Here is a glimpse of God straight from South Africa, written by Karen Suderman:
"The mother walking ahead of us looked tired and slightly frazzled, as almost any mother of three would look by the end of the day. I can imagine this was their last stop before going home for the evening. Pick n' Pay, the local grocery store, is the last stop for many on their way home from a busy day. Gathering and herding her children along, her blond hair blowing in the breeze of incoming rain, the mother was working at making this a quick stop.
Coming in the opposite direction, having completed her shopping, was another mother of three. She too looked tired, eager to get home. However, she had encountered a problem. The grocery cart was stuck on a lip of the concrete. Her young daughter pulled with all her might on the front of the cart, her brow furrowed with strain. The mother pushed from the other side of the cart, but to no avail. It was stuck.
The first mother moved towards the cart and helped the young girl lift it over the lip. It was a simple act. Almost insignificant. But the look of gratitude from the second mother indicated that it was anything but small.
I love to see moments like this - people reaching out and lending a hand to each other. This incident in the context of South Africa was also significant. It was a white woman who helped a black woman.
It is wonderful to see these small acts of compassion here. In a country that has such a brutal history of division and oppression along racial lines, it is wonderful to see how people are reaching out in small ways to begin to change that."
And a couple of photos from Karen in South Africa too:
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| Mpophomeni, South Africa |
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| Zulu homestead, South Africa |
Thank you, Karen!
Wishing all of you a wonderful second week of Advent!
Karen's grocery cart story reminds me of my own. Last week as I had just selected my grocery cart and was about to head into the store, a woman's voice calls out: "Excuse, me. Excuse me." I turn and found the voice coming from a woman my age, physically challenged and sitting in her wheelchair. Her face was beaming a brilliant smile at me. She said, "You have A MOST BEAUTIFUL coat!" I thanked her and I said, "It feels CHEERY!" And she replies, "It sure is!" We wished each other a great evening and off I went, rather inspired by the "lift" I received from a stranger, who had physical challenges that I didn't, but who had an abundance of GOOD CHEER to share in a simple exchange, without gift wrappings and bows! May I do the same for another!
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