One Giant We

I had to get a mammogram on Wednesday. I had Wil otherwise occupied, and I squandered the first free Wil-free hours I'd had in days, and drove 30 minutes away for a mammogram, 30 minutes back, then came home and cleaned the oven. It's an exciting life I live.

When I got to the hospital where the mammogram was to take place, I had to check in with all the people getting much scarier imaging and actually, quite a few people checking in for outpatient services of all sorts. The scene was a sea of cubbies with people of all ages and sizes in various stages of the check-in process. I wasn't nervous, I've done this a million times, but as I made my way through the maze, I saw an elderly man wearing a jump suit. Now, this caught my eye because STM had an uncle known for wearing jump suits, and we have made quite a big deal out of it. STM and Wil threaten me all the time with getting matching jump suits, and have even gone so far as to go shopping for them once (coming back empty handed - jump suits are harder to find than you might think).

The man in the jump suit grabbed hold of his elderly wife's hand and they ambled slowly out of the cubby maze, and towards me. I couldn't take my eyes off of them, they were adorable, they nearly glowed with love for one another. As the man got near me he said, looking at me with rheumy eyes, "We wish you well."

I thanked him, but couldn't get him out of my mind afterwards. I was so struck not only by the jumpsuit and his kindness, but by the "we." His wife never even knew I was there - I don't think she even saw me, fully absorbed by getting checked in and then making her way out safely with the help of her husband.

Wil got a card from his grandmother for his birthday. She is not a big God person, but she knows Wil is, and so she carefully selected a card designed for a grandma to give her grandson, talking about what a blessing from God he is. She wrote at the bottom of the card, "We love you, Wil, love, Grandma and Papa."

Papa had been gone for nine months at that point.

Grandma, although she doesn't have Papa "with" her, still has Papa with her. They are still a "we."

Perhaps it is in loving like this, and being a witness to love like this, that we can see the greater "we," the fact that there is nothing that separates us all from one another.

We are all one giant we.