A Strange Thing

I can’t quite explain it.

Since John passed, I’ve been met with so many unexpected kindnesses. And each time—without fail—I’ve teared up or even cried. Why is that?
(Note: It happens less now. Grief has its seasons. But today, it happened again.)

A stranger’s warm smile as they passed me on the street.
The Woolworths manager who brought me flowers, saying she had seen me crying on previous visits and just had to say hello.
The saleswoman who ran after me with a huge Christmas cake.
The woman I didn’t know who gently led me out of Woolworths to buy me a quiet coffee.
The optometrist who simply touched my arm in greeting.
Two people in my exercise class who hugged me—just because.
A card arriving three years after John’s passing, covered in hand-drawn flowers and hearts from a friend and her daughters.
A phone call from an old friend, out of the blue.

Why do these kindnesses bring me to tears?
I think it’s the sheer experience of being cared for.

Each of these moments feels like a tiny miracle—a lifeline in an unsteady world, a soothing balm on an unseen wound, a pause that brings breath and balance. And I’m so grateful.

It makes me wonder… what might be happening in the lives of the strangers we pass in the supermarket line?

Every smile, every touch, is a gift.
A miracle, really.
And sometimes, even a delicious one—like flowers.

With love,
Judy

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