Desmond Tutu and chance encounters

We lost many peo­ple in 2021 who led excep­tion­al lives. One of the most notable loss­es was Desmond Tutu, Archbishop of South Africa. He, along with Nelson Mandela, helped lead their coun­try for­ward after the dark years of Apartheid. Tutu went on to become an admired and revered fig­ure worldwide. 

I remem­ber hear­ing this account dur­ing a ser­mon by a for­mer priest at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Winchester. I recalled it again today. It is regard­ing an encounter between Trevor Huddleston, an Anglican priest serv­ing in South Africa, and the young Tutu and his mother:

“Huddleston befriend­ed Tutu when the young boy was sick with tuber­cu­lo­sis and became a men­tor to him for many years. In an ear­ly encounter with Huddleston, Tutu recalls the priest tip­ping his hat at Tutu’s moth­er. Tutu was indeli­bly impressed. It was the first time he had seen a white man raise his hat to a black, work­ing-class woman.”  –Daily Maverick, South Africa, December 26, 2021

Recently a friend and I dis­cussed encoun­ters with indi­vid­u­als dur­ing our many years as help­ing pro­fes­sion­als. He told me of gro­cery store con­ver­sa­tions with peo­ple he remem­bers from many years pri­or, and those he bare­ly remem­bers. Inevitably, the per­son shares an account of the help they received when need­ed from my friend. 

He con­tin­ues to remind me that we sel­dom see the out­come of the seeds we sow, but what a joy it is when we do.

So my wish for you in 2022 is that we approach oth­ers whose paths we cross with kind­ness, dig­ni­ty, and respect.  Because we nev­er know when the encounter with us can be life-changing.

Happy New Year!