It was one of those busy days at the grocery store. There were too many shoppers and not enough cash registers open. I picked a line and inched slowly forward toward the checkout.
The cashier was clearly doing everything she could to keep the line moving. She was scanning and checking to make sure prices had popped up on her screen and filling bags with items as quickly as she could. But even though she was clearly giving all her energy to the work, the line of customers just kept growing longer.
I have cashiered myself, many years ago, back when I worked at Greetings and Readings during summers home from college, and I know how much your customers can help the time pass and make it more pleasant. So, I usually try to make conversation with the employee at the register.
This cashier, however, had her head down, and she didn’t seem to be looking for a lot of chatter with me or anyone else. She just wanted to get through what looked like a long, wearisome day of work ahead of her. So, I stood there watching her work and didn’t interrupt her flow.
But as the cashier was handing me my receipt, our eyes met. And suddenly I knew just what I wanted to say. Every cashier was working flat out, and she was doing more than her share, trying to keep us moving through the lines and out the door.
“Thank you for being here today,” I said. It seemed kind of weak. I was truly grateful for how she had helped me – and all she was doing for my fellow customers in line. But she heard my gratitude, seemed to see it as genuine, and her face changed.
“That’s the nicest thing you could have said to me,” she said. She almost looked like she might have tears in her eyes, but instead she smiled – a smile I wouldn’t have expected when she was scanning and bagging in a frenzy a few minutes earlier.
I smiled back, took my bags and went on my way. I hoped the rest of her shift would fly by and that soon she would be home, relaxing and enjoying some well-earned time for herself.
Weeks later, I am still thinking about how much it matters simply to be present. It makes a difference when we show up for each other. We may not always have the right words. We may not know how to approach every situation. But we can be there for one another – and we can let others be there for us.
How wonderful that God brings people into our lives for certain reasons. We are all part of this incredible Body of Christ, and we have the opportunity to give of ourselves and receive from others, too. It is God’s presence, of course, that sustains us and helps us pick up the pieces and take on another day.
During Lent, God offers us a special invitation to recognize his presence in our lives. We can add prayer time or take on more works of charity or give in numerous ways. And maybe we can simply prioritize time with God, listening to him and looking for his fingerprints on our lives.
“We do not have to talk very much in order to pray well,” St. John Vianney said. “We know that God is there in his Holy Tabernacle; let us open our hearts to him; let us rejoice in his presence. This is the best prayer.”
Thank you, God, for being here today – and every day.
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