I had driven to the DIY store to run a quick errand. As I got out of the car, a middle-aged man ran up to me, looked at me with wide eyes and gave me a warm hug. I was surprised to remember him. We hadn't seen each other for six or seven years. He had come from the Middle East a good decade ago and I had been able to help him a lot at the beginning. Later, his wife and children had also joined him. I had been able to help them too as they took their first steps in our country. When I looked into this man's eyes and saw the almost childlike joy in them, I was filled with gratitude and all the precious life experiences we had shared came back to my heart. We spoke briefly. ‘Do you still have the same phone number?’ he asked me. I said yes. Then, deeply happy to have met again, we went our ways. I hadn’t experienced such gratitude in a long time!
