I was coming back from speaking at the NSA's (The National Speaker's Association) National Convention in San Diego in July and had a stop over at DFW in Dallas long enough to grab some lunch.
As I wandered down a terminal corridor, trying to decide where I could get the least carb-to-calorie ratio lunch, I spotted a little café/bar with an empty table and zeroed in.
I ended up sitting next to a marine who was coming home on leave to attend his daughter's wedding.
He was in his 40's, career military, 3rd generation.
As we were talking, all of a sudden he just broke down, tears streaming down his face.
I listened for a while as he just poured his heart out about his frustration at what is going on "over there" in the war.
I was shocked at how open he was with me, spewing out on the two subjects we don't speak of in "polite" conversations - you know - politics and religion.
But then, by that point, he knew I was a minister, and he felt safe, I'm sure, to unload.
His shoulders started to drop as his tension release became physically apparent, the years of the war's atrocities washing out of his system as the words spilled out of his mouth.
As he continued I began to think about the last few days of the convention I had just attended and the theme: Soul and Substance.
How what he was fighting for was why we could have a convention that had disturbed, even angered some of the conservative attendees, excited those of us who were cutting edge in our thinking, and educated those who were open-minded to learning what was going on in the world of, shall I say, "conscious evolution" in thinking, prosperity, technology and marketing.
Yup, we had raised quite a ruckus, and here I was after being in the midst of all this cutting edge, let's-change-the-world hoopla, coming "SLAM" right up against the very real human capital of the war; and the reason we are all here - which is to love one another.
We go about our daily lives, our work, our jobs, our needs and our wants.
We listen to news about the war, we pick up our lunch - we think about ourselves 90% of the time (thats a scientific fact, by the way).
And then we are maybe fortunate enough to have someone like this soldier remind us every once in a while to stop in present moment...
Reality check time; I gathered in my thoughts, my feelings and got centered.
I tried not to let myself get swept away in his emotions of anger, despair and frustration that I was beginning to sink into.
It would have been so very easy, as I was exhausted myself.
But there was a reason that I had "chosen" to sit here, at this moment in time, next to this soldier, this human being, this person who was in pain.
I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe that we are all connected and are here to serve one another - he, to serve his country, and I, to serve whosoever is put in my path in a spiritual way.
It's about looking for how we connect, where we belong.
And how we can accomplish what we came to planet earth to do.
So, I sat and began to radiate love and healing blessings to him, as I tried not to be in a "broken hearted" mode, which was where I was headed as he told me he didn't want to go back.
That he would do almost anything short of putting a gun to his head not to go back.
When that came out of his mouth, he jerked back, in shock.
It was as though, when he voiced it, he realized what he had said, and it brought him back to present time.
"You know mam, I'm a soldier, and I love my country.
I may not agree with the politics right now - but I will always follow orders.
Thanks for listening.
But I do love my country.
And I know that when I go back, I am going to die for my country.
Would you pray for me?" My eyes were already full, and at this point I could no longer help it - they overflowed.
I reached over and squeezed his hand.
"Soldier, I already have".
As I got up to go to my gate, I heard him order another beer.
I turned around and our eyes met.
I put my hand over my heart and bowed my head, and mouthed the words, "Bless You".
He saluted.