Archive for The Gathering Place "The Gathering Place" is a web community where people can gather and make new friends, share ideas, enjoy a few laughs and learn about many interesting things together. It is a safe place where friends can correspond with each other about what they love.
My friend Sandra just got out of the hospital last night and called a while ago to ask me if I would drive her to pick up her handicapped son from work. Of course I would, but I glanced at myself in the mirror and realized I had done laundry all day long and had never changed out of my jammies. But they are purple plaid jammies, with a purple tee, so I went anyway. And I still haven't combed my hair. I am today in low stress mode, believe it or not.
Here is another *sign* that I should remain in this area, in this house.
Yesterday morning I opened the front door to run down to the mailbox. In my driveway was parked a red truck and one man was standing at the door of it, another man was standing beside my red maple tree in the side yard. I very nearly ran back inside, but before I could, the man beside the truck said, "Hey, Ms. Brown, do you miss going back to school?"
I didn't know him, but knew he had to have been a student at one time, so I walked on down to where he stood and realized the red truck had a city emblem on it, and that the guys had on blue city work shirts. So I spoke with him, and turns out he was a former student, then suddenly from behind me came a big hug across my shoulders, and I turned and saw a more recent student whom I did know. He had been working on the faucet just to the side of my front steps, but enough away that I didn't see him till then.
"Jesse," I said, delighted to see him, and he told me he was so glad I had not forgotten his name. The other one, Daryl, told me how much he appreciated my class and me, etc. Anyway, as it turned out, the meter that reads water usage...it's in the ground and has a round cover over it...it was not functioning, and as far as the city was concerned I was using no water, therefore no water bill. Of course my water was running fine in the house and outside. So we laughed about that, and the 3rd man walked up and said they were going to have to change out the meter. So I said just give me a minute to turn the washer off, because once they turn off the water and turn it back on again, sometimes it spews filthy water in with the first flush, and I wanted my clothes out of the washer if that happened. So Daryl, who seemed to be in charge, said, 'Oh no, you go ahead and finish your laundry and we'll come back after lunch. No problem." And so they did.
They started working and came to tell me that they were turning off the water and it might take about 30 minutes, so I said fine...and they started. As it happened, a pipeline broke and several repairs needed to be made and they were still working at 4 when their day was to end. I had gone out to see if they needed Gatorade or something because it was so hot, and they told me they still didn't have all the parts working. I asked if they could turn my water back on, because otherwise I would be without water all night till 8 this morning. Daryl said: "Ms. Brown, we'll stay till it's fixed, we wouldn't leave you without water." Those guys worked till 7 last night and fixed the entire line and meter, they never stopped working. They even came in and flushed out every line in the house, and also when they were flushing the outside faucets, they watered my flowers both front and back while doing so. I offered to fix sandwiches for them, but they said they never ate earlier than that time anyway.
If you remember, those of you who knew me, after the ice storm, I had no way to get all the debris out of my yard. My grown up former students brought their teenagers and their chainsaws and cleaned it up for me. I had the cleanest yard in town for awhile because of course the men at the other houses had chainsaws and cleaned up their own. I didn't have a man or a chainsaw, but I had beautiful former students.
So after yesterday's job offer, and yesterday's event with the city workers, why would I leave this place?
It was 2 former students who owned the funeral home who came to pick up Bob's body the night he died. I didn't know who they were till they told me, nor did I know they had purchased the funeral home. But they both came and held my hand through it all. My attorney here is a former student. My local doctor tells every body we raised each others kids, I had his 4 in my class and my 2 were his patients.
So it is not yet time for me to leave. I think that was made abundantly clear to me yesterday. I do listen for answers in the wind, and I do believe I now have answers. So I won't be leaving, not today. I reckon I finally realize I am supposed to be here.
God's Warrior
You are indeed a very wise lady. Sounds like a perfect decision and a heck of a lot easier than moving.
