Last week I kissed a stranger.

I kissed a stranger in a car-park in Appleby last Tuesday.

It happened like this.

I had bought some groceries from the Co-op and was leaving the car-park when I saw a lady slowly pushing her trolley towards her car. I wound down my window and called to her if she needed any help, but she didn’t hear me.

So I parked my car and walked over to where she was. She hadn’t been walking too quickly. She had a stick as well as the trolley to trundle along. I called out to her again, and asked her if she would like help putting her groceries in the car.

She looked up and smiled at me and said, ‘oh, thank you, that would be very helpful.’ So I put her four grocery bags on the rear seat for her. We exchanged pleasantries, I asked her if she lived in town and mentioned I lived locally. 

I took the trolley and said I would return it for her. She looked at me and said, ‘oh thank you, you are kind.’

Then I remembered when I worked for Wiltshire Farm Foods that elderly folk often never have anyone touch them. They can go for weeks without any physical contact. Widows and widowers are often very lonely.

So I kissed her and said, ‘God bless you.’

She gave me a big smile - and said again, ‘Oh, you are very kind.’

And so we parted company - never to see each other again.

The Scriptures say of Jesus that he went around doing good.

For me its just too easy to ‘go around.’ 

But last week I healed a widow of loneliness, for at least a short moment.

And, for a small minute in time, I was like Jesus.

This year I’m especially trying to trade unkind words for kisses.

I’m trading bullets for kisses.

I think that will make the world a better place.

Some people are in the habit of sniping at others.

But that’s not a habit I want to cultivate.

I can't stay fighting in the trenches if I only have a kiss for a bullet. One of my favourite Spanish singers sings a song about this, which you can watch here.

Last week I made an old lady smile.

Last week I kissed a stranger.

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Hey, thanks for reading my post. I really appreciate it. I hope you have a truly great day.
God ever bless you.