“Agape to you.”

Today when we went for our walk we saw a lady walking toward us carrying what looked like an overnight bag and coat. I joked to the boys that she was running away from home. When we got to where she was we started a casual conversation with her. Immediately we discovered she had no teeth, and maybe an accent, so it was next to impossible to understand what she was saying. What we did manage to understand was that she was going to catch the train and go to the hospital to have something done with her mouth/teeth I guess. So we chatted for a minute and then kept walking down the road.

I felt like I should have offered to drive her but I didn’t! We just kept walking to the end of the road. I talked to the boys and told them what I was thinking. We decided to run home so I could get the car and pick her up. She walked fast! By the time we got home, she was already past our house so I had to go find her. Was in such a hurry I forgot my phone and my glasses. Good thing I didn’t have to see anything or make a call.

So I find her right down the road and I stop and pick her up. We tried talking on the way to the train station. I felt really terrible because I couldn’t make out what she was saying. I thought I should have brought some water for her, but I didn’t. I thought I should have given her my phone number, but I didn’t. Three times I thought to do something but I didn’t do it. What is wrong with me?

But you know the best thing? Right before she got out of my car, she took my hand, smiled and thanked me, and said, “Agape to you.”

Well, I made a lot of cookies. Tomorrow we are going to go visit her and a couple of our other neighbors that we never met. We are only a couple years too late, but I guess that’s slightly better than never going at all.

“Hi, we’re the Veghs. We live next door (or 2 houses down). Sorry we didn’t come over to welcome you to the neighborhood 2 years ago… we are just pathetic Christians.”

Yeah, that sounds nice for starters.

Sorry God. You got to do some work on me.