it is a small lapel pin

maybe 10 cents big

but people believe it

truly

today at Tesco

the young man at the checkout

at first looked shocked

when i returned his question

of what i had planned for the weekend

but i can tell you now

what he will be doing

exactly

every day

including on Monday

and he shared with me

pictures on his phone

of his dog as a puppy

and now grown up

and his young son

in a buzz lightyear costume

and on last weekend

and on a visit to his mum

it was not a quiet time of day

it was one of many checkouts

and the line was growing

and stories deserve the time and space

to reach their own conclusion

i love stories

i really do

and most of the many i have been told today

have at the heart of them

a deep love

of home

& hearth

& family

& place

& a beautiful generosity

in sharing

x