The Smoker

I was walking back to my car with a cartload of groceries.  Next to a car parked nearby, a man stood smoking a cigarette.  I wondered why he was standing outside his car to smoke.  I started thinking about how few people I know that smoke.  I was thankful I'd never been a smoker.

As I loaded my groceries into my car, the smoker spoke to me.  "That's some moon, huh."  I looked up and saw the glowing roundness of the almost-full moon in the eastern sky.  Even from the lighted parking lot, I could see darker and lighter areas on the lunar surface.  It was pretty amazing.

I mumbled a response, got into my car, and drove away struck by what had just happened.  As I was busy with my groceries and thinking about the smoking habit, the smoker had looked into the sky and recognized the beauty of the moon.  And, he had taken the opportunity to point it out to me.

Once again, I had been reminded to raise my eyes heavenward and look at the bigger picture.