Beautiful...

"Who are you?" I had followed the man and his son out of the local health store. He had glanced at me as he opened the door to his SUV for his son, then turned again, looked me right in the eyes and asked that question.

"Pardon me?" I rasped out. I'm presently experiencing a pretty nasty allergy attack, complete with a loss of voice, clogged ears and a red eye. I wasn't sure if he'd said who or how.

"Who are you?" He repeated. "You're absolutely beautiful." He stated the last part emphatically.

Who am I? I'm beautiful? I didn't feel beautiful. I felt old, tired, bloated, beaten up by a body too soon turned into that of an old woman. Do you know, I had just spent the last half hour in a health store looking for some magical concoction that would pull the crud out of my ears and sinuses so that I could, at the very minimum, function at a normal level? That I remember my grandma putting stuff in her ears to pull wax out and that I, now, at age 35 am actually thinking to myself that maybe my grandma had some pretty good ideas and just how old that really makes me feel?

"I'm just... me. Thank you." I replied in my hoarse, raspy voice. I continued walking to my car. I could feel him watching me as I left. I don't know what his intentions were, whether he was sincere or just ... whatever. It didn't seem like a cheap compliment, as if he were hitting on me. It felt as if he really had been caught off guard by seeing someone who he believed was genuinely beautiful.

Whatever it was, it hit at a point when I needed a tiny boost to get through the day. And I'll take it as a little boost from God. He does that, you know. Gives you little boosts through other people when you need them the most. Even from complete strangers, sometimes.

Watch for Him.