Snippet of Faith

Call me an eavesdropper; and yes, you just might be right.
I love to people watch and listen to random conversations of total strangers.
I simply find the ebb and flow of human voices a comfort and sometimes an abstract diversion from
a heavier thought process which can tend to clog one’s mind at times.
So! I keep my ears open; listen in, with as little intrusion as possible, and the snippets of
shared chit-chat and views paints a far more vivid picture in my mind, adding or detracting from the
vibrancy of the persons physical appearance.
This brings me to the little conversation I overheard yesterday in a beauty supply shop.
I had finished picking the few items that I needed and headed to the counter to pay. There was a little
queue of women and I took my position on the line of the second counter.
A senior Asian lady of undetermined age at the start of the second queue seemed unsure of her
choices and was taking some time to ask the cashier a thousand and one questions.
I must confess, the little impatient imp in me got a bit irritated and I rolled my eyes in exasperation
wondering why she would choose to make everybody wait whilst carrying out a pre-purchase
survey.
As this went on for several minutes, the ladies in front of me chose to move to the other
counter which was flowing pretty well. I was now directly behind the lady (out of my own choice)
and thus, became a willing eavesdropper and observer.

If I had been asked to place her age, I would have put her age bracket around mid-fifties. She was quite compact without any excess pounds sitting on her slight frame. Her short halo of hair was colored a rich auburn though the greying
roots were showing. She was dressed in a black Capri pants, paired with a cotton floral top and black ballet flats. She looked
well put together and did not have the appearance of someone who was unsure of herself.

And so they carried on with their conversation:
The lady: Are you recommending this shampoo, conditioner and coloring product based on
customers experience or as a personal preference, she asked in her nicely accented English?

The Store Attendant: Well Ma’am, I have used these myself and they turned out okay, she
responded, in a tone laced with resignation.

The lady: You know, I am worried that my hair will start falling soon, so I am being a bit more
careful with what I use these days, she said.

Well, that statement drew my eyes back to her hair, and rightly said, they were thinning right in the
middle.

The Store Attendant: We have multivitamins that help with hair growth, I can show you
some of those if you like, she inquired?

The lady: I can’t take any form of medication or vitamins without consulting my doctor, I
have cancer, she declared in a very subdued tone.

My heart sank for this lady whom I did not know and would probably never see again and I flash
back to two years ago, when we lost my dad to the dreaded C.

At this point, I couldn’t help but join the exchange.
Excuse me Ma, if you don’t mind my asking, how old are you?
The lady: Sixty-six years she said.
Me: Wow! Sixty-six I exclaimed! I had placed you ten years younger. You look really good for your
age and if you had not said so, no one would have guessed that you are struggling with such a
burden. How have you managed to keep yourself from falling apart or giving in to the “Why me”
victim mentality, I inquired?
The lady: My faith she said. Even my doctor is surprised. I have another round of chemo next week
and I want to tidy up myself before then. It tends to make me very tired afterwards. I just wanted to try
something different whilst I still have my hair. It’s either I choose to let go or I choose to Let God and
since I choose to Let God, somehow I find the strength to go on with my normal life.
I nodded in agreement. I could only try to imagine what she must be going through based on
my own experience with my dad and if a new hair look will perk up her spirits, then, why not indulge
for as long as she can?
Me: You know Ma’am, these days so many people would question your upbeat attitude in
the face of your adversity and they will be hasty in telling you that God does not exist and if indeed
he does exist, why does he allow bad things to happen to people?
In that calm, accented voice that I found interesting, she stated: I rather live a simple life as right as I can
with faith that there is God, than a life filled with splendor but without faith in God.
With all that said, she paid for her items, I paid for mine and we both left the store.

I wished her well and continued to my car. For several minutes, I sat there mulling over her words. Could faith
really play a huge role in our attitude towards challenges that come our way? Is there any
correlation between faith, healing and success?

I do not have all the answers, but I choose to have just a “snippet of faith”.

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha