Look at all of the lonely people. Do you recall that song from 1966 that the Beatles recorded? The title is actually Eleanor Rigby. It was written by Paul McCartney. Here is a portion of the lyrics:
Eleanor Rigby

Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream,
Waits at the window wearing a face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?
All the lonely people, where do they all come from
All the lonely people, where do they all belong?
Father Mackenzie, writing the words to a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks in the night when there’s nobody there
What does he care?
Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father Mackenzie, wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved

It is a sad song. McCartney wrote it as a reflection of his growing up years, when he would visit elderly people living all alone. He concluded that they would die and no one would notice.

Of course we are surrounded by lonely people. At church, we have a number of elderly people who are unable to get out of their homes on a regular basis. A good number of others are confined to nursing homes. And then there are those among us who are just forgotten. I am reminded of a widower I knew a number of years ago who died in his home. It took the neighbors several days to notice that he had not been out. As I assisted the police in identifying him, I was embarrassed to have to tell the officers that I did not know anything about his next of kin.

This week, however, I am sort of taken back by the walking lonely among us. There are people that we interact with everyday who are lonely. They go about their business, work at their jobs, and perhaps are even perceived as being very social. But internally there is painful loneliness. Several conversations this past week at camp have prompted my awareness of this fact.

I have talked to people this week that I see fairly regularly. I have also interacted with friends I only see at camp every summer. I am taken back by the amount of “stuff” they are carrying around. I am of course referring to “emotional stuff.” At home there is not a forum to share such personal concerns. Or we don’t take time to communicate with each other at that level. These recent conversations have prompted me to be more alert and take more time to communicate with friends. There is a cure for walking loneliness. It is called encouragement and everyone needs it.

Are you among the walking lonely at the present time? Do you suppose a kind word might be helpful? Are you willing to concentrate on the needs and concerns of another person long enough to build them in up in ways that would be helpful? As the second week at camp gets started, that is my primary mission for the next 5 days.  Ah…look at all of the lonely people…