumped?
So many burdened this holiday season. The weight can feel heavier this time of year it seems.
Dear Man in the Starbucks- I can see your concern in the strain of your shoulders and the clinch of your jaw, but that isn’t what catches my eye, for that fits the description of many in this coffee shop, down from some hospital room, only for a moment.
This letter is to say I noticed the way you clasped your hands. The way you bowed your head. In the midst of the noise- you are reminding me of the one to turn to. The love we can all seek.
You are reminding me that while burdened we can be hopeful. You are reminding me that while not knowing the burdens people are carrying around me today, I can slow down and pay attention. I can notice and I can pray. I can be present and shine a light.
Thank you.
Love,
Me
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