Rolling Tomatoes

It was my food shopping day.
I had to run errands in another area.
I knew that the grocery store where I usually shop had a store near there.
I decided to go to that one.

Do everything at the same time.
Consolidate trips, my husband would always tell our children.
It’s funny how a different store can look so similar.
The stores tend to be designed the same way.

I usually walk in the side of the store where the produce can be found.
My favorite aisle.
I load my cart with fruit and vegetables.
My mouth waters as I think of the delectable salad I will make when I get home.

I decided to buy cherry tomatoes.
I saw the kind I usually choose.
I like to eat them right in my hand and often do during the day.
I walked over to pick up a container.

Before I knew it, the top separated from the bottom.
All the tomatoes scattered across the floor.
I looked up, expecting to see a Candid Camera nearby.
They rolled and rolled as I could see them far down the aisle.

I got down on my hands and knees and began to pick them up.
Out of nowhere, this well-dressed woman appeared.
She was talking on her cellphone.
Before I knew it, she was on her hands and knees helping me.

I tried to imagine what the person on the other end of the phone must have thought.
She paused her conversation, saying, Wait a minute, to the person on the other end.
She quickly gathered the many tomatoes that were around her.
I gathered the ones around me.

We did it.
WE did it!
I don’t know how to thank you, I quietly said and she just smiled.
I got up and looked at the knees of my pants.

They were dusty from the grocery store floor.
She had already walked off, resuming her conversation.
I assume her lovely skirt and her fashionable tights were dusty as well.
Apparently that didn’t matter.

To be on the receiving end of such selflessness is really a gift.
It surprises you and delights you at the same time.
It makes you want to return the favor.
At least it should.

She didn’t have to stop and help me.
She didn’t have to get dusty and dirty.
She wasn’t the one who dropped the tomatoes.
Apparently, that didn’t matter.

It doesn’t matter can be a sign of indifference.
To hear that said can be annoying, similar to the catch phrase, Whatever.
However, this woman exemplified service and one-anothering in her actions.
It doesn’t matter meant putting another above herself if only for a few minutes.

That kind of selflessness DOES matter, quite a bit.
It lifts the spirit of another and lets them know that they are not alone.
I could have picked up the tomatoes all by myself.
But the two of us got the job done much faster.

A person was served at your own expense.
It does matter.
Quite a lot.
It really does.

In reply, Jesus said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So, too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins, and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ Which of these do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:30-37)

The one who had mercy on him.
To be the recipient of mercy is a wonderful thing.
The priest and the Levite should have stopped; they knew better.
That a Samaritan stopped and helped this man would have been unexpected.

Samaritans were despised in this culture.
There was an animosity between them and the Jews.
The Samaritans were a racial minority who were despised in Israel.
Jesus was showing the difference between religiosity and genuine love.

I know nothing about the well-dressed woman who helped me yesterday.
Echoes of the Good Samaritan rang in my ear.
She had nothing to gain by helping me.
She put her life on hold, if only for a few minutes, to lend a hand.

It wasn’t about the tomatoes.
It wasn’t about the dusty knees.
It was about taking the time.
Taking the time to lend a hand as the tomatoes rolled across the floor.

Go and do likewise.