Connections.

Doug and I were enjoying the complimentary happy hour at a historic hotel in South Haven.
We had checked in earlier and learned they offered guests complimentary charcuterie paired with local wine and beer. What a delightful surprise! We later returned to the inviting gathering area, gathered a variety of things to taste, and sat down to enjoy them with some hands of rummy. I had just exclaimed a little too loudly that I had beaten Doug when we heard the question behind us.
“What game are you playing?”
We turned to find the voice. A man at a nearby table, leaning backwards in his chair, balancing on its back two legs, had stretched his neck to see our cards.
“Rummy,” we answered.
“Ah, my wife and I like to play Euchre.” He settled his chair on all fours, but still leaned into the conversation. Behind us, in the other direction, another couple joined in.
“We like Euchre too!” they shared.
Within minutes, the six of us chatted about small towns, big towns, vacations, cards, and whatnot. I noticed an elderly pair listening in. Soon, the front desk concierge/clerk peeked around the corner, saw us all talking, positioned himself where he could see the desk and us, and joined the conversation. I don’t know how long we all were there sharing bits and pieces of life, but the time flew by.

The next morning, when we received our breakfast (made-to-order from scratch by a chef! also included in the stay! incredibly delicious!), Doug reached over, held my hand, and prayed. When he finished, a man at the neighboring table cleared his throat.
“Thank you,” he remarked. I was startled and not entirely sure what he meant. He must’ve realized this, so he continued. “You reminded me that it is good to stop and thank our Lord. I don’t do that enough,” he sniffed, wiping his eyes.
“He’s such a softie. He cries so easily,” his wife explained. “You should have seen him at our wedding. He had glasses on, and they filled halfway up his eyeballs; he couldn’t even see! Me? I’m a laugher. We are quite the pair.” Soon, we learned they were celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary, among other fun tidbits of their relationship.

I could also tell you about the conversation from the day before with our server who needed to bring her four-year-old to work that day and who was following her around like a little duckling. Or I could tell you about the discussion I had recently with a 9-year-old who learned how to spell his name, or the dialogue with the woman in line behind me at the grocery store about how much we both love spring.

These little moments of connection not only bring me joy but also make me feel more human. They turn random strangers into 5-minute friends. They help me look at people as individuals, made in God’s image, ones worth investing a little time in to get to know each other. I wonder, would the world be a kinder place if we all took a few extra moments more often to actually notice one another and share a moment or two of life together?