Beauty

Today at church I met a woman named Ann. It was one of those times Pastor Brett asks us all to "say hi to 20 or 30 people, and then you can be seated," and we all look nervously around for a few hands to dutifully shake before the sermon begins. When I turned around and made eye contact with Ann, I was awestruck with the look I saw in her eyes. She's one of those women who just exudes the love and presence of the Lord, just in her very being. Her eyes sparkle and her smile makes you feel warm. I know, sounds silly and cliche, right? But this is the kind of person who created the cliche in the first place. We introduced ourselves and shook hands, and her smile and shining eyes held just a few moments longer than you usually expect when meeting a total stranger, even at church. After the sermon, when I stood up to leave, she touched my shoulder and smiled again and told me to have a wonderful day. She remembered my name, and I, hers. We chatted about how she is visiting from Philadelphia and will be staying through the end of the month. It's funny because nothing extraordinary was said during our brief conversation, though I walked away feeling completely blessed and better for having met Ann. I pray God will continue to live and grow in me, that one day someone may see Him so evidently and tangibly as I did today.