The Ties That Bind

A few nights ago I was watching a familiar comedy on TV.
In the scene was a reference to a necktie.

Odd as it may seem, this took me back to a moment in my life which I will forever cherish...

Many years ago, I was at the grocery store and whilst waiting in line, a very frazzled young man approached the checkout...  He was dressed quite nattily and had an untied necktie about his neck.

"Does anyone know how to tie a tie?" he asked, with more than a trace of frustration.

I said that I did and he beamed.

As soon as I was finished with my purchase we began our conversation...

I went on to explain the ins and outs of the half Windsor, the full Windsor and the four-in-hand.

At the end of it, all I got back from this lovely young man was a look of confusion.

So... there in the store, at the end of the line, I took matters into my own hands.  Literally.

I grasped the tie around his neck and tied it for him dashingly.

I have seen many a person happy and satisfied...

I have seen people fulfilled...

Nothing has ever given me anything quite like the look on this man's face.

I was immediately taken back to the same lesson I had received many years before from my father.  Here I was sharing the same moment... in a grocery store no less.

I left the store that evening knowing that I had connected with a "son" who wasn't mine...

In recalling this long lost memory, I am reminded that we are all fathers... sons... brothers...

I smile still as I write this.

I wonder if he ever remembers that man in the store who took the time to be there...