Early last week I was on the doorstep of Hedberg Library (in Janesville) before 9:00 am waiting for it to open that I might check out the book Stanley
Weintraub wrote, “Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas
Service”. Sunday's sermon was going to include the story of peace in the midst of this war and the singing of the well-known hymn, Silent Night by the opposing soldiers.
As I waited, I said hello to a young man sitting on the
bench by the library doors. He said hi and then came over to introduce
himself. His name was Charles; I noticed he had some difficulty in
talking, his hands and arms moved in jerky motions, but he had a nice smile and
seemed pleased I had noticed him.
After he had introduced himself he
reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of Jesus Christ. He told
me about the church he goes to – the one on the hill. He told me of how
nice it is and how nice the people are. I mentioned briefly that we will
be celebrating Jesus’ birthday soon and he replied, “I know!” (very
excitedly). It was a pleasant chat and I enjoyed getting to know him just
a little bit. As he went inside the library I heard one of the ladies
behind the library desk say, “Good morning Charles. How can I help you
today?” Obviously a regular visitor. It’s wonderful, the
opportunities we have, to get to know someone when we say hi.
No comments:
Post a Comment