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Nose for News by Sarah Stultz

A year or two ago, a family moved to Albert Lea who started attending our church.

This family is native to another country and the adults could not speak English.

We tried to communicate with the adults in this family through the children who spoke English when possible or through missionaries with our church who spoke their language.

In the months since, we’ve shared a lot of greetings and smiles, but it has been difficult communicating through words extensively unless we had someone there who could help translate.

On Sunday evening, I was out watering my garden at the Brookside community gardens and noticed that the mother of this family was at the gardens, too. To my delight I found out she has a plot pretty close to mine, and I showed her where mine was.

I thought she was returning to her garden, so I started unwinding the hose and pulling it across the garden to my plot to begin watering. I noticed she was at the next water spigot filling up her watering can.

After her container was full, instead of watering her own garden, she walked around the side of the garden and joined me at the front of my garden as I watered. Right away she joined in, watering the plants along the edge of my plots with the water she retrieved.

“Thank you!” I exclaimed, hoping she might know those words.

She smiled, and we continued watering in silence.

She filled up her watering can a second time, and together we completed the garden.

I know it may not seem like much to most people, but I was so touched by her act of kindness.

For months I have wanted to find a way to connect more with her family and make sure they have everything they need.

I want her and her family to feel like they are loved and that we are grateful they are there with us.

In that moment, as we stood there watering, I felt like she knew, and I felt her share her friendship with me in return.

It left a warm feeling in my heart.

I wasn’t sure if she had gotten a ride to the garden or if she needed a ride home, so through a little gesturing I offered to take her home in my car.

Less than a minute later, her daughter pulled up in the parking lot, and this woman turned the other way to go with her daughter home.

With more smiles and a “goodbye” we were both on our separate ways.

Though my friend wasn’t able to communicate with words, she was able to communicate through service.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Wednesday.