Monday, 08 June 2009

• Today at work a woman came in and as I started talking to her I was struck again at how interesting people are.  She was an attractive woman about my age, and was sporting a handmade purse she had made out of Starbuck packages.  At first glance it wasn't obvious that her bag was made out of Starbuck coffee packages, but when I asked her where she got it, she told me she had made it.  She just moved here with her husband from Alaska.  Her husband works for B.P. and in the hour she was in the store I found out she was a Christian, they went to Pinion Hills Community Church yesterday, they are looking for a new home (in the $300,000 range), she has lived in nine states, she has three kids, two grand kids, a kid who lives in Alaska still, a kid in college near Denver and a kid in Alabama (I believe).  We talked about where she should live (she was meeting a realtor at 1:00 p.m.) and she wanted to know where all the thrift stores were.  I suspect we'll all get to know her, I hope so, anyway.  Her name is Gail.  In Alaska they snowshoed and cross country skiied out their back door.  They were only there for two years, before that they were in Denver.  While Gail was in the store, one of our "regulars" came in.  The contrast and difference between the two women couldn't have been more obvious or startling.
  
  After this woman left I told Gail a little about her.  Her name is Kathy and she looks worse everytime I see her.  I don't think she's homeless, but she looks worse than most of the homeless people down here.  She wants a "Chatty Kathy" doll.  How she will ever be able to afford one, I don't know, but she does buy things from us.  My guess is she's mentally ill and on so many drugs she doesn't know if she's coming or going.  She's dirty and reeks of cigarette smoke, she walks with her head down, with her dirty hair covering up most of her face.   My heart goes out to her.  I try always try to  talk to her, connect in some way with her.  When there are other customers in the store, I know she makes them uncomfortable, but I want to see her as a real person, with real wants and desires and hopes and dreams.  What does she dream?  Does she have any hope at all anymore?  I don't know.  I wish I knew her better or that she would talk, but she doesn't, I'm sure she has been beaten up if not physically, emotionally for sure.
  
  Last night Doyle officiated at a wedding at San Juan Country Club for a young woman who've we known since she was probably four years old.  We've lost touch with her over the years, reconnected, lost touch and connected again.  Her story is confusing, she is confusing, but when she wanted someone to marry her, I told her I thought Doyle would do it.  She has been coming to our Tapestry Women's group that meets once a month, for the past year.  Her mother and I are old friends, but have mostly lost touch too.  But anyway, we really like her new husband, Heath and really like his parents.  We connected with them almost instantly.  The wedding was beautiful and Doyle did an awesome job officiating.  He got many, many compliments.  He kind of thought that was strange, but I told him, that it was obvvious to everyone that he had put a lot of thought into his eight minute message, and he really connected with the audience.  You could have heard a pin drop most of the eight minutes (and we were outside on the golf course!).  I am very proud to call him my husband.  I hope Angela and Heath lhave a long, happy life together.
  
  (Side note..... I found out in talking to Gail that she had seen the wedding last night as they were driving around the country club.  She wondered who it was, and then today she found out we were there!  Strange!  My friend, Jill and her husband Ken were playing golf last night and saw the wedding too, and wondered who it was.  She laughed when I told her we were all there!)
  
  

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