I met a woman at the park. She was crying.

I stopped to ask if there was anything I can do to help.

She smiled through her tears, thanked me for stopping to ask and told me no. She was missing her past and no one could give that back to her.

I agreed and asked if I could give her a hug in the here and now. She quickly replied, Oh yes, please.

And so, two strangers stood heart to heart creating a bridge from the past to the future.

Sometimes, when the past is fresh in our minds and we feel burdened by its harshness, all we can do is mourn its absence.

Sometimes, when the heaviness of our mourning brings us down, and words cannot ease our pain, a stranger’s attention gives us hope that tomorrow will come.

That woman in the park had a story. In that moment, it wasn’t her story that mattered. What mattered most was that she was a human being in distress.

I couldn’t fix what was wrong. I couldn’t change the past.

All I could do was share ‘love’ to help her continue to keep moving towards the healing that comes when the past drifts far enough away, we no longer feel the urge to carry its pain, darkness and sadness.

In that moment, for her, I was an oasis devoid of memories of the past.

In that moment, for me, she was a beautiful reminder of the power of Love to heal.