Hanging with Peeps

Colleene and I were finally on the road a few days ago after a delayed start. We had stopped off at the coffee shop that we had been visiting frequently and the ladies spent some time chatting. It seems that one of the staffers there really liked the color of Colleene’s hair and wanted to know how she made it happen. Colleene had to share that it’s all natural, much to the chagrin of her admirer….. Anyway, as we were finally cruising out of town (Josef Franz Glacier) Colleene threw out the question, “what is the thought of the day?”.  That’s our routine in that it prompts some really good discussion while driving long distances. Well, my first response was to ask her what she had as the thought. She smiled and said, “I don’t have anything yet, do you?  So that lead to my thoughts for my blog spot for today.

Colleene’s question was timely in that I had been thinking about her relational conversation with the staffer at the coffee shop. When we had arrived in the town, Colleene had gone to the counter to order our drinks while I was refueling the car next door. The hair topic initially came up and Colleene had a casual conversation with her for a bit.  Later in the day we were back, and the topic resurfaced with the same woman. As you all know Colleene, there was a lot of laughing and great exchange for awhile. It was apparent to me that there was genuine respect between the two of them and that the staffer was affected by Colleene’s sincere interest in her life story. She saw that she was appreciated as a person, not just another service worker. Well, that exchange started me thinking about the numerous hosts that we had encountered along the way at the various B&B’s we’ve stayed at over the previous weeks.

The last couple of evenings we had stayed in a small chalet that had been custom built by a young couple. The husband had built five of these two bedroom units as their B&B and placed them strategically around his property. They were entirely built of wood and were obviously well designed and built. We spent quite a bit of time in conversation with him and his wife about the process that they had been through. We were genuinely interested in learning about their experience. We could see each of them proudly open up about their lives as we asked more and more questions. What a pleasurable time we had visiting with them. By the time we checked out it felt as though we were leaving friends. 

The week prior we had stayed at a home in Rotorua for one evening. The hostess was very charming as we arrived and graciously led us inside. She introduced us to her husband David as he sat across the room. It was immediately apparent that sometime in the past he had suffered a debilitating incident, and he was now unable to speak or stand up. My memory raced back to what my mom experienced when she had suffered from a series of strokes over the last several years of her life. I could see that he was similarly affected by what I assumed was a serious stroke. My first thought was to make every effort to engage with him personally as soon as possible. A few minutes later I was able to excuse myself from the general greetings and conversation and made my way to sit next to him in the living room. I remember when my mom was suffering from her condition she was mostly an observer during gatherings of people. She wasn’t able to engage verbally and it seemed that ultimately she was left out of key components of relationship. It took a lot of effort to make sure she was included in all activities. I did not want this to be the situation with David. I sat close to him, looked in his eyes as we spoke and asked “yes or “no” type questions in order to assist him in conversation. I was able to ascertain his remarkable story regarding his development and outfitting of numerous security vehicles for the Saudi royalty through the years. He had also been heavily involved in the actual construction of the very home we were staying in. His stroke occurred about 10 years ago and he has been in this condition ever since. It was a very enjoyable few minutes with him, but my heart was broken as I considered the difficulties he and his wife were experiencing together. A few days after our stay we received a kind note from David’s wife extending gratitude for the way he was treated and that he was very glad to be able to share his story. I was humbled by her expression of thanks, but felt I had been already rewarded by just the few moments in life that we had shared together.

I guess I share these two incidents with you all to signify the importance of treating people as you would like to be treated yourself. We all have stories and are very glad to be able to share them with people that express interest in them. How difficult is it for us to be that way with those that we connect with on a daily basis? I know that I struggle with that and have to be very diligent in my efforts. I also know that when I do reach out in that way, I am rewarded ten fold and am enriched by the vulnerability of those who share life with me. This trip has made this point crystal clear to me, and I am grateful for God’s effort in reminding me of it.

This is not just a vacation. This is sharing life with those that I’ve met for the first time and most likely will never meet again. The Lord knows how deep a conversation can go when the armor has been shed. He knows!

This all leads back to our conversation in the car this morning. People look, listen and feel during our contact with them. What is it that we leave with them that makes their day just a little bit better?

My thought for the day, I hope, extends to a daily ritual that becomes totally natural while encountering those in my path….peeps.