First of all, I want to comment that any pastor who does not visit people in their homes really misses the story. People tend to be connected in one way or another. Either they are relatives, went to the same school, belong to the same organization, volunteer at the same place, like the same people, eat at the same places, or whatever. The stories and the connections are endless.
Today I visited Helen. She is clearly a spunky and independent lady in her late eighties, and like so many of them, is a widow. She does seem to be well cared for since she has a son who lives in the back apartment, so she has no need for senior housing.
She had heard where I live, in the development on the hill south of town. It was once her family farm many years ago. They owned one hundred eighty two acres on this corner of the road. Of course, even the road probably wasn't here when she was a child. I live on the back pasture. The pond is not far from my house. Of course, now it is a well-manicured residential area with homes of every kind, duplexes, condominiums, ranches, very fine fancy homes. But as far as Helen is concerned, it was once her pasture.
It was an unexpected connection that I have with Helen. But I suppose we are all connected in surprising ways. Just beneath the surface is a place, or a person, or a thing, or an idea that links us all together as human beings.
Only a couple of degrees of separation.
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