Do you know those moments where time feels like it stands still?

Those attention grabbing moments.

Where a person’s energy seems to pull you completely into them.

Those moments that envelope the entirety of your attention.

Perhaps it’s a recognition of something in their voice, a sort of raw and real sincerity.

Those moments where you have an answer before a question.

And flowers are no longer just flowers.

Today I had one of those moments.

A man walked timidly in to the store where my friend an I were sitting having a smoothie.

He interrupted gently, his scruffy grey hair was disheveled and his sheepish face looked like he’d barely gotten a few hours of sleep. He wore a simple t-shirt and jeans and held a small vase of flowers in his hands.

He then spoke gently, and asked if we would like to buy “this beautiful arrangement of flowers that his wife had made.” And almost immediately, he started explaining that he and his wife had recently arrived from Venezuela. They had spend the entire night making flower arrangements for sale. They had no work, and were barely getting by. They were likely illegal immigrants.

Was it a dream I had had the night before that triggered something inside me?

Or could I see through to this man’s soul?

I cannot comprehend what it was that moved me.

But it was purely instinctive.

He had barely finished his words when I jumped up without thinking and said “I would like to buy the flowers.”

He was asking twelve dollars for the arrangement.  As I had spoken from the heart and without thinking, I then realized I had no cash.

Nevertheless, I asked the man to wait for me so I could go find an ATM and take some cash out. He said he would wait for me at the store until midnight, if he had to.

I felt I couldn’t let him down. This stranger out of nowhere. I have no reason to have felt this way. But I did.

So I rushed quickly to the closest ATM. I withdrew the money and went back to search for the man.

I found him waiting for me where I left him. I handed him a twenty and asked him to keep the change. And then I told him I was Venezuelan too.

He then handed me the flower arrangement, and I noticed tears started swelling in his eyes.

All of a sudden he started going on about the terrible luck he had been experiencing; The hardship he was facing in trying to get by by selling flowers.

Recalling an incident, he told me of someone who said would buy the flowers, made him wait, but then went to a local store to buy flowers at a higher price. Said the local community of Venezuelans instead of being helpful, had been very unsupportive.

It was both lonely and disappointing, he said, feeling as if people wanted to see him fail.

I understood from his story that this man had taken a big risk in being disappointed once again, but he had still taken the chance and waited for me to return with the money.

His eyes were sad. He seemed to be on the brink of losing hope.

And then he stopped speaking. He thanked me graciously, his voice cracking, as he said to me”thank you… for having some compassion.”

And then he swiftly walked away.

As I watched him leave, my heart fell to pieces as I realized he reminded me of someone I knew.

Was I there in this moment to help this man? To show him that his luck would change?

Or was he there to teach me all that is wrong with this world?

Where compassion is scarce and cheering others on is almost unheard of?

Where one person’s kindness CAN be the difference;

Where a loving simple act can be one person’s glimmer of hope.

-gg