Some people stay in your heart or on your mind after an initial meeting or brief contact. Maybe you have just met them. Maybe you have known them all your life. Sometimes you see them for just a few minutes, but they linger in your heart or on your mind for days afterward. Or sometimes you think of someone out of a clear blue and they linger in the corner of your mind. I have always attributed such thoughts to God's way of telling me to say an extra little prayer for that person. It seems like a lot of people like that have come across my mind and heart lately.
The other day I went to the license branch. I was not feeling at all well but I wanted to get it over with. I walked in and the line was about 10 deep. I took a deep sigh and took my place in line. It moved along quick enough for the check in process, the gal told me to take a seat and they would call my name. My name was called before I even got over to the waiting area!
The lady who waited on me breezed right through it all and then voila! Hit the wrong button... she had to get a supervisor to void it and start all over. I remained patient and in a very good mood, which was normally the point where my toe would have started to tapping, but for some reason it didn't bother me. Towards the end of the transaction, she looked at me with tears in her eyes, apologized and told me she was going to quit her job. She was older than the rest of the people working there, she had been off work due to her husband being ill and then passing away, and too many changes had taken place and she just didn't think she could catch up and ever do her job right again. I felt so bad for her, I wanted to climb across the counter and give her a hug, and now I wish I would have. I encouraged her to keep her job because being out around people was probably very good for her, wished her a good day and was on my merry way. She has hardly left my mind since. I hope she finds peace.
A couple of weeks ago, I ran into a former employee of my ex-husband's. We talked briefly. He called me later in the day and said he was going thru a divorce and asked for my thoughts, advice and pointers on divorce. I gave him the low down skinny, in the court system its black and white, no fault, 50/50. Do the division, resolve it and move on. Keep the gray out of it, gray is emotion and gray makes the attorneys rich. He understood what I was saying.
Well needless to say, he remained on my mind for days. Yesterday I called him, told him that I knew he was busy but I just wanted him to know that I understand what he is going through and how tough it can be not knowing who your friends are anymore, who you can trust, who is judging you and why... I offered my shoulder anytime he needed someone to talk to. It reduced him to tears. That was not my intent, however he was extremely appreciative and said I absolutely hit it on the head of exactly what he is feeling.
Sometimes I forget with my own kids how tough things can get. It seems like my daughter and I have been arguing about everything lately. I really cracked down on her the other day because things were just getting out of hand. I said what I had to say, gave the punishment that needed to be given and walked away from it. She tiptoed around me for hours. I didn't even stop to think - I did not offer any reassurance to her, I had only given her my disapproval, the whys of it, and the punishment. I later said something to her during a tv show and she started bawling, I asked why, and she responded with "I thought you were so mad at me that you would never talk to me again." It broke my heart. I hugged her and told her how much I loved her and she needed that more than anything in the world. So did I. Sometimes we forget.
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