Serendipity Sunday

It was bound to happen.

I have spoken my mind on many of those silly posts about getting road rage in a store…I KNOW, people are just being funny, but some of the comments are so rude, I just can’t “move on” without speaking for the voiceless.

For the life of me, I wonder why simple things like that cause so much distress.  Say “excuse me” and move on. 

As someone who was honored to push both parents in wheelchairs, I have received the heavy sighs, rude crossings to get past us, and nudges in my butt from carts and doors slammed in my face by impatient shoppers.  I have sat in the truck as my Daddy drove way too slow, and prayed for the drivers behind us to be blessed in some unexpected way for having to slow down because of my Daddy, who served his time in this life, and deserved to be on that road just like everyone else…

If we are so lucky, we will each get old and someone will have to push us, or wait for us to get out of their way…BE KIND…If you are running behind, then leave earlier next time…stuff happens, you know!

Well, now, back to my story.

It happened.

Here I was stuck behind a lady with about 25 items and 30 coupons.  She had 4 children, who thankfully, were not with her.  She was on the phone.  I bet she REALLY spoke a foreign language…and now, great, she was pulling out a card to pay, which I am sure, was a food stamps card…sigh…

No, wait…I MIGHT have exaggerated just a wee wittle bit…let’s flash back a few minutes.

As I was coming around the corner, heading to the check out, I saw one of my favorite people~~Miss Mary Schott.  I LOVE Fred and Mary.  They have been in my world my whole life, because He was the pastor of the church my family attended when I was born.  I have been referred to my entire life by him, as BABY CHARLOTTE, because that is what my brother called me when I was born.  Fred and Mary have tirelessly served our community. He was a State Trooper, and she was in charge of our county election office.  They are two of the most talented and loving people and it breaks my heart to know that “Pappy” is entering the end of his life with such a tough time.  Miss Mary, I believe, is as beautiful as she was 30 years ago.  Oh, how blessed I am to have had them in my life.  Fred was famous for telling jokes, and it finally got to the point that Mother had to tell him to STOP telling a joke before the choir went out for the service!  She also said, she would HATE to be stopped by him to get a ticket, because she is sure, he could make someone feel two inches tall, and not be unkind!  What a man…what a friend…Oh, and one last thing.  It was his Aunt Sophie who gave us the saying, “hurt in the fracus”.  When asked if someone was HURT IN THE FRACUS, she said, “no, I think it was a couple of inches below.”  BWAH HA HA HA HAAAAAA

See, it was people like this who gave us plenty of words to use without cussing!! 

As I was chatting with Miss Mary, Who came around us, but one more of my most favoritest people in the world~~Erin.  I have known this child her whole life.  Her grandparents, Reese and Lois Earheart, attended the same church as we did…they had a bunch of kids (maybe 6?  Les, Joel, Mark, Andy, Terri, Susan…are there more?), and no, we are not Catholic!  I can vividly remember the going away service when they moved to Camden~~it was one of the saddest days of my childhood, plus Andy was the age of me and my brother, and we were losing a play mate.  Back when church members actually knew each other and supported each other, we were attending the wedding of one of that bunch, when we got the SHOCKING NEWS that Les and Linda had married earlier in the day!!  WHAT??? NO fancy invitations, parties and receptions?  HOW DARE THEY~~LOL…it was the beginning of how they would live their lives.  They went on to populate the church, as his parents did, with Chuck, Emily, Ellen, Chris and Erin…That bunch of kids was brilliant, just like their parents.  It has been fun to watch them grow and have their own children.  Luckily, Reese and Lois moved back to our neck of the woods, and we got to love them, all over again.   Miss Lois had a stroke and became unable to speak for us to understand, but that brilliant smile on the front pews as she joyfully sang is still a cherished memory.  The humor of Mr. Reese and Les was priceless.  It was NEVER a good thing when Les sat behind me in the choir…his running commentary and pokes caused me much laughter.  Dr. Linda Earheart, is one of the neatest ladies (and a beloved educator) I have ever met and I so enjoyed our after church conversations, just about random topics.  The world is BETTER for having had all of these saintly folks (well, we are using the word “saintly” in a reverent way) in it, and the world is a sadder place without Miss Lois, Mr. Reese and Les~~tears fall as I type about them.

I could go on for pages about the antics and my love for this family, but I know, you all have things to do~~not better things to do, but just things to do.  I just want you all to know that these folks have made my life better. I hope you have people like them in your corner of the world.

SO, I let Erin in front of me at the checkout, because I knew we would get to chat and laugh some more, and YES, she has 4 children~~one is her husband, and then 3 little girls, that look JUST like those Earthearts that I remember growing up.  Yes, She really was on the phone with her husband, and she was trying to get him OFF the phone because she KNOWS how rude it is to talk on your phone as you check out…AND yes, she really had about 25 items and 30 coupons, but in all fairness, she told me she had coupons!!  LOL…

Another lovely day seeing 2 of my favorite people and remembering that not all 3D peeps are scary, well, wait, Erin IS kinda scary, but boy, do I love her.  She is my kinda people. AND what a sweet and kind cashier we had to put up with us.  I think I can easily say, it was another pleasant day of shopping.  

Thank you, God, for friends and for people who get up each day and go to their jobs and make the most of what lies before them…Thank you for the example of service that YOU gave us through your Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior.  May I have a heart  like YOU to share WHAT matters and to reflect what YOU have taught me, and Lord, please help me to be a better student and remove the stones from my often hard heart, to see things through Your eyes and to help where I am needed.  Thank you for the teachers, like Les, Fred and Mary, who have taught me of Your love…AMEN.

Oh, and YES, We were some of those people who were BLOCKING the aisles, and I did my best to apologize and to be my funny self…REMEMBER, next time you get frustrated with people blocking the aisle, YOU should be so blessed to stop for a moment to chat with someone that is important to you.  Do your best to get out of the way, and apologize to others, but do NOT let a small aisle stop you for spending a moment with someone you love, and don’t begrudge others the same.  LIFE is too freaking short to get so out of whack over something so silly, AND don’t worry about those “old people” who are eating all the samples~~it might be all the food they get for the day, and besides, what business is it of yours??  Say a prayer for them the next time you see hate boiling up inside you…it MIGHT be YOU one day…carry on…

How little effort it takes to be kind. How little effort it takes to find beauty.
How amazing that even though we do little to deserve them, blessings drop round us like manna. Find them! ~~charlotte♡