This past weekend, I was at an IKEA, and I was struck by how there were all kinds of people: Middle Eastern, Mexican, African-American and others; a true melting pot of ethnicity… all standing in multiple checkout lines getting along!
Nothing out of the ordinary here; just people all co-existing while buying IKEA stuff to take home to build something that their family can use for storage or something that will help make their lives easier or maybe a bit more functional. Maybe it will just add some beauty and that will make them smile. 🙂
I stood there looking around, and people were just in a place of peace. It really gave me hope that perhaps we truly have more in common than what we see oftentimes online or in the news. If we can just draw on what we have in common, we CAN find a way to get along and save the planet.
It came to me that we all love our families; we want things to be better for them; we want them to be happy, and in that IKEA, we were all focused on a common thread that brought us together.
I mentioned to my husband that this scene gave me hope, and he agreed. We stopped and just enjoyed the amazing tapestry of people, young and old, that were all flowing the most beautiful energy. If it can be that way in an IKEA store, it can be that way all over the planet.
And it starts in our own lives and all around us.
A Mexican couple ahead of me had three little boys that were being rambunctious and were bored standing in line, so they were hanging on the mother. I heard them say, “When can we go?” She spoke back to them in Spanish and was trying to have them quiet down. I caught a few words from my four years of high school Spanish classes. I smiled and caught the mother's eye and said, “They are beautiful boys.. so full of life.” She smiled back, and we both knew we were having a moment that transcended small talk and united us. It was so powerful.
I know so many things look upside-down these days, but we have to keep looking for these united moments of the heart that can transform our world. As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day in the U.S., may we all remember the men and women who may or may not agree with the politics, serve anyway, so that all of us can be FREE
Let's send them and all their families prayers of gratitude for all they do for us.
