The Lollipop

2/10/2026

Hebrews 13:2 "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people, have sown hospitality to angels without knowing it."

When you leave yourself open to an interaction with a stranger, you never know what will happen. Recently, my son was taking the dog for a short walk. An elderly woman drove up to him and rolled down her window. (Just for clarity, my son is a large 6'2'' man with a full beard, but he must have seemed approachable to her.) He politely stopped because he is a very respectful and kind person. She began to ask him if there was still a school on the road they both currently were on. He said he thought the original school had been converted to affordable senior housing. He was correct in this statement. She told him she had attended the school many years ago. He smiled in recognition. 

What happened next was nothing he could have foreseen. This lady, alone in her car, began to talk to my son about her life and some painful events that had happened to her. One of those things was her children not having any time for her anymore as they moved up the corporate ladder with wealth as their ultimate goal. My son could not conceive of such a thing and felt great empathy for this lady. As she spoke, he listened quietly. He really didn't need to say much as it seemed she just needed a kind ear to hear her heart. He gave her just that. 

When she finished unloading all the hurt, she thanked him and reached into the center console of her car. She pulled out a purple lollipop and handed it to him, saying she had recently gone to the bank and had gotten it there. It was a gesture of gratitude for the kindness he had shown her. 

Sometimes, God does not ask us to do the big thing; sometimes He asks us to just give someone who needs it a moment of our time. He may ask us to be aware and loving enough to stop what we are doing, listen, and share a moment with someone in need. My son did just that, and it not only blessed the lady but also himself.  

He will never know the outcome of this interaction, but I know he is hopeful it gave the woman some hope and peace.

I pray the next time God places a stranger in my path that needs a bit of my time, that I also stop and share a moment with that person. Who knows what blessings we may both experience.