January 18, 2008
We entertain angels unawares...
I’m walking to work this morning, and as I round the corner, I see her feet sticking out the doorway of a church across the street... the closer I get, the more of her I can see... she sits there in the midst of a jumble of blankets and bags, her skirt pulled up above her knees, her plump legs bare to the morning sun and breeze... she’s eating candy and smiling... I cross the street sooner than I usually do so I can pass by and say good morning, pulling off my gloves and earmuffs as I go... and when I reach her, she says, “Can you help me?”... I tell her I have no cash but she can have these... and the smile that lights up her face as she accepts my gloves is as the sunshine peeking out of storm clouds on a dark day... it brightens the whole street and my morning, too...
I walk on down the street and hear her voice behind me... wait... I want to give you something, too... and I stop and look back to see her moving toward me with a plastic shopping bag in her hand... I wait for her... and she reaches me, all smiles and joy, and pulls a lovely red-straw hat with a red and purple rose on it from the bag and hands it to me... I want you to have this, she says... and I take it from her and settle it on my head... our smiles fill the air between us... and I say thank you... and after we exchange a big hug, she tells me... somebody gave it to me last night and I want you to have it... they said it’s, it’s, it’s... and I finish for her... the red hat club?... and she smiles and exclaims, Yes! but I don’t know where it is... I don’t know how to find it... and I tell her it’s in our hearts... not a place... the red hat club is women over 50, which is me for sure... and she says it’s her, too, but she wants me to have the lovely hat...
And she links arms with me and says she will make sure I get across the street okay... and she dances along beside me... our arms linked... singing an old Beatles song... all you need is love, love... all you need is love... and I sing along with her... we reach the corner... she pushes the button on the light pole... and we wait for the walk signal... we are still singing... she is still dancing... then she walks across the street with me... and we stop and hug each other goodbye... and I walk on to my office... still wearing the red hat... looking back before I enter my building to see her safely cross the street and on her way back to her doorway... still dancing... still smiling...
We entertain angels unawares...
An angel gave her a red hat and it gave her joy...
An angel gave me the red hat and the joy spread to me...
And Tuesday night when I go to the nursing home, an angel will give the red hat to a lonely little lady who always, always, always wears hats... and the joy will spread to her...
And whenever I or anyone else sees her proudly wearing her red hat... the joy will spread to us...
We entertain angels unawares...
Posted by Spiderlillies at 3:58 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
October 12, 2007
i got chance?
she was standing in line at the grocery store... waiting to check out her groceries... when she felt someone staring at her... (you know how it is... you can ‘feel’ someone gazing at you...) she looks up... he turns his head quickly... seemingly embarrassed at being caught... a minute later, she feels his gaze again... looks up... he turns quickly... and she smiles inside her head... (it’s flattering to be noticed even if you’re not in the least interested...) the cashier takes his money... he takes his groceries and leaves... and she forgets the moment... thinking of the welcome that awaits her at home...
when she leaves the store... he is standing outside the door... looking a little lost... as if he is waiting for someone... and as is her custom, she smiles and speaks... good evening... (for you never know if your smile is the only one someone may get that day...) and then goes on her way... loads her groceries into the car... gets in... key in hand... and there is a tapping at the passenger window... she looks up to see him there...
his is not a threatening presence... and she reaches across... rolls the window about one-third of the way down... and he asks in broken english... “i got chance call you sometime?” she replies with a question of her own... “pardon?” he repeats... “i got chance call you sometime?” and understanding dawns... she smiles and shakes her head... “well, you could, but I’m married and my husband wouldn’t like it.”
panic crosses his face... he holds both hands up... palms toward her... and begins to back away... “sorry... sorry... i am sorry...” and breaks into a run...
she laughs to herself... life is never, ever boring... and she goes home to her wonderful husband...
Posted by Spiderlillies at 12:17 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 5, 2007
the missing cookbook...
Inquiring GRITS wanted to know... so I thought and thought and thought...and I finally figured out where the missing cookbook went...
Aliens took it....
No, my dog ate it...
Not the big one... the little one... Minnie, that little four-pounds soaking wet dollbaby... yeah, that’s it... Minnie ate it... okay... gotta write this down so they’ll know... ouch!!!! stubbed my toe again... well, phooey... okay... roll the chair back... get situated... pull the keyboard tray out where I can reach it... lean wayyyyyy forward and start typing... hit the print key... turn toward the printer... ouch!!!! banged my knee... wipe away the tears... back up... lean wayyyyyy foward to retrieve my paper from the printer... ohhhhhhhhh, my aching back... roll back... turn to my desk... ouch!!!!! hit my ankle... uh, oh... the phone is ringing... turn... slide over... ouch!!!! banged my shin again... reach wayyyyyyyyyyy across for the phone... turn to grab a pen... ouch!!!!! there goes my toe again... and I suddenly realize why I’ve been covered in bruises for months... and why I can never, ever, ever get my legs and feet under my desk... it’s the missing cookbook... in pieces and chapters... in illustrations and photos... in boxes... under my desk... waiting to be finished and put together....
Posted by Spiderlillies at 12:38 PM | TrackBack
February 27, 2006
the empress of lost
That's me... the empress of lost...
I'm pretty sure about this... that nobody gets lost more easily... or more often... than I do...
I think the problem is that once you've been lost... all the wrong places look familiar, too... and then the question becomes... do I remember this because it's the right way... or from one of those times I was lost?
Realizing I've lost my way again rarely frightens me... and almost never upsets me... the United States is only so big, you know, and eventually I'll run into something I recognize... and then I'll be back on the right track again... and in the meantime... there's so much to see everywhere I go. It only ever bothers me if someone is waiting at the end of my trip who might be anxious at the delay...
Life is always an adventure... I've met some wonderful people on my detours... and discovered places I might never have found otherwise... like Saturday... when I tried to tell Miracle how to get somewhere I'd been but he hadn't... and we wound up driving down a narrow wooded road around a curve and through an historic old covered bridge... yet somehow ended up right where we needed to be nonetheless...
We'd have missed the bridge if I hadn't gotten us lost...
Posted by Spiderlillies at 12:55 PM | TrackBack
February 17, 2006
Miracle went to New Jersey...
He took the Little One with him for company, and Snuffalupagus stayed home with me. Mostly because she's so big and barky. She's both company and protection. Even Rambo would have trouble getting past her keen awareness of her surroundings.
And while I was at lunch today, Miracle left a voicemail. He said...
Hey, Sweetie. I'm looking at the Empire State Building. I'm sitting in traffic, but I'm looking at it nonetheless. Kind of exciting except for the traffic, which, there's a lot of traffic, and a lot of wind, like 50, 60-miles-an-hour winds. But I've got the Comet on here, and I'm on my way to pick up the motor. I'm a little late, but I'm still on my way. I love you. Bye.
Wow... the Empire State Building. I sat there listening to his voice coming to me from a thousand miles away... missing him immensely even tho he'll be home tomorrow... and I looked out my window to see Stone Mountain looming above the tree tops in the distance. Such different vistas rose before us this day... can you picture it?
Posted by Spiderlillies at 6:22 PM | TrackBack
January 26, 2006
I have a pearl necklace...
It's made up of jewels of wisdom handed down for the most part from Daddy, Momma, Grandma, Grandpa and Granny... and one of the pearls Daddy gave me is that I should always drive on the top half of the gas tank. It gets you just as far as the bottom half, and you never run out of gas.
He's right... and mostly I try to remember that... and even share my pearl with my friends... but I let my attention wander the last few days... and the next thing I knew... the needle had slipped down to the bottom half... and every evening, I'd promise myself to get it in the morning... and every morning, I'd promise myself to get it that afternoon... but this morning when I glanced down, I found the needle below the empty mark... and I began praying... oh, please, please, please, God... let me have enough gas fumes in this thing to coast into a service station... please, please... please...
And He did. My trusty steed sputtered into lifelessness as I pulled into the station and it coasted right up to the gas tank. Whooooooooo Hooooooooo... Jesus... you are the BEST! So I got out of my truck... unlocked the gas cap... reached into my briefcase to get my purse... and... you got it... no purse... it was at home on the kitchen counter. Only one thing left to do... and that's clean the truck out... which I've been meaning to do for days... or maybe weeks... and in so doing, I came up with $2.24... which was almost enough for one gallon of gas... and although a gallon of gas was enough to get me to work... it wouldn't have been enough to get me back home again... so I headed back to the house... edged past the fence I hit last week... parked the truck... stroked the tiger kitty... fed the dogs... found my purse... but still couldn't find my lost ATM card... and headed back out again. A stop at the bank to cancel the lost ATM card... order a new one... and get some cash for gasoline... and I was on my way again...
My life is never, ever, ever dull.
P.S. Daddy... I promise never to do that again... top half all the way from now on... Girl Scout's honor...
Posted by Spiderlillies at 9:59 PM | TrackBack