"The face of a stranger on a train - the one you tell all your troubles to." Someone told me that when I was young, and I had to laugh and smile and acknowledge its true! I make friends whereever I go; people tell me their stories ...(do they realize I'm a writer?!). And then, I moved to Kentucky, and such conversations are few and far between, and so when they do happen - I feel blessed and honored and restored to being "me" -- even when they vastly upset me, like what happened this morning in Kroger's ...
I would say the lady I bunked into - a complete stranger - was maybe in her late 50s? We started talking about dogs, our dogs. She lived with her Mama, and her other blood relatives in this world (using her own expression that came right out of her mouth) is a cousin here, a son out West married with three kids - not one of these other relatives sounded like anyone she was really bonded with. That was okay! She had Mama!
Then Mama died.
Her doctor, she explained in a confidential tone, was worried about her. He was glad she was working at an answer the phone position in an office, but he was concerned about her going back to an empty house - so he suggested she adopt a dog. Love that doctor!!! She did so, and its been the best thing ever!!! She walks now all the time ; she meets her neighbors and gets to know them close enough to where she feels free to give them nicknames; she goes to the park - all these wonderful, loving, and yes filling of time ways that only a beloved dog (or cat or even bird) can fill <3
And then the conversation turned. It turned in my stomach, in my spirit. I didn't know what to say to the woman. Honest to God, all I could think about was coming home to blog about it - as a form of prayer - as a form of asking others to pray for her --
Well don't you know! that since Mama died not only has she adopted a dog -- her boss has become very -- concerned and attentive to her, also : visiting her when she was in the hospital, taking care of that dog, and here's where it clicked together for me - "oh don't you worry none," her boss told her, "if anything happens to you, don't inconvenience your family with your home and your dog - just will it all to me and I'll take care of everything!"
Yeah, I bet she will.
The lady was so innocent, as I once was, that she thinks her boss is the best friend in the world a lonely woman can have, after a dog ... I stood there and I just didn't know how to begin to tell her, that even if its just a few dollars, even if its a fixer upper special house (which it didn't sound like it) -- its a dollar more than the person befriending you suddenly, has. And the world is in the mouth of the evil one - Bible says so. I've had more than my fill of people who act like your best friend in the world - just so they can steal the gold outta your teeth.
Oh sure - there are good people out there not like that! I know that! But there are more the other kind ... and your boss, suddenly getting very friendly and saying what's been said ... yeah. She's not invisible to me, but she sure can't be seen for her crookedness by this sweet lady with grey hair and size 4 shoes shopping in Kroger's this morning.
Let's, as they say, name and claim, that Scripture, for her : the one about being as innocent as doves and wise as serpents.
Because we are SURELY more surrounded by the latter, than the former!
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