An Advent reflection

By HOLLY WIEGMAN- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

This Advent season, my prayers will include some for a woman I have never met.

Just before Thanksgiving, I went to the grocery store, loading up my cart with things for the feast. As I stood in the checkout line, I noticed a woman ahead of me. She carefully studied the total on the display while slowly unloading her cart.

As more and more things went through the cashier's hands, I noticed the woman becoming anxious. She stopped unloading and got out her wallet, looking inside as if to check how much money lay within. Then she returned to her cart.

She picked up two of the remaining items, weighing one in each hand. Hesitantly, she put one item on the belt, and then returned the other to the cart. She repeated this with the rest of the items, glancing back and forth between her hands and the display. Her shoulders slumped as this went on, but eventually she made her choices, paid and left the store.

I watched her go, a sense of guilt hovering over me as I placed my items on the belt. I had chosen all of them without a thought to how much money I was spending, although I knew it would be a lot.

The experience provided a vivid, real-life example of someone who needs to make difficult choices every day, but especially at holiday time - choices that I cannot imagine, given my comfortable, middle-class life.

So, this Thanksgiving, I was indeed grateful for what I have - but I also gave thanks for the gift of this experience. During Advent, as I wait expectantly, I will think of this woman and of how different her expectations are from mine. As the season progresses, I will be sending up prayers for my grocery store companion, whoever and wherever she is, that God may bless her - abundantly.

(Ms. Wiegman is a cantor and choir member at St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish in Schenectady.)[[In-content Ad]]