Union Station Friendship

A few days ago I went with my sister and my friend into DC to go meander in the Sculpture Garden where a free Jazz Festival was happening. We didn't have much time to chill, but before we headed home we wanted to grab some grub. We all just graduated from school, so the wallet is a bit tight and the food at the festival was expensive.

So we decided to take a walk...definitely longer than I expected...a few blocks to Union Station.

There are some decisions that I look back on and think, "That was one of the best things I ever did with my life." What happened next was one of them.

We finally got into Union Station and took the escalator down to the bottom section. I decided I wanted a smoothie. There were two smoothie shops visible as I turned the corner. I almost went to the one further away, but decided to go instead to the shop closest to the escalator. A lovely Asian woman approached me, smiled hugely, and asked in broken english what I would like. I ordered my strawberry-banana smoothie. She rang me up and asked about my stay in DC. I told her I lived close by, but that a lot of friends were coming up to visit for a graduation party. She congratulated me and wished me a great time. I told her thank you and left (afraid of making her uncomfortable, since I can tend to be overly excited about things like smoothies and people).

My friend started to go to the other smoothies stand, but then decided to get the same thing as me (after tasting the brilliance!). I stood by the counter and waited for my friend to finish, and in the process caught the eye of the lovely lady who helped me. We smiled at each other, and I told her how delicious she made my smoothie.

Suddenly she starts moving towards me, with three oranges in her hands. I was thinking, "Does she want me to buy those?" She put them up on the counter--the most graceful handling of fruit I have ever seen in my life--and looked at me. "These are...a...gift. For you."

I cannot even begin to describe the love that hit my heart and then exploded inside of me in that moment. I looked at her and all I could think was, "You are so beautiful. I love you." It was intense.

We took pictures together (which is a big deal for me, because I'm not usually the one to volunteer myself for a photo-shoot). Then, I had to leave to get home. But I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay there for hours, asking her about her life growing up in Korea and about her time living in Northern Virginia and working in the metro station.

It was a moment of heart transformation. A moment where a person took precedence over my agenda and my worried thoughts for the future. I loved her. I do love her. She is beautiful. And I think a seed was planted in my heart for the nation of Korea--which is something only God could have done.

I hope I see her again one day. She will probably never know the impact she's had on my life.