Thats What I Say

My kids and I decided to trek into Omaha from the suburbs today  to find a Whole Foods store. They always have new and interesting foods to try. My son picked out sushi and ginger beer (non alcoholic of course!), my daughter chose cranberry, walnut bread (yum) while I was perusing the aisles I came across a Hanukkah display.  While I may be a Christian my sister is an atheist married to a reformed Jew. Yep, makes the holidays very interesting. That is another blog altogether though.  While I was looking at the items I reached for a dreidel kit at the same time as another lady.  We both smiled and apologized, offering the item to each other.  She told me to go ahead and take it since it was for children younger than hers. I told her it was OK and for her to have it since it was for my nephews and there were plenty of other things to choose from with the Hanukkah theme.  She told me she was not Jewish but  a Messianic Jew rather. She said she was from Papillion and told me the name of where she worships (which escapes me right now). I told her I was from Papillion as well and how odd that we both ended up at a store thirty minutes from our homes looking at the same dreidels.   I confessed to her that I did not know anything about Messianic Jews and since she seemed friendly she seemed like a good person to ask.   Her eyes lit up as she explained that she converted to Judaism but believes that Jesus is the Messiah and she observes Hanukkah instead of Christmas.  She tried to explain to me some of the basic tenets of her beliefs but with two kids with me in the middle of a store I did not quite catch it all but what I think is most important about this encounter is that a stranger told another stranger about something that was important to them. She talked and I listened.   She wasn’t trying to convert me, she was just trying to converse with me.  I left that store a little happier. It makes me feel good to know that there are people in this world who hold their beliefs strongly but are willing to communicate them gently. 

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