“No Man Is an Island”

I waited behind the cart that was parked in the middle of the grocery-store aisle. The shopper was engrossed in viewing the rotisserie chicken displayed in the heated glass warmer. Eventually sensing that someone was behind her, the smiling customer looked my way and said, “I am looking at food.” The supermarket was filling up with panicked buyers (or so I thought) since we, in the United States Virgin Islands, were expecting yet another tropical storm. Winds were predicted to reach 125 miles per hour. Heavy rain was also projected, although that would be nothing compared to the two category 5 hurricanes that we had experienced two years earlier.

I, too, was looking for food but not fish, meat, or poultry. Rather, my fruit supply was exhausted, and I needed to restock.

Eating a piece of fruit is better than crunching on chips, I reasoned while looking at the fresh produce display. Then I saw another shopper, a man, looking at the avocados and squeezing each one before deciding which ones to take.

“I wish I were an avocado,” I quipped, “because sometimes I feel as if I need a squeeze.” He smiled kindly and said, “Sometimes we all need a little squeeze.” Subsequently, I began thinking about how fearfully and wonderfully God has made each of us. He created us not only with the physical need for nutritious food but also with the need to have social, intellectual, and emotional support and fulfillment.

A long-ago poet once wrote these often-quoted words: “No man is an island.”* How true! The Bible exhorts us to be our brother’s keeper, for anyone who needs our help is our neighbor. What kind of neighbor are you?

Hyacinth V. Caleb