Joe and I met last Monday afternoon at the Starbucks on Route 7 near the Container Store to discuss plans for ARG’s Big Dig. I noticed two carts full of bags and clothes near a table and then saw the lady who owned them come back to her table and make an instant meal with hot water from Starbucks and a packet she pulled from her bags. This all might be a typical scene in a Starbucks in the city, but it definitely stood out in the heart of Tysons. As Joe and I finished up our meeting, I asked him to wait for me and I went over and explained how I had been given money to brighten someone’s day and that I wanted to give it to her. She smiled and started dancing in her seat. After I handed her the money we chatted for a while. I don’t think she even looked at how much money it was, I think she was mostly glad to have someone to talk to. She told us about her daughter and grandchildren, how she had been a network engineer and had gone into real estate (that didn’t work out well) and she said many times (while trying to be positive) that times were tough and the money would really help. The whole experience was a profound reminder that life really can get rough for anyone and that God sometimes places people right in our path (this woman was literally in my line of sight the whole time I was talking to Joe) that we can help or who can help us. And finally…when Joe and I told her we were siblings she guessed that I was the little sister…so she brightened my day, too.
– Katie Praske