Collard Greens and the Glory of God
By Sheila Martinez

The day started with the normal, muttered-under-the-breath list of drudge items. You know what I mean, the list of things that have to be done, but we so often forget to be glad that we have the ways and means to do them.

Laundry, paying the bills, laundry again - since I don’t have a bank of washing machines to do a one shot wash in four or five machines, like the Laundromat provides (once again not being thankful that I have a machine of my own, and forgetting the time when I didn’t, and also forgetting that the Laundromat is not a fun place to spend an afternoon).

Somewhere along the way I realized that I was out of sorts and I immediately set out to ask the Lord for help. I began to count all the good things in my life. I am person that has many blessings in my life.

As I continued on with my list of chores, I headed to the local market. In and out – that was my motto. No time to waste. But this time I asked the Lord to be with me. As I was picking up the few items I needed, I talked to the Lord about anything that came to my mind. I talked to Him just as I talk to my closet friend. If I wanted to complain about the prices, or the condition of the tomatoes, He was listening to me and He was more than able to let me know if He had an opinion.

After picking up my few items, I headed to the check-out counter. As I pushed my basket past all of the little items that are meant to add last minute expense to your basket, there stood an elderly woman, searching through her hand full of coupons. In her basket were a few small items – five or six frozen dinners, a bottle of juice, a few can goods, and a couple of other items. She looked up as I pulled into the aisle, smiled, and waved me to move ahead of her.

“Hon, why don’t you go ahead of me?” she said with a slight tilt of her head. “I am just a bit slow working through these coupons, but they help me with the cost of these groceries.” She finished with a smile.

“Thank you,” I said, and smiled back at her. “Coupons can really make a difference.” I said, as I rolled my basket past her.

“So can you,” I heard the Lord say. “Tell her to put her items up on the counter and you buy her groceries for her.”

Without giving a place for any hesitation to internene, I turned to her and said, “Why don’t you just put your items right up here,” I patted the conveyor belt. “I’m going to pay for your groceries.” I smiled at her and nodded an affirming “Yes” at the same time.

The lady looked up at me stunned, and just started to resist, when she turned and placed the frozen food onto the counter, as if she were in shock! I understood what she was feeling, because I could also feel the tingling in the very atmosphere where we stood.

I turned to the check-out lady and asked her to check out both purchases on one ticket, but separate bags, please. She seemed to be in the same condition as the elderly lady and I were, as she shook her head to say, “OK!” and then seemed to move as if in a daze.

As the items went through the scanner, I turned to look at the little lady, and as I did, I leaned toward her and asked, “Was there anything you did not get that you really wanted?”

She looked up at me with eyes that were so like my grandmother’s and started to shake her head to say no, then the same thing happened. She looked up at me and smiled a small smile, and replied, “Well, there was one thing...” she hesitated, as if to measure the need.

I looked once again in those old eyes and said, “Go get what you wanted. I will wait.”

She smiled, looked down as if she was a little shy, and then she started to move out and around the counter and then head toward the vegetables. As she moved away from me her little swaying shuffle step began to remind me of my mother-in-law, Annie, who had past away a couple of years back. We had become great friends during my marriage and I missed her very much.

After picking up her item, the lady turned back toward the counter, and as I watched, her form turned into Annie as she walked back toward me. I fought tears as I realized I was in a place where the Lord was showing me that we have the ability to love our own when we love others. Through this little lady I was connecting to the thread that runs though the nature of all true moms, grandmothers, and moms-in-law. What we do for others we are really doing for ourselves! When we nurture His creation we nurture our very own soul.

As the form of this sweet lady returned to my vision in the last few steps, I looked down at her arms and in her hands was a bunch of collard greens! Collard greens!

I was stunned that all she had in her hands was a $2.00 bunch of greens! I once again looked at her and asked, “Are you sure there is not something else you need?” After all, if I was going to do this, I wanted to do it right!

She looked back at me with a big smile on her face and replied, “Oh, honey! I wanted to buy these greens, but they were so expensive that I just had to pass them by. But, you said I could get what I wanted, so I knew I could just go get those greens after all!”

I smiled back and said, “You sure can, dear!” and turned to the checker and as tears streamed down her face, she smiled and shook her head as if to say she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. I quickly finished paying for the groceries and turned and hugged the little lady.

“Thank you so much,” she said, as I held her frail little figure in my arms for those few seconds. “I just can’t believe this,” she looked up at me with her eyes shining.

“Well, you can believe it,” I said, “And you enjoy your collard greens, and be blessed!” I smiled one last smile and hurried away as tears begin to fill my eyes.

“Lord, a $2.00 bunch of greens! All she wanted was a $2.00 bunch of greens! Thank you for letting me be a part of this blessing. Thank you for all that happened in this place. Thank you for all that happened in everyone involved.”

The glory of God’s presence and collard greens! Who would have thought that a day of mundane chores could be filled with such wonder? Who would have imagined a bunch of collard greens could be the connection to God’s blessing?

The faces of the lady and the cashier flashed through my mind, and then Annie’s face - her smile was there in my heart and my memory. How blessed I truly am to have life and the ability to really live!

If you would like to comment on this article, please send an email to:sheila@vine3.org