Three non-Christian saints

A few weeks ago, I stopped by a local Canadian Tire store to pick up a pack of paper garden bags in preparation for starting our spring garden cleanup. I took my pack of bags to the nearest cashier, a young man of Indian descent who, according to his nametag, was Rupinder.

I noticed Rupinder looking at me very closely, the reason for which became clear when he said, “Goodness me, you look just like Bill Gates!”

I responded that I was sorry to disappoint him as I was just an ordinary Canadian with nowhere near the fortune possessed by Mr. Gates.

“Oh, that is of no consequence, sir,” said Rupinder. “It is not how much money you have in your bank account that is important; rather, it is how much treasure you have in your heart to share with others.”

Praying in the mall

Recently I stopped by a cell phone kiosk in a strip mall near my home to buy a case for my phone. Arriving at the shop just before lunch, I discovered that it was closed with a metal curtain pulled across its opening. I was about to turn away when I heard some movement. It was the proprietor straightening up from behind the counter. “Please forgive my shop being momentarily closed. I was just doing my midday prayer to Allah. I am sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused you.”

“Please don’t apologize,” I replied. “The world would probably be a better place if we all paused our business for regular prayer.”

“Thank you, sir. Few customers understand this custom, but there are things in life that are more important than making money.”

Crying in the condo

Last summer Louisa and I spent a few difficult months cleaning our condominium after having to evict a tenant who was a hoarder. We decided to do some renovations before renting it again.

One morning, I was in the condo with a young man, Ahmed, who was measuring the kitchen for a new countertop. He told me he was an immigrant from Pakistan. I told him that I was also an immigrant, more than 70 years ago, from Holland. He asked if I had a family. I told him that, yes, I had a wife and three grown children. I asked him the same question and he began to cry. Yes, he had a wife, but no children. He and his wife had had a son, but he died shortly after his birth, and now his wife was afraid to get pregnant again because she wouldn’t be able to cope with another loss. Ahmed asked me if I believed in God. I told him that I did. He then asked me to pray to God that his wife would have a change of heart and be willing to try for another child. So, Ahmed and I kneeled on the kitchen floor, and he prayed to Allah and I to God for courage for his wife and him to try for another child.

Rupinder, the cell phone salesman and Ahmed; each one a brief encounter with a saint.