Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Out for a walk

Ben and I went for a walk to the public library yesterday, since it was our Sabbath and a gorgeous day outside. It really isn't too bad of a walk - about 20 - 25 minutes each way.

On our way back, arms laden with books on tape for our respective rides home later this week, we crossed paths with an elderly gentleman walking a baby in a stroller. We slowed down to say "good morning" and ended up standing there, chatting with him for a good 10 minutes. He was walking his granddaughter who was named after him. He talked about what a blessing it was to have his four children all in the area, and about how wonderful it was he could help out his daughter by watching her kids so she could work. He told us stories about his son, thought it was wonderful that we were both in Theological School, and talked about how his nephew is doing a residency program at a hospital in Maine.

It was a great conversation, and he seemed like a wonderful person - very aware of his blessings. I didn't know that this sort of thing happened in New Jersey (not the wonderful person part, but someone actually stopping and talking to you when you are out on a walk). In any case, this small encounter reminded me that counting your blessings really can make a positive difference in your outlook.

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