Down the street is the Old Miller Peach Farm. I grew up on those peaches, the view of the property is the highlight of my morning run. The Miller's sold it just before the economy tanked, the buyers lost it in foreclosure and it went to auction about a year ago. Tim and I thought seriously about buying it, the price was jaw dropping-ly low. The lucky owner lives in the bay area and is taking very good care of the previously neglected orchard. When I saw the PEACHES sign in the driveway, my heart skipped a beat. It has been six years since I've held one of these O'Henry's...far too long. As I pull in I recognize the seller as an older gentleman who walks daily with his wife, I see them often while out running. He stands up, visibly shaking with what I imagine is Parkinson's, and leans over the little table bursting with the ripe fruit.
"Oh Hi!" I say, "I recognize you, do you walk in the mornings?"
He, a little surprised, crosses his arms to control the tremors. "Oh, are you..? Let me ask you something, is your name Juanita? Every day I see you I say a prayer for you and I always say, God Bless Juanita The Runner."
"No" I say, "My name is Dusty."
"Well I'm Wayne Snow and my wife is Sally. And I guess your littlest must be about a year old by now because I remember when you were very pregnant, out there running and then all the sudden you weren't so Sally and I knew you must have had your baby. We prayed for Juanita and her baby." His hands are on his hips now which seems to stabilize him better.
"Yes he is a year old, and thank you for praying for me." At this point I am very humbled to realize that this couple is praying for my family. And after all those mornings of waving from a distance, I am just now finding out their names. We chat awhile, he is a quiet, sweet, dear old man.
It turns out Wayne's neighbor owns the Miller's farm, told Wayne and Sally to pick what they want and keep it, sell it, give it away- he didn't care. So Wayne went out to the orchard, climbed a ladder to pick those precious peaches and is selling them for a quarter a piece. He is giving the money to his friend who opened a free clinic in India, run purely on donations. His generosity is unique and genuine, it gives me hope and faith in the human spirit and makes me think again about prayer...while I am still fizzling in a spiritual crisis, it is still a big deal to learn someone prays for you. The purposeful act of praying for a stranger, like Wayne and Sally did for me, such selflessness cannot go unnoticed, unheard by God. It's different isn't it, when someone you don't know says they have prayed for you. It feels different to me anyway.
