It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, we were running to
Target to pick up some chips and things to contribute to the afternoon picnic
with friends. After gathering our items, we dashed through checkout and jumped
in our car – heading out to the local park to meet our friends. There in the
center of the median was a lady with dark glasses and a walking stick, holding
a sign asking for help. We swooshed past and headed down the road. My mind was
circling around the story I had heard earlier from a friend that had stopped
and helped someone in a similar situation.
As we arrived at the park, we dropped our teenager and her
friend off, told them to go ahead and to tell our friends we would be back
shortly. My husband read my mind and knew I wanted to go back and see if we
could help the lady we had seen. We formed our thoughts as we drove back to
Target. We would get a couple of sandwiches and drinks – then take a moment to
meet her. We got our items together and I crossed the parking lot.
Jem was standing there with her sign. She obviously had
limited sight. Jem gladly received the lunch type items in my bag – along with a
Target card for later. She told me about losing her home and about her family’s
situation. She was in our neighborhood so her daughter, who was also struggling
would not see her. She cried as she talked about trying to get a bus ticket to
join her sister in Tennessee, who is also blind and has room for her. Her mother’s
heart struggled with leaving her daughter and grandchildren in Minnesota to
resolve the custody battle she was dealing with. We talked and took a moment to
declare blessing over her next steps. I truly met a “jem” of a person that
afternoon. I was glad to have followed that inner heart leading, as my
afternoon was a bit blessed by the encounter.
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