I am an unlikely witness as I am asked to take a picture of a man with his best friend. I thought headphones and music would muffle their conversation and make me seem unapproachable. As I am reading and writing, I hear a persistence in a man's voice, "Excuse me. Excuse me." I look up and he is holding out his phone asking me in a distinct accent if I could take his picture. I had intermittently seen him attempting to take a picture of them together but the picture was not coming out as he would like it to. I say, "Yes, of course." I take a couple of pictures for them, hand the camera back and try to go back to being unapproachable. He thanks me and I tell him it was no problem. He then asks me, "Do you think he will remember me?" I am puzzled by this question, as I am a stranger, and I say to him, "Of course he will remember you, you are his best friend." The gentleman he is with sees the puzzled look on my face and says, "He is talking about when he is no longer here." I, at this point, have gone from the inner eye roll due to being bothered to the realization I have taken the final picture of two best friends in their last moments together.

I had decided to go to a new Starbucks which is a few minutes from the city I live in. I was in the area taking care of an account and thought it would be convenient as I was right around the corner from there. I thought I wouldn't run into anyone I know and I could get some work and studying done. I did not run into anyone I knew, I ran into a complete stranger who told me the story of how he had been diagnosed with cancer and had beat it over the course of a couple of years. Recently, he got the news it had come back and he was given a certain amount of time to live. He was making arrangements to move to Africa to be with his family in his final days. I tried to keep my emotions to myself but I have rarely met someone as composed as he was, knowing he was dying. He spoke of his nine year old daughter and his face lit up as he spoke of the time they spend playing games on the ipad together. He spoke of his soccer career which spanned 30 years and having to set it aside due to his illness. What was most striking about this man was his smile and when he spoke, his eyes still danced even though he knew he was dying.

I sat there, maintaining my composure. Everything within me wanted to put my arms around him and hold him, because I felt his humanity, heard his words and saw his expressions where happiness and sorrow met in the same moment. I listened to what he was saying and realized I had been given an invitation to witness one of the last few days of this man's life. I had gone from not wanting to be bothered to becoming an unlikely witness to a few moments where our lives had crossed in a unusual way. I walked away from there feeling as if I had been given a gift of being a part of his story, hearing his story and being reminded and entrusted to take away an understanding of just how so alike each of us are, no matter our country of origin, our race or religion. We all face pain and life exacts uncertain moments upon us all. How we face them truly tells of what we are made of. This occurrence happened over a week ago and at certain times I have thought of this gentleman. I liken this experience to walking through life as if one is looking through a camera lens which is out of focus, then an encounter as this happens and the focus is clearer, sharper and your vision is no longer blurred by things which are so very trivial.

I am sure he could have found someone else to have taken the picture. I am glad, just for a moment, I set aside what I deemed "more important" to be able to share in the humanity of another and to be reminded of the beauty which lies in these sacred moments.