Before we dive in, I want you to imagine there is a body of water in front of you, compeletly calm.
There is nothing disturbing the surface and it looks as if you could walk on top of it with no fear of falling in.
You pick up a rock, launch it, and watch as the rock descends like a meteor into the calm body of still water.
As the rock breaks the surface, you see the ripples moving in every direction from where the impact was made.
Earlier this week I walked into my favorite cafe for a quick bite to eat. I’d planned to meet my daughter and mom there, so naturally when I walked in, I did a scan to see if they’d beat me.
Knowing them.. it wasn’t likely.
As I was scanning, a short line was forming in front of me and a gentleman had walked in the door behind me.
Lunch time at this place was normally busier than usual, so the growing line wasn’t alarming.
After picking up a menu to glance over and wait for my people, I looked up for another quick scan. There, I could see a silhouette from across the room waving big towards me.
I looked around thinking, “Surely they aren’t waving at me.” Followed by a quick realization of “Well, that’d be rude if I didn’t wave back, so I’m assuming it’s for me!”
I took my arm over head waving back and forth, and quickly felt a pang of humiliation as the man behind me perked up and walked over to the table. Everyone there laughing at the wave I misunderstood was for me.
It wasn’t a big deal. I’m not a baby. I’m a regular at this lunch spot, so it truly could have been somebody I knew. In this case it wasn’t, surprisingly.
So I walked the other way. I turned to go and look at the merch racks while I waited for my party. Only slightly embarrassed by my big grand wave to a table of complete strangers.
I made it about 10 steps in the other direction before a woman came up and tapped me on the shoulder.
“Hey! What is your name? My name is ________ and I wanted to introduce myself after seeing you wave!”
I smiled as I said, “Oh hi! I’m Makenna. It’s really thoughtful of you to come all this way to say hi.”
She smiled and said she too was a regular at the cafe. She wanted to make sure the next time she’s there, we would know each other when we waved.
The calm water.
The thrown rock.
The impact.
The ripple.
What could have been passed up as an insignificant moment in time has stuck with me every day since.
Most holy moments are small. Subtle. A stranger walking across the shop to make me feel seen, known, and cared for will go a long way.
I won’t forget her name, her kindness, or the way she made me feel.
I’m inspired by the impact her ripple made. An action that led to a holy moment happening that day.
Be the smile.
Be the kindness.
Be the light.
Make the rock you throw today be one that positively impacts someone’s day.
Makenna Curtis
Local Pulse Community Writer
Holy Moments
