Divine Encounter

Today, while working at Caribou, a customer called me over to sign as a witness on some forms he was filling out with a woman from the Army. He was a middle-aged man, so I wasn't quite sure what he would be signing with the Army. As they introduced themselves, the man made a joke, "You do realize that you are signing up to join the Army." He and the woman laughed, I pretended. As the woman flipped through some pages, I realized that it was going to take more than one signiature. I had to sign three times and put down my address. The woman would turn to the man occasionally to show him certain things. She pointed to a large number and made sure that was the amount that was on the check she had given him. On another page, I saw the term "Life Insurance" as part of the title to the paperwork. My mind wandered trying to understand what I was signing for this man. Then, he had to initial twice in places where it said "Father." The options were narrowing in my head.

I returned to work while they finished up the rest of the paperwork. Right before they left, the woman went out to her car and came back in with something in her hand. She handed the man a framed picture, to which he thanked her as his eyes teared up. He just stared at the photo for a minute or two before coming back from his thoughts. At that point I fully realized that I had been a witness that this father had received the life insurance payout for the loss of his child in the line of duty.

"He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted . . . to comfort all who mourn . . ."