Those Seemingly Insignificant Moments

By Abby G., Alumnae from El Salvador Uruguay

One evening shortly before I left El Salvador, we happened to meet Nina Maria as we were returning to our Colonia. She was standing on the side of the street alone and looked as if she was waiting for someone. I asked her who she was waiting for, and she replied that she wasn’t waiting for anyone. We were all a little bit confused about what she was doing because she looked very expectant, so we asked her again. She again told us that she wasn’t waiting for anyone, and that she just liked standing outside to say hello to all the people returning home from work. She told us that she enjoyed looking at people and it was more interesting to stand on the side of the street than to sit alone inside her house. It was a humorous moment, but I’ll never forget turning around as we walked away and seeing her still standing there, silhouetted against the evening sky.

When I later thought back to that last moment with Nina Maria, I realized again that we are called to love in even seemingly insignificant moments. Sometimes, saying “hello” is the only way we can love another and is our mission in that moment. I hope to continue to live the mission back at home, in whatever small ways I can, even if that means simply going outside and saying hello to someone.