Do you ever see a perfect stranger and wonder where they're going or what their story is. We often judge others from a first glance or a first impression and we think we know their story. The girl who's captain of the lacrosse team, with the perfect boyfriend, the seemingly perfect life. Little do we know she struggles with an eating disorder, her boyfriend emotionally abuses her and her parents are getting a divorce.
When I was headed back to school from fall break a woman sitting across from me on the train asked if I knew what stop Penn station was. She said she was hard of hearing, and asked if she could sit next to me so I could tell her when her stop was. I said yes. We started talking and she casually mentioned she was going to Johns Hopkins. When she said this, I thought of my mom and assumed the woman was going there for a medical reason. We changed the subject and a few minutes later I mentioned her trip to Johns Hopkins again. She said yes... I have a brain tumor. I touched her arm and told her that my mom goes to Johns Hopkins too because she had a brain aneurysm. We shared our stories and began talking about our faith, especially in times of tragedy.
I felt something inside me saying "I want to give her something to remember me," as a sort of symbol of hope and faith during her difficult time. I gave her my favorite bracelet that my roommate gave me which has my favorite bible verse on it: Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God." When I gave her my bracelet, we sat together and cried. She tried to give me twenty dollars for the bracelet but I wouldn't accept it. I will never forget this encounter. It was truly an act of God. God put us in each other's paths for a reason. Of all the trains for us to board, of all the aisles for us to sit in... God brought us together. What's also funny about this encounter is that we were sitting in the "quiet car" without even realizing it. The "quiet car" is where you aren't allowed to talk... One woman kept turning around, giving us dirty looks and shushing us while we talked. I felt like screaming at this lady that we were talking about something as emotional as this woman's brain tumor. In the grand scheme of things, is it really a big deal for two people to talk, two people who maybe needed each other? So, despite this lady's dirty looks and shushing I continued to talk to the beautiful lady with the brain tumor named Nancy. Before Nancy's stop at Penn's landing, the train conductor walked by and we asked him to confirm that this was, in fact, her stop. He looked at me and said: "When you say your goodbyes to this woman you just met I want you to sit in business class, you have been my best customer." It was almost like he knew. I hugged Nancy and we cried some more. We didn't exchange numbers or anything. I know very little about her and can't track her down to get in touch with her. Meeting Nancy on the train is a moment I'll never forget that will stay with me forever. I know it will stay with her, too. I think of her every day and wonder how she's doing. I pray for her constantly, and I pray that God will allow us to reconnect again someday on a train, where it all began.
