Winnie - Stranger # 762 / 800
Sometimes, when I meet someone for the first time, it feels like my soul has recognised this feeling before. I don't even know how to explain it, it is not mysticism nor anything of the sort, but the feeling of connection, which all of a sudden emerges to the surface, is real and totally familiar.
I went to buy Matzot for Pesach / Passover and to my big surprise the store ran out of them. I couldn't believe my ears when she told me so. How is it possible? It has never ever happened in all the decades I've been buying matzot for Pesach.
Winnie said they will get more on Thursday, but I needed matzot for Leil Ha'Seder tonight.
"Well," I said, "do you have at least one piece of Matzah? I need a piece, not bigger than the size of an olive, to say the blessing. Don't you have an open box somewhere and a few pieces left?" I insisted.
Winnie turned around and out of an open box she pulled out three whole pieces of matzot and said: "I wouldn't want you not to celebrate because of lack of matzot."
She put the matzot in a white paper bag and handed it to me. No charge, with a smile and a blessing.
My heart felt joyous. I hugged and kissed her, and at that moment, I saw tears building up in her dark eyes. Mine were there already.
"What's your name?," I asked her.
"Winnie, like Winnie the Pooh", she answered, "although I'd rather think of my name as Winnie Mandela," she added.
"Winnie the Pooh, I love that! Winnie," I said, opening my bag and pulling out my camera, "would you let me make a picture of you?"
"You certainly may!", she said.
"Where do you want me to stand?", Winnie asked.
"I'd like you to stand right here, in the middle of the store."
"Very well," Winnie was so cooperative, "anywhere you want."
I made a couple of environmental portraits and then asked her to come closer to the display window for a closeup.
I could still see her eyes shining through the tears.
"I have been blessed," she said with deep gratitude in her voice.
Winnie is 40 y/o, she came to study in Finland 15 years ago.
She was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. Her sister lives here with her.
"I need to have at least one member of my family with me," she said, and I totally understood what she meant.
"The Good Lord had plans for me which I didn't know of... My being here, in this very spot, is a blessing. I didn't look for this job, it came to me..."
"Are you Jewish,? I asked, assuming she was because she was working in the sole Jewish grocery store in town.
"Well no, but in the sense that I believe in the G-d of Abraham, I am, although I was born Christian," she said.
"Well, aren't we all the children of the same creator," I said and hugged Winnie once again.
"I have found so much love here," Winnie retuned my hug, "I don't have my parents here, but I feel like I've been adopted by so many loving people."
I remembered an African song that I had learned more than half a century ago. I sang it to Winnie asking her to translate the words. She knew the Zulu song and did translate the beautiful words about peace and freedom.
How strange that after more than 55 years, this song comes to my mind simply because it had the word Kenya in it.
All memories are stored somewhere deep inside, like feelings, we are lucky as long as we can recall and feel them.
Such as life, and love, we move on holding cherished memories in our heart.
www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/discuss/72157633469671...
Winnie - Stranger # 762 / 800
Sometimes, when I meet someone for the first time, it feels like my soul has recognised this feeling before. I don't even know how to explain it, it is not mysticism nor anything of the sort, but the feeling of connection, which all of a sudden emerges to the surface, is real and totally familiar.
I went to buy Matzot for Pesach / Passover and to my big surprise the store ran out of them. I couldn't believe my ears when she told me so. How is it possible? It has never ever happened in all the decades I've been buying matzot for Pesach.
Winnie said they will get more on Thursday, but I needed matzot for Leil Ha'Seder tonight.
"Well," I said, "do you have at least one piece of Matzah? I need a piece, not bigger than the size of an olive, to say the blessing. Don't you have an open box somewhere and a few pieces left?" I insisted.
Winnie turned around and out of an open box she pulled out three whole pieces of matzot and said: "I wouldn't want you not to celebrate because of lack of matzot."
She put the matzot in a white paper bag and handed it to me. No charge, with a smile and a blessing.
My heart felt joyous. I hugged and kissed her, and at that moment, I saw tears building up in her dark eyes. Mine were there already.
"What's your name?," I asked her.
"Winnie, like Winnie the Pooh", she answered, "although I'd rather think of my name as Winnie Mandela," she added.
"Winnie the Pooh, I love that! Winnie," I said, opening my bag and pulling out my camera, "would you let me make a picture of you?"
"You certainly may!", she said.
"Where do you want me to stand?", Winnie asked.
"I'd like you to stand right here, in the middle of the store."
"Very well," Winnie was so cooperative, "anywhere you want."
I made a couple of environmental portraits and then asked her to come closer to the display window for a closeup.
I could still see her eyes shining through the tears.
"I have been blessed," she said with deep gratitude in her voice.
Winnie is 40 y/o, she came to study in Finland 15 years ago.
She was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. Her sister lives here with her.
"I need to have at least one member of my family with me," she said, and I totally understood what she meant.
"The Good Lord had plans for me which I didn't know of... My being here, in this very spot, is a blessing. I didn't look for this job, it came to me..."
"Are you Jewish,? I asked, assuming she was because she was working in the sole Jewish grocery store in town.
"Well no, but in the sense that I believe in the G-d of Abraham, I am, although I was born Christian," she said.
"Well, aren't we all the children of the same creator," I said and hugged Winnie once again.
"I have found so much love here," Winnie retuned my hug, "I don't have my parents here, but I feel like I've been adopted by so many loving people."
I remembered an African song that I had learned more than half a century ago. I sang it to Winnie asking her to translate the words. She knew the Zulu song and did translate the beautiful words about peace and freedom.
How strange that after more than 55 years, this song comes to my mind simply because it had the word Kenya in it.
All memories are stored somewhere deep inside, like feelings, we are lucky as long as we can recall and feel them.
Such as life, and love, we move on holding cherished memories in our heart.
www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/discuss/72157633469671...