A stranger gave me this bouquet of flowers, but they were a gift from God himself…
On the evening of October 1, 2017, a hate-filled man opened fire on a crowd of 22,000 concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. He fired hundreds of rifle rounds into the crowd, leaving 58 people dead and nearly 500 injured. This atrocity is the deadliest mass shooting committed in the United States.
I listened to the news on the morning of October 2nd with a broken and heavy heart. I spent most of the day on my couch, and wept and wept for the state of my country, and for the state of the world.
Around 5:00pm, I finally motivated myself to walk the two blocks to Wendy’s to get something to eat. I was wearing a baggy sweatshirt and workout pants and my hair was in an unwashed mess of a ponytail. I hadn’t bothered to put on any makeup all day, and my face was pale and tear-stained, so I threw on a pair of sunglasses before heading out the door.
I got to Wendy’s and placed my order. Then I moved to the other end of the counter to wait for my takeaway, and I noticed the gentleman ordering after me. He was an older man, and he was wearing a backpack. The backpack had a bouquet of pink carnations sticking out from the top.
I remember thinking, “Oh, how lovely… I wonder who those are for… must be for someone special…” Then I had an absurd thought— I thought, “What if he just gave those flowers to me?” I rolled my eyes at myself.
The man with the backpack full of flowers finished ordering, then stood next to me while we both waited for our food. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed him turn slightly toward me and I could feel him studying me. I shut my eyes, shielded by my sunglasses, and silently pleaded, “Please don’t talk to me, please don’t talk to me, please don’t talk to me…” I did my best to try to appear invisible, and willed for my food to come out quickly. At that moment, I didn’t want to talk to anybody— I just wanted to get my food, go home, and wallow in my grief.
He spoke then.
He said to me, “You know, I notice so many women wearing these big sunglasses like you’re wearing. They don’t want people to notice them. They don’t want people to see them, so they hide behind their sunglasses.” He asked me if I would take off my sunglasses so he could see my eyes. I probably couldn’t have felt less beautiful than I did right then. I really didn’t want to take off my sunglasses, but something made me feel like I should. So, I took them off and looked at him.
He looked into my eyes, looked up at the ceiling in what I assume was disbelief, then looked into my eyes again. He said that my eyes were absolutely stunning, and that I was beautiful. I smiled and thanked him. He asked for my name and told me his name was Robert, and we shook hands as we introduced ourselves. My food came up right then, so I grabbed it, thanked him again, and walked out the door.
After I took a few steps outside, I heard my name being called, so I turned and it was Robert. He caught up to me and smiled. Then he held out the bouquet of flowers and asked if I would accept them. I smiled at the offering and asked, “But aren’t these for someone special?!” He smiled back and replied, “You are someone special.” I accepted the flowers, thanked him for his kindness, and grinned all the way home.
On my walk back, I heard a song repeating in my head, fittingly titled “When My Heart Is Torn Asunder.” Part of the chorus goes:
There is hope beyond the suffering
Joy beyond the tears
Peace in every tragedy
Love that conquers fear…
When I got home, I put the flowers in a vase. For the rest of the night, my gaze kept returning to the flowers, and I would smile each time I looked at them. The whole experience felt like an affirmation from God. It felt like God was saying, “I see you. You matter. Be comforted and take heart, Beloved.”
Through this man, God expressed His love for me, and reminded me that there is still so much love, hope, kindness, light, and good in this world. Fight hatred and evil with love and kindness. We must never underestimate the importance of one moment, one word, one compliment, or one deed in the life of another human being. It matters. Bless others, and you will be blessed. Spread that love and hope around like nobody’s business.
Check out the song here:
