The Hand On His Shoulder A few days ago, I watched two men talking in the parking lot of a grocery store. One of them was laughing. The other wasn’t. If I had been in a hurry, I would have walked past without another thought. Instead, I found myself wondering what had brought them there. Were they lifelong friends? Brothers? A father and son? Had they just received good news? Bad news? One of them reached out and placed a hand on the other’s shoulder. The gesture lasted only