July 10 – “The Watcher”

I went fishing this morning.  I tried to do some wade fishing, but the waves beat me down too much.  I went for plan B instead and went over to my uncle's house on a canal in Spanish Grant.  Did OK.  One big speckled trout and two croakers.  And a bunch of catfish.  His crab trap is well stocked now.    It was really hot, though.  Our car gauge showed 92 degrees.  But there wasn't much of a breeze.  That doesn't bode well for the wedding I have to do tonight at the San Luis Hotel.  Outside in their gazebo.  In a suit.  I really don't like suits.  But I do have one for marryin' and buryin' folks.  Guess I'll strap it on.  I also have a high school reunion to go to tonight.  I have to fit it in before and after the wedding.  That means I have to wear a suit to Mario's.  Talk about overdressed.   I went to WalMart this afternoon.  Where else?  Mom needed several things, and we were almost out of that Tide stuff you use to wash clothes.  I've been doing some of that.  Hope I haven't ruined any of Mom's stuff.  Kind of hard to mess up my summer wardrobe, but I sure have been tempted to just go buy some more underwear.  It is Saturday in the summer in Galveston.  So WalMart was a madhouse of tourists, scrambling to get just the right fishing pole, some more chips and dip, or the ever popular twelve packs of every kind of beverage you can imagine.  Today's favorite specialty item seemed to be a huge inner tube for floating casually around and relaxing in the sun and getting carried away by the treacherous current until you are too far out to make it back on your own, and the beach patrol is trying desperately to reach you, and the Coast Guard is on their way with a helicopter, and six sharks have just gotten a whiff of that tiny little cut you got crawling over the rocks to get to the sand, and a flock of pelicans just splashed clumsily into the water nearby to watch your agony and laugh at you in pelicanese and seagulls seem to be dive bombing you and screaming at you and obviously making fun of your puny attempts to remain afloat just a little longer.  Ah, inflatable toys in the beach.  Never a great idea.   As I was leaving with my stash of sugar, Ensure, and cranapple juice, I started noticing the people around me.  I love to watch people and try to figure out what's going on in their world.  The guy with the fishing pole was so proud of his choice.  Hope he remembers to wash it off with clean water or it will be all rusted by the end of the week.  The locals were obvious.  They had just a few things – like me – and were bemoaning their horrid luck.  Running out of anything on a summer weekend is just not done.   Unless you really don't care how long it takes.  I didn't.    The one that got me today, though, was a little boy being carried by his mother.  Had to be over one but not yet two.  That's about as close as I get on guessing ages.  There I was scanning the crowd for faces of interest to ponder when our eyes met.  The little guy was doing the same thing.  He was a Watcher.  He grinned immediately, and so did I.  He knew I was there.  I knew he was there.  We shared the secret known to all people watchers.  The checkers, the shoppers, the old guys sitting on the benches, the ladies getting a foot massage, the bank tellers, the customer service managers, the plainclothes undercover security guards – all of them – are real people with real cares and real hurts and real joys and real families and real stresses, and real ideas.  And somebody needs to notice them.  So may new little friend and I did some noticing.  Definitely the highlight of my day so far.      1 John 4:7-8 sais, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."   Father, thanks for the connection with my little friend today.  Amen.