Most of the time, things are too ordinary to be worthy of mention. Another day may pass and I wouldn’t know the difference; but there are also things which are beyond depiction. This noon was an example of the latter. Do you know that The Big Man above has a daily plan on whom you’re going to meet everyday? You do not bypass every other face on coincidence. A complete stranger could be your future friend, you’ll just never know. But it’s all in His plan.And it is all a blessing on its own. This is my part of the blessings. Retelling the story might be very difficult, but I’ll walk another mile to deliver this to you in hope that you will be blessed as much as I am.

I had an appointment with a man, who was previously a stranger for me. I had no idea whatsoever about whom he was or anything about the life he led. Why of course there were some bits I’d already acknowledged but they were far from sufficient to build the word “friend”. Or so I thought.

The primary reason why we agreed to meet was simply because he accepted my offer to lend him some DVDs and lunch-hour seemed to be the most feasible time to have an encounter. He needed the DVDs for a research he’s doing for his upcoming book. Yes, he is one hell of a writer. Check his works here. From the first impression, I would say that he looked like an everyday guy. Being thin with an average height and fair complexion, not much to say about him. But the way he carried himself appeared to be very well collected.

The conversation rolled all natural. But brick by brick, I began to see wonders started to unveil.In front of me, was a man with his problems and there he was, telling me stories with a smile on his face. Laughter appeared once in a while and his face lit up when he talked about books, music, and most importantly, his beloved wife and his children.

Well, what did I know? Long story short, the man turned out to be way bigger than his body could contain. Deeper than just skin deep, he is a very well articulated gentleman with a polished manner. In a less-than-two-hour conversation, I learnt a lot. I learnt about the man himself, his family, and parts of his life.  Moreover, I learnt about faith, hope, acceptance, passion and compassion, strength, and courage. I learnt about life, the one I knew already and the one whose existence I never knew about. I learnt about life, the high and the low. I learnt about love.

By the time I had to go back to the office, I had found myself a new friend. Well maybe “found” isn’t an appropriate word. I would prefer to say that God has given me a blessing in a form of a new friend. The stranger is now my new brother. Dear friends, allow me to introduce Mr. Fajar Jasmin

PS. Oom Fajar, it really is an honor for me to know you personally [and Tante Leonnie, it would be a great privilege for me if we could have an encounter next time]. Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity. And anytime I could be of any help, please do not hesitate to let me know. I would be more than happy to lend a hand for you and your family. God bless all of us!

To live is to love, to love is to live. Cheers!