Two People on the Road

   This morning, out as the sun began to come up, walking the cart path around the 4th hole, I saw a man coming toward me. Now this man was not unfamiliar to me, I had seen him and said hello a few times in this same area, but that was the extent of our interaction. I thought it would be nice to be able to call him by name the next time we met, and so I stopped and introduced myself. As he told me his name, I thought, I know that name and so made more inquiries about his life and how we might have, at least been in some of the same places or with the same group before.

   It turns out that John, who lives over next to the 9th fairway, was an active member of the Emmaus Community of which we are a part, and, no doubt, I had seen him at some Gatherings and heard other members speak his name. Now I can put a name with the face on the path, and treat him as a real person and not just a body walking in the early morning.

   Then as I finished up my walk, I saw another man coming toward me with his dog. I had seen this man before, but never spoken to him except with a "good morning", and, I thought, maybe I could make another friend and, at least, be able to personalize my greeting when we met. He was coming toward me as I turned into the condo area, and I walked slower so as to meet him before I turned off the road. But then he walked slower also, and, as I tried to at least get his eye to wave, he continued to look the other way.

   So I opened the gate and went in, still looking his way, but not receiving any clue that he had seen me, which I knew he had. I kept looking his way until I walked into the garage, but he just passed by on the outside of the fence, paying attention to his dog.

   Now I don't know about the second man. He could have been worrying about something, could have been concerned about his pet on some issue, or even could have been praying, but he was in his own world, and I was on the outside.

   Two men, two possible encounters, and two different outcomes, one satisfying and the other, well, another.

   A message here? Treat people who come into my life as people, as persons of worth, as ones that matter. They all matter to God, and the least I can do is treat them that way.

   Now I do know John's name and I'll keep trying on the other.

   And I will pray that God will help me keep my eyes open to others that cross my path and take the time to pay attention to them.