"In Our Path"
Even for a veteran shopper like myself, this year's Black Friday was a mad house at 5:00am. I am used to the chaos but not being blocked in by carts on all sides. There were times at the Target on the East side of Evansville when the traffic was so thick that the normally wide aisles were impassible to all including employees. Tiffany and I had committed to the experience so after 45 minutes of shopping we found a line that would be our place of residence for nearly 2 hours. It was actually more of a blob than a line as several groups were merging into one area that led to a chute between shelves of DVD's and then to the ONE HOUR PHOTO check -out.
We became acquainted with a few of the people around us. There was man who enjoyed saying, "Pay your toll to the troll," every time he moved his cart to let them through. There was the lady who couldn't say a sentence without cussing. (I simply reminded Tiffany that just because she hears "such language" doesn't mean that we need to talk that way.) There was a man and his teenage daughter in front of us. And there was the lady directly behind us.
She mentioned that she really needed to go to the restroom but didn't want to lose her place in line. She also mentioned that she had colon cancer in the past. I think she felt the need to justify why she really had to go to the restroom. I shared that I would watch her cart until she returned. After returning I asked about her condition and she shared that she had 22 surgeries in the last 19 years. Her whole colon had been removed as well as much of her small intestine. And there she was shopping. I told her about the surgery that my wife was facing and she was very comforting. She reassured Tiffany that her Mommy would be just fine. She said her family helped to keep her going. She was thankful to be alive.
God placed this woman in my path early on a Friday morning in a crowded store in a long line.
God placed Jesus in the path of humanity in a small village called Bethlehem. He changed everything. Today, look for those people who God will place in your path. The woman at Target was named Tammy. I want to say thanks.
Sharing in Faith,
Rev. Craig W. Duke
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