I attract "characters" like an industrial magnet. It's as if a magnetic aura surrounds me. Not everyone can see/feel this aura - only the strange and wonderful - and they are unable to resist the pull.
Here's the story of this particular character and the joy that she brought into my life.
My grandson is turning 13. Imagine all the cliches about time flying - I feel them all looking at this child.
ANYWAY... Bryce plays football. His number is 8. His dad gave him a beautiful gold chain for Christmas with a number 8 charm to put on it. Bryce's mom and dad weren't sure he'd like the chain and/or number, so the number they bought him was gold plated rather than 14K gold. Well... Bryce loved the chain AND the 8 - so much in fact, that he wore all the plating off of the 8. His father suggested that I might want to purchase a 14k gold number 8 for Bryce for his birthday. Great idea! I'm in!
So... off to the hunt. I saw some 14K gold numbers to order online - which would arrive after Bryce's birthday - so my oldest son suggested that I might find one at the mall in one of the kiosks so that I would have it in time for his birthday celebration. Great idea! (These guys are soooo smart)
Michael and I went out to dinner, which is not something we do often - so many dietary restrictions and so little energy, By the end of the day, I'm usually out of steam. (Do you know about the Spoon Theory? If not, find an explanation in this post: https://despitethedarkness.blogspot.com/2017/08/putting-in-time.html#more) I was pretty much "done" by the time we finished - my spoons depleted - but the mall was just across the street, so we decided to go and take a quick look.
We found the kiosk easily and asked the woman working at the kiosk (let's call her Dana), if she had a 14k (or even 10K) gold number 8. She was a petite black woman wearing a baseball hat, jeans, a t-shirt, gold sparkly sneakers, and a HUGE smile. I was dressed in jeans, sandals, a shirt, and a bandana covering my almost-bald head, dark circles under my eyes - no smile.
After looking thoroughly in each display case, she told us, "I don't have any here, but let me check with the kiosk at the other end of the mall for you."
As she called the kiosk at the other end of the mall, she began searching the internet on the computer in the kiosk. The kiosk at the other end of the mall didn't have any gold numbers either. That wasn't enough for her. She made a few more calls, but couldn't find the charm for us. I can't remember when I experienced service to that level. She was just exceptional.
She asked about the bandana, and I told her that I had just finished chemo the week before and that I had no hair. She laughed and took off her baseball cap. Bald! B-A-L-D.
Laughing, with an infectious deep pitched belly laugh, she said, "I'm too old to mess with hair every day. No thanks! I shaved it off. Done." I had to laugh with her as Michael and I turned to head toward the mall exit.
"I feel like you have a birthday soon. Do you?," she asked, cheerily.
"I do", I answered, incredulous. "My birthday is the 20th of this month."
"I just knew it," she answered loudly, laughing. (she laughed a LOT) "Which way are you headed? I'll walk with you a little bit." We pointed to the direction we were going and she moved next to me as we started to walk.
With her cap still off, bald head exposed, the woman started singing Stevie Wonder's 'Happy Birthday to you" - with the most wonderful voice - at the top of her lungs - walking down the mall next to me (me on my mobility scooter).
She walked part way with us and then waved (still singing) as we moved away from her.
I looked at Michael and told him how thankful I was for her help and for her presence that particular day. This last chemo was rough. I was tired and didn't feel well. It had been a long day - I pushed harder than I should have (a recurring theme) and I had been missing Greg a lot that day.
I am grateful that God not only loves me - but that he puts this kind of person in my path at the times that I need them most.
Thank you, God, for the characters in my life. I love them all.
Here's the story of this particular character and the joy that she brought into my life.
My grandson is turning 13. Imagine all the cliches about time flying - I feel them all looking at this child.
ANYWAY... Bryce plays football. His number is 8. His dad gave him a beautiful gold chain for Christmas with a number 8 charm to put on it. Bryce's mom and dad weren't sure he'd like the chain and/or number, so the number they bought him was gold plated rather than 14K gold. Well... Bryce loved the chain AND the 8 - so much in fact, that he wore all the plating off of the 8. His father suggested that I might want to purchase a 14k gold number 8 for Bryce for his birthday. Great idea! I'm in!
So... off to the hunt. I saw some 14K gold numbers to order online - which would arrive after Bryce's birthday - so my oldest son suggested that I might find one at the mall in one of the kiosks so that I would have it in time for his birthday celebration. Great idea! (These guys are soooo smart)
Michael and I went out to dinner, which is not something we do often - so many dietary restrictions and so little energy, By the end of the day, I'm usually out of steam. (Do you know about the Spoon Theory? If not, find an explanation in this post: https://despitethedarkness.blogspot.com/2017/08/putting-in-time.html#more) I was pretty much "done" by the time we finished - my spoons depleted - but the mall was just across the street, so we decided to go and take a quick look.
We found the kiosk easily and asked the woman working at the kiosk (let's call her Dana), if she had a 14k (or even 10K) gold number 8. She was a petite black woman wearing a baseball hat, jeans, a t-shirt, gold sparkly sneakers, and a HUGE smile. I was dressed in jeans, sandals, a shirt, and a bandana covering my almost-bald head, dark circles under my eyes - no smile.
After looking thoroughly in each display case, she told us, "I don't have any here, but let me check with the kiosk at the other end of the mall for you."
As she called the kiosk at the other end of the mall, she began searching the internet on the computer in the kiosk. The kiosk at the other end of the mall didn't have any gold numbers either. That wasn't enough for her. She made a few more calls, but couldn't find the charm for us. I can't remember when I experienced service to that level. She was just exceptional.
She asked about the bandana, and I told her that I had just finished chemo the week before and that I had no hair. She laughed and took off her baseball cap. Bald! B-A-L-D.
Laughing, with an infectious deep pitched belly laugh, she said, "I'm too old to mess with hair every day. No thanks! I shaved it off. Done." I had to laugh with her as Michael and I turned to head toward the mall exit.
"I feel like you have a birthday soon. Do you?," she asked, cheerily.
"I do", I answered, incredulous. "My birthday is the 20th of this month."
"I just knew it," she answered loudly, laughing. (she laughed a LOT) "Which way are you headed? I'll walk with you a little bit." We pointed to the direction we were going and she moved next to me as we started to walk.
With her cap still off, bald head exposed, the woman started singing Stevie Wonder's 'Happy Birthday to you" - with the most wonderful voice - at the top of her lungs - walking down the mall next to me (me on my mobility scooter).
She walked part way with us and then waved (still singing) as we moved away from her.
I looked at Michael and told him how thankful I was for her help and for her presence that particular day. This last chemo was rough. I was tired and didn't feel well. It had been a long day - I pushed harder than I should have (a recurring theme) and I had been missing Greg a lot that day.
I am grateful that God not only loves me - but that he puts this kind of person in my path at the times that I need them most.
Thank you, God, for the characters in my life. I love them all.
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