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I never thought of Walgreens as a holy place before. It’s just a necessary place I go to get prescriptions, vitamins and pictures developed. But recently I wanted a protein bar and as I stood in the aisle making my selection at the Walgreens in Harvard, I heard a deep cry come from the end of the aisle where the photo kiosk is. The customer who was standing there was sobbing loudly, and the photo clerk gently helped her to sit in the chair. A handsome older man’s face smiled from the picture on the computers screen.
The customer just stared at it and wailed. The clerk put her hand on the women’s shoulder and asked, “Is that your husband?” The woman nodded and tried to pull herself together, but the clerk said “No, it’s OK. You let it out.”
And the customer did.
Her eyes were fixed on the screen as I quietly walked past to the checkout to give space to this private moment. The clerk sensing it was OK to leave the customer alone now walked over to the register.
“Oh, it gets me every time” she whispered to me as she nodded her head in the direction of the customer. “But sometimes people just need a hug and so I do what I can do.”
And I said, “You make a difference.”
We all are stars floating around this galaxy called life.
And this world is struggling in so many ways, and we wonder what can we do to make a difference.
Love recklessly! Like the clerk did.
Love recklessly, strangers and those you know.
Love recklessly, whether it is in your job description or not.
Love recklessly!
Being a witness to that love made me feel like I was the one who got hug today.
That is the gift we can give the world. This is how we can make a difference. That clerk sure did!
Julie Ann Monroe