Every person deserves to be acknowledged

Yesterday morning I was having a breakfast meeting in the restaurant of the hotel I am staying in and made a point of looking at and greeting the man that was setting up the buffet. His eyes lit up. His face lit up. His whole posture changed. And his reaction had an equal effect on me.
I realised just by greeting this man and looking at him, I made him feel he was worthy. That he was acknowledged. That he was not just an invisible being floating in the background. He even stood taller. The smile that came onto his face was priceless. The joy that ran through me as a result was wonderful. Uplifting. Touching me in a way I had not even anticipated.
This man did not realise he was my angel for the day. To remind me that every person has a purpose in life. Every person deserves acknowledgement, empathy, compassion and understanding. And it does not matter what his or her standing in life is. If not by the grace of God anyone of us could be in the positions of any one of the people we sometimes overlook.
This man reminded me of this important lesson by the light that came into his eyes simply because I greeted him. No one deserves to be ignored or looked down upon. Everyone deserves to be acknowledged.
I watched him from afar after our encounter and I saw bit by bit his swagger diminish. His shoulders sag. His pride diminishing with each person that came to the buffet table and did not acknowledge him. Overlooked him as if he was piece of the furniture. I sighed deeply and thought of how I will make it a point every morning that I am here to smile at the man, acknowledge him. Thank him for replenishing that buffet because without him there would be no food for any of us staying in this hotel to eat.
A lesson to us all, we are all human. All born from a mother. Seeded by a father. Living on this planet together. Trying to find our place. Our love. Our light. Our happiness. Our passion. Our peace. Some of us have made choices that have allowed us to be in higher social standings than others. But at the end of the day we are all the same. Let's not overlook anyone again particularly when they are in a place of service to us.
Gratitude to the buffet man at my hotel for reminding me of this invaluable lesson. The lesson of how simple it is to bring light into our lives by bringing light into the life of those who may feel they are in darkness.