This is the continuation of a story I started writing a week or so ago.  It sort of took on a life of its own and became waaaay too long for one post.  So…here’s the rest of the story.  As you remember, I have quite an affinity for handmade jewelry and I’m sharing some of my favorite pieces with you.

Just to show you what can be done with old jewelry, notice the chain on this bracelet.  This was a choker chain that I had several diamonds on.  I had designed it and had it made years ago and was tired of it.  So, we removed the diamonds, and doubled the chain.

Then I had this little charm that Mom and Pop bought on a trip they took around the world.  This blue stone is called ‘LAPIS LAZULI‘.  Have you ever heard of it?

(Sorry, it’s the teacher in me…I have to tell you about this stone…)

*****It is mentioned in the Bible, in the book of Exodus.  Before Moses went up into Mt Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, the Lord instructed him to come to the mountain with several leaders and elders. . . . .  “⁹ Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up ¹⁰ and saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. ”  Exodus 24:9-10  *****

*****Strangely enough, the stone ‘lapis lazuli‘ was also referred to as a ‘sapphire’ in Biblical times.  This is not to be mistaken for the sapphire of our day, which is the corundum, a stone that was not known in ancient times.  So remember that when you read the word ‘sapphire’ in the Bible, you are actually reading about ‘lapis lazuli‘.

*****Theophrastos, a Greek scholar, in his book on stones, refers to Lapis Lazuli as ‘blue with gold-white specks.’

*****Sapir (“sapphire” Ex 28:18). In the OT this is referred to among the most precious stones (Job 28:16).  Ezekiel sees the firmament as resembling the sapphire and his vision of the Garden of Eden includes the sapir (Ezek 28:13).   “You were in Eden, the garden of God;  Every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz,and emerald, chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, sapphire (lapis lazuli),turquoise and beryl…”

LAPIS LAZULI Lapis Lazuli is a beautiful, rich ultramarine-blue stone consisting largely of lazurite and speckled with yellow pyrite. Lapis was one of the most sought after and prized stones of ancient times. It was used for jewelry, ornamentation, seals, and amulets. It was also used extensively for inlaying. Egyptian blue paint was made from finely ground lapis. This stone has been found in abundance in archaeological digs of ancient civilizations, including King Tut’s tomb which held many beautiful specimens of lapis jewelry dating to 1350 BC. Mines in Afghanistan have been producing gem lapis lazuli for nearly 5000 years and are still the worlds largest producer of the material. Most scholars agree that lapis lazuli is actually the stone meant for the term “sapphire” in the Bible. Sapphires were not known before the Roman empire and were initially considered to be jacinth. The Elder Pliny (AD 23-69) gives a description of sappir (translated by most as sapphire) as being like the night sky, spangled with stars, and Theophratus (372-287BC) describes “sappir spotted with gold.” These descriptions definitely indicate the lapis lazuli.

*****FROM- Answers.com

I am so enjoying wearing it!  I had it on an old charm bracelet, but for many years it has lain in an old jewelry box. And, to have a precious stone around my wrist that is the same as God had under His feet gives me an incredible feeling of gratitude for the beauty He created in His world.

This is one of my favorite pieces from Hawaii.  It is all hand braided and contains beautiful natural pearls and sterling silver pieces.  The clasp is a teeny bird on a branch with a birdcage.  This is such a beauty!

Can you tell how very tiny the work on the braiding is?  (Please ignore the red nail polish)

Next is a fun piece that I bought at one of my all time favorite boutiques in Birmingham, White Flowers.  This piece is all sterling silver and  handcrafted by an artist the shop represents.  I love the hammered heart and the tiny crown sitting atop it.  Even the chain is handmade, as well.

And here is merely gathered and strung.  Also from Hawaii, these little shells are gathered in a very hard to access area on the island of Maui.  These are so beautiful, nothing else is needed.  Each shell is different and full of color.  It’s true that the Master Designer makes things that are more beautiful than we can even imagine!

Next is a series of bangles that I bought in Maui.  The black stones are lava rock from the volcanoes that formed the islands.  They are cut into chunks and rounded and polished into these lovely beads.  The white are tiny shells with a natural hole formed from the ocean waves, and the green ones are sea glass found on the beach.  The bangles are hand hammered and the stones are all found by the artist personally.

And, the final one is a beautiful hand hammered simple cross bangle.  The cross is integrated into the design, not just added on.  Love this!

And that winds it up for Part 2 of this post.  I love this beautiful jewelry.  But they are all just things.  My worth and value in this world is not tied to these.  They are fun to wear and pretty to look at, but not extremely valuable, other than the enjoyment they bring me.

I love jewelry and enjoy wearing it, but it is not my treasure.  No, my treasure is my relationshop with my Heavenly Father.  My treasure is the knowledge that I will live in Heaven with Him one day.  That is the only thing I can leave this world with.  Praise the Lord!

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matt. 6:19-21

I love handmade things.  Doesn’t matter what…just the thoughts that the item was created with the ‘human touch’ …is enough to endear it to my heart.  As a ‘some-times artist’ myself, I appreciate the thought and planning that comes with the creative process.  In my case, I will get an idea…then I need to mull it over for a few days.  And, at the strangest times, the process will pop into my head and I can see how to get it done.

But this post is not about the artist in me, but other artists whom I do not even know, though I own some of their work and I feel a kinship to them.  I thought you may enjoy seeing it also.  Recently, I decided to rid myself of all the jewelry I was not wearing and not intending to wear again.  I had a lot of random pieces and knew that a discerning eye could help me decide how to ‘take-it-apart’ and ‘put-it-back-together’ in a new and different way.  I also had several pieces that belonged to my Mom that needed some work.  My jeweler and I started working several months ago and have just recently gotten it finished.  I had begun changing my jewelry from yellow gold to white gold a while ago and decided to sell my yellow gold and use the money to offset the cost.  I was surprised at just how much I got from selling my yellow gold and a few pieces of white gold.   Following are a few of the pieces.

You have seen this pendant before, but this is a chain that was handmade by an artist who works with my jeweler.  It is perfect for this pendant, because it looks heavier than it really is. I especially like the way it replicates the detail work around the stone.  Love it!  (By the way, this is a large mother-of-pearl piece that belonged to my mom.  It was purchased by her in Thailand.)

These are 2 more pieces that belonged to my Mom.  And, they are quite rare.  Mom and Pop had some dear friends who were missionaries in Guatemala.  They would go and stay with them for a month’s time and help out with whatever ministries were going on.  On one of their trips, they gave Mom these pieces of jade.  They are pieces that were excavated from some of the Mayan ruins in the area.  Mom considered them real treasures and they actually are.  I am priviledged to care for them now.  This delicate little chain was handmade just to accentuate these pieces.  It has a really neat pattern.  Can you tell that the larger piece hangs in the middle and the smaller one over to one side?  I hope I got a clear enough picture so that you can see the detail that was carved into this jade stone hundreds of years ago.

This sterling bracelet was purchased on a trip to Savannah, GA. with my friends, Shirl and Tina.  The artist had a little stall in a retail area.  I especially loved it because one side is solid and one side is links.  The solid part fits around your arm on the side.  Neat, huh?  I have always worn it just as it was made, but my jeweler suggested adding a charm to it.  Now, this charm was hand made by the same artist who made the 2 chains above.  We added 4 tiny diamonds to each end of the cross.  I think the charm changes the whole look of the bracelet.  Love this and I find myself wearing it all the time, now.

Next is a new piece that is so special.  Joy and I discovered the neatest boutique in Birmingham and we visit it each time we go.  Last time we were there,  I came upon this treasure way in the back of a glass case.  And, I knew it was meant for me.  When the clerk pulled it out, she exclaimed, “I didn’t even know we had this…or it would have gone home with me!”  Lucky me!  It is designed and made by an artist in California. What is so neat is that each piece is so beautiful…but should it be turned around, it’s as beautiful on the back!  So, here’s a shot of the front and then the back.  I think this will be especially nice in the fall.

I must stop here and tell you a story.   I started this post about 2 weeks ago, and got to this point.  Then I remembered that I had also taken Mom’s charm bracelet to be repaired and a handful of charms she had loose in her jewelry box to be added to it.  I went to get it so I could make a picture and add it to this post.  It was not in her jewelry box.  It was not in my jewelry box.  It was not in my seasonal jewelry box.  It was not in any of the 3 drawers of my vanity area in my closet.  It was not in any of the 12 drawers that hold clothes in my closet.  It was not in the 6 drawers next to my sink in the bathroom.  It was not in any of the 20 drawers in my studio.  It was not in any of the seat cushions in my studio.  It was not under or in any of the excessives boxes and such that I have in the closet in my studio.  It also was not in any purse I have used in the last 6 months.  It was not in the seat cushions in my car, nor under any seat or in any crevice in my car. It was not in the kitchen, nor any drawer in the kitchen. And, it was not still at the jewelers.  I asked 3 times.  I searched every room…kitchen, library, laundry…it was nowhere to be found.  I had told Joy and Pop that I had it fixed and they were anxious to see it.  How could I ever tell them that I had lost it?  I have been sick everytime I have thought about it.  I even looked inside every shoe I have!  Though why it would be in there I have no idea…except for the fact that one time Mom lost a very, very expensive piece of jewelry and had searched everywhere for it.  She had even reported it to the insurance and they were in the process of replacing it.  Then one day, she was moving some shoes she had not worn in ages……..and there was her bracelet…..INSIDE HER SHOE !  I get it honest, friends, is all I’m saying!

Saturday, I finally sat down and had a cry about it.  Not a breakdown or anything…but, eyes wet, nonetheless.  And THEN, I talked to my Heavenly Father.  I told him what I had done…and how upset I was.  I reminded Him that I was certain He knew exactly where it was.  And, I asked Him to kindly lead me to it.  And, I asked Him, please, if I did not take a good hint to find it…would He just please KNOCK ME OVER THE HEAD WITH IT?  Because He knows me well.   “Cast all your care on Him for He cares for you.”  1 Peter 5:7   And, He knows that that is what it takes sometimes for me.  Once in a while….occasionally.  I kept looking after I prayed.  Nothing.  No clues, no new places to look.  Nothing. Nada. Nyet.

I did not intend for this story to ramble on so, but this is an important part.  I cut my toe last week.  And, it has been very slow to heal.  It is OK if I don’t have to wear shoes.  The last 2 days, I have been soaking it in peroxide to maybe help it or something.  And, it is looking better…but it has gotten so much sorer.  In fact, the pain has gone up into my ankle.  But the cut itself seems to be healing.  Anyway, I could hardly walk yesterday morning, so I couldn’t go to church.  As, I’ve lain on the daybed in my studio, I’ve looked over every inch in this room where I thought the bracelet could be. Every one of them have been checked.  Then it suddenly came to me that I had not checked the box where I store my various glues.  Though heaven knows why it would be there…the important part is that I had not checked it.  So, I hobbled over to my work table, and pulled all the glue out of the box.  Nothing…only glue.  Well, there was one other thing…a package of jump rings I had purchased some time back and had quickly misplaced.  I decided right then and there that I was going to change my life!  I was never EVER going to just lay something down again.  From now on, a place for everything and everything in its place.  I would be a changed woman.  My studio would be so neat that I could actually tell someone where to look for something and it would really be there!  No one would believe it.  Not even me.  So, I started with that pack of jump rings.  Now all I had to do was find where I had put all the jewelry making supplies.  I knew they were all together because the last time I decided to change my life and clean up my act and get it all together…I vividly remembered gathering all the jewelry into a……what?  A drawer?  No…a plastic bag so I could see through it and know where it was?  No…I put it in a box.   In one of those boxes that looks like a book.  But, which one…there are 6.  The second box I opened had the jewelry making supplies in it.  So, I reached around the table to get the jump rings.  I put them in the box and closed it and put it away.  Whew!  that felt good.  In its place!  This was the beginning…I could feel myself on the path to a new me!  BUT, the box slipped off the table.  Because, I put weight down on my toe and I did some wild dance step just as I was putting it back on the desk.  And, the whole contents of the box fell and rolled and skittered across the floor.  And, I just sat down on the floor amidst the mess, and looked at it.  Well, I guess that’s what I get for trying to change.  I scooted around the floor on my bottom retrieving all the pieces and putting them back in the box.  Darn!  there was something under the chair.  I hope you can get this picture in your mind, because it would for sure give you a huge laugh.  I was trying to hold my hurt foot and ankle up off the floor and scoot on my bottom over the floor without causing too much uncomfort to my sit-upon.  Then I had to stretch out and reach under the chair to pick up that little bag.  That little white gossamer jeweler’s bag.  That little white gossamer jeweler’s bag that my jeweler had put MOM”S BRACELET IN WHEN I PICKED IT UP FROM HER A MONTH AGO !!!!!!  There it was!  THERE IT WAS!!!!

I don’t know if you believe in prayer…..and I certainly hope that you do……but be careful what you ask when you pray.  My Heavenly Father had led me to the box that held my treasured bracelet.  I opened the box, but didn’t see it because I didn’t look for it.  So, I’m just thinking that scooting across the floor with one leg held up in the air, bruising my behind, constitutes KNOCKING ME OVER THE HEAD WITH IT !  Oh, I do so believe that God has a sense of humor!  I promised Him that I would give the praise to Him when I found my the bracelet.  And, so I just want to remind you here and now, that Our Father knows what we need.  He knows before we ask.  “For your Father knows what you need before you even ask.”  Mattherw 6:8b    But, what comforts me is the fact that He CARES about little ole me, in little ole Dothan, bemoaning the loss of my Mom’s bracelet.  And, He hears our prayers…and He answers our prayers…sometimes in strange ways.   But, hey…He does it in HIS time…cause I’m missing a couple of other things that have been gone a year or more!

“Thank you, God, for loving bumfuddled ole me.  And, thank you for showing me the bracelet.  I’m guessing you and my Mom were having a great big laugh on Sunday morning.  That’s OK with me, and would you give Mom a hug for me and tell her I miss her everyday?  Amen”

PS……..Part 2 of this post will show pictures of the charm bracelet, along with some other really interesting pieces.   If I don’t lose them first!  🙂

Last Sunday,  5/6/13, was a special Sunday at our church.  It is the Sunday that Senior Adults are celebrated at Southside.  There were special speakers and singers…all of the senior variety.  And then there was a presentation of the Senior Adult of the Year.  And, guess who it was for this year?  It was Pop!

Joy and I learned of this honor a month or so ago and had made plans for the day.  Both of her girls and their families were there.  Ian drove in from Birmingham, Adam and Suzanne came, and Alex made a heroic effort and was able to go, as well.  Pop came into church and was surprised to see all of Joy’s family.  While Lori and Ben attend Southside, Tara, Will and Little John Thomas attend church in their little town of Abbeville.  He did not seem to think it odd at all that they were all there.  Then, he walked over to where we sit.  There sat Ian, And Alex.  He was very surprised to see them both.  And, while he was standing there…here comes Adam and Suzanne!  Still, he thought it just happenstance.  We sent him back to sit with the ‘girls’….that way he would be closer to where the presentation would take place.

The service started. And soon came time for the presentation.  Following is what our Director to Sr. Adults and close family friend, Rhonda Grandstaff read………

In May of each year, we recognize and celebrate Senior Adults in our church. We make an attempt to show them just how much they are loved and appreciated.  We do this by recognizing them in the Sunday morning service and providing a luncheon for them on their special day – Sr. Adult Day.

Also, each year the members of the Sr. Adult Committee nominate a Sr. Adult to be the recipient of Southside’s Sr. Adult of the year. This is done by secret ballot.

The recipient of the award this year joined Southside in 1963  and has been a faithful member for a total of 49 years.  He has held many positions in our dear church – some of which include:  adult counselor to Southside’s Youth Council, deacon, member of the budget committee, committee on committees,  insurance and safety committee, church training director,  missions committee, nominating committee, brotherhood director, trustee for the church,  and department director.  As a department director, he continues to be an advocate for the Senior Adults by encouraging them to avail themselves of all the opportunities that Southside offers.  He also takes great pride in being a friend to the young people of our church.

 He is a strong supporter for missions.  This has been evident in his giving and serving.  He has been on 8 trips to over 31 countries and has demonstrated a genuine love for the Southern Baptist missionaries and their work (by building churches, doing home repairs, funding radio stations, and befriending missionary kids in many ways.)

 He has always been a strong and faithful family man.  He was married to the love of his life for 58 years.  His wife was extremely involved in missions for much of their married life – leading the Southside ladies in annual mission trips. He has 2 daughters who are active members of Southside Baptist Church.  God has blessed him with 5 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

It was a unanamous decision by the Sr. Adult Council to recommend Mr. Clyde Townsend as Southside’s Sr. Adult of the Year.

Join me in expressing our appreciation for his hard work and dedication to our church but more importantly to our Lord.

We all know that Mrs. Ella would have been so proud of this deserving honor bestowed on him.

And about halfway through, he realized they were talking about him.  So surprised, he said he didn’t realize there had been a standing ovation until looking at the pictures and talking to us.  He walked up and received his plaque from our Pastor, Brother Stacy, and a beautiful rose for his lapel.  The children of the church had made him a snuggly blanket to keep in his reading chair.   But, he still didn’t put it together why all his grandchildren were there.  The church provided a wonderful luncheon for all the Seniors in the church, and they had a head table set up for our family…15 places with high chairs on either end!  And that’s when he said…”That’s why you all came today!”  We had a delicious lunch, and enjoyed visiting with each other as well as with many of our friends.  So many people came over and said such nice things to Pop.   He is so dear to us, but he is special to others as well.

Southside has had its share of hard times through the years…I think most churches go through some of this.  Pop has seen things firsthand since he joined Southside in 1963.  We have dealt with situations that required finesse, we have had to perform unpleasant tasks, we have  had to take away, and build back up.  We have had years full of blessings and years when the going was more difficult.  We have grown and failed to grow.  We have been been stolen from in more ways than one.  But, this great church has stood.  It has taken its blows and it has become stronger from its wounds.  It has produced preachers, teachers, ministers of music and education, and missionaries…and business men and women and mothers and fathers and on and on and on.   It has produced strong men and women from its boys and girls.  They have gone and continue to go out into various communities all over our country and others.

Southside is strong and has been strong, and will continue to be strong because of the great men and women who have stood firm through good times and bad. This is the legacy those of my generation have been given.  This is the legacy we stand on as we strive to follow in the paths that the seniors  still among us, as well as those who have gone to Glory, have left to us.   This is the the legacy we will, in turn, leave to our children.

I write all these deep thoughts to say to all those seniors in our church, “Thank you for showing us the way to build a church…not just telling us.  Thank you for showing us how to live when we had differences and disagreements with one another…not just telling us.  Thank you for showing us how to revere and appreciate our church…not just telling us.  Thank you for being examples that we are blessed to follow.  Thank you for showing a Christ-like attitude and loving forgiveness to those who seemed intent on harming the spirit of our fellowship.

So, though my Pop was the recipitent this year of this honor…and I am so proud of him…I wish to honor all the seniors of our great church.

It was a good day.  Pop is still talking about his honor!  He’s so happy!  To the Sr. Adult Committee we say ‘Thank-you, from our hearts.”

And, I add..”Thank you to all the seniors for your stedfastness, wisdom and guidance.”

“The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.”     Proverbs 20:29

“Gray hair is a crown of splendor;  It is attained by a righteous life.”    Proverbs 16:31

“…the older women should then teach the younger…”     Titus 2:4

“To the older men; be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.  And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”  1 Peter 5:1-4

Easter morning dawned as a glorious spring day in our little corner of AL.  Don went to Sunrise Services and breakfast at church and Ian and I joined him for Worship services at 9:30.  Such an inspiring message by our pastor today…one of the best Easter messages I think I’ve ever heard.  Then home to finish my devilled eggs and to pick up the baskets and such for the kids, then off to Pop’s.  The family all gathered there today and Joy had prepared a delicious meal.  She always does a fantastic job.  I do love my sweet sister.  She has such a giving heart.  We all enjoyed the meal and the kids played and hunted eggs…well, John Thomas did…Levi tried to eat them!  And the big boys got out of hand and began tossing the eggs and catching the eggs and missing the eggs and smashing the eggs…on the porch!  Yuck!  Boys don’t ever completely grow up!

Here are pictures I took..even though someone complained about me taking them.  Doesn’t bother me…I like to have them and share them.  We missed Tommy today.  But, he needed rest after doing battle with a kidney stone this week and finally resorting to medical intervention.  We missed Alex as well.  He was not feeling well enough to be up.  How my heart of hearts longs for the day he can join us in family gatherings.

AFTER CHURCH…in my yard

AT POP’S HOUSE….

We all went our separate ways…to our own homes.  Don’t know about anyone else…but I had a delicious afternoon nap!  What a treat!  Prayers please as our sweet Tara undergoes maxillofacial surgery in Birmingham this week.  God bless you all on this special day.  And a prayer of thanks for blessings too many to list.

I went out to do some errands today, and stopped in at Michael’s before I went home.  I wanted to make a bracelet and needed a few supplies.  I had some red coral beads, but since I don’t make jewelry much anymore, I didn’t have all I needed.  I had already made two stops and this was the last thing on my list.  My back was hurting and my feet were hurting and I was hungry.  Not the best of moods to go shopping in!  But, the jewelry findings were near the door and I intended to make quick work of this stop.

But, things have a way of going off the planned path at times…and it seems to happen more often than not with me!

I heard her before I saw her…

VOICE…“Coy, Coy, COY!  You ain’t listening to me.  I said I’d call you when I got finished and that’s what I’m gonna do. ~~~~~~~

No. I ain’t even half through.  You know it takes me longer now.  ~~~~~~~  I’m going fast as I can.  Now go git ya a pizza or something”   She was on a cell phone.

And, as I rounded the findings aisle…I saw her.  [I write this description simply as information and in no way as a judgement.  I certainly don’t know know any of her backstory.  And many times circumstances dictate the way we look and feel and we may not like it but …it happens]  So, I saw her there in the midst of the aisle…blocking it with her wheelchair.  She was only half in it…the other half hung over either side…bless her heart.  Remember, no finger pointing here…but, she was a larger sized lady.  She had a 2 Liter Mountain Dew in one hand and the other was used to try and roll the wheelchair.  It was hard for her to move it with both feet on the ground.  And a large cylinder of oxygen hung from one side.  It kept falling on the floor, but I never saw her using it.  She was muttering and talking out loud and actually, I thought she must have had someone else shopping with her.  But no…she just needed to talk and it didn’t mat who listened.  “I don’t know why they don’t have teachers round here to teach you how to do this jewel making.  Makes me mad, it does.  How do I know what to do?”

The she backed up and saw me, went back, and then turned around.  UH! OH! she spied me and she headed my way.

WOMAN: ” Are you the teacher?  You look like you know what you’re looking for.”  Ha!  I hardly ever know what I’m doing…I tend to make it up as I go along!

T: ” I just know a little about it.  But, I’m  not the teacher. “  At this point, I knew I was trapped and there was no way I was going to get out of this section, much less this store, without talking to her.

And I felt guilty just as soon as I started thinking of how I could get away.  Because,  God has lain on my heart that I need to realize that the people He puts in my path are the ones He wants me to make a difference to.  Because, I may be the only witness they ever see or the only kindness they ever feel.  And, I have really tried to be mindful of that.  I was reminded of the promises I made.   And, I was ashamed of myself, because even though I was hungry and had a backache and crying feet, she was in a wheel chair.

WOMAN: ” Well, I know what I want to do, but I just can’t figure out how…see I got these stones and they came from my daughter.  She lives in NC,  ‘Cept she did manage to find time to come help me during these operations.  She shoulda stayed and took care of me longer, but she left, and me and Coy had to do it all.  If you can believe that!  She’ll call, but she don’t wanna be bothered really.  Coy’s mad at her.  But, she’s got 4 young’uns…what can she do?  Coy did allright…for an old man.”

T:  “What is it you are wanting to do with your stones?”  I really didn’t want to ask about her ‘operations’.

Woman:  “I got 6 of ’em and they is really pretty, too.  I wanna wrap ’em in wire like this.”  (she showed me a package that had a stone wrapped in silver wire)  And, I want to make me a necklace with 4 and then make earrings with 2 of them.  But how can I string them together?  They don’t have holes in them…and I don’t know how to connect them together.  It’s just a puzzle to me.”

T:  “You need to go up to the register and ask them about classes.  Maybe they have one for jewelry making.”

WOMAN:  “I done did that.  It was last week.  How do you like that?  I missed it.  MISSED IT BY ONE WEEK!  I was in the hospital having that surgery last week,  so I couldn’t make it.”

T:  “Wow, you were in the hospital last week and you’re out and about today?  You must be doing well.”

WOMAN:  “Honey, you just don’t know my husband, his name is Coy.  If he was taking care of you…you’d be getting away, too.”

T:  I laughed…“Well, most men are like that, I think.  They just don’t know what to do when someone is sick.”

WOMAN:  “Coy just gets in my way and makes it worse.  He wants to help, but he just ain’t got it in him!”

T:  “Well, it was nice of him to bring you here today.”

WOMAN:  “Hey, I been here since 9 this morning. (it was about 3 at that time)  I been up and down every aisle and looked at everything they got.  I don’t know what to do with it…but I know what they got!”

T:  “It’s a treat for me when I can take my time in a store and go up and down the aisles as slow or fast as I want.  I guess that’s the way you feel, too.”

WOMAN:  “Coy’s always got something for me to do, so I don’t get much time for myself.  He wants me right with him mostly.”

T:  Well, I hope you get your wire and beads fixed like you want.  Maybe you could take them to a jeweler and have them drilled.”

WOMAN:  “That would probably cost too much.  And, what if they broke them?  I’d be too upset.”

T: “I guess you’re right.  I think there is a way you can wrap the stones and make connecting links with wire, but I do not know how to do it.”

I wasn’t finding what I need, but spied it hanging further down the aisle…on the other side of her.  And, there was no getting past her.

T:  “Excuse me just a minute, ma’am.  I’m going to go around this next aisle and come around.  I need to see those jump rings down there.”

WOMAN:  “Ain’t no need for that.  I can drive this thing.  Give me a minute.”  And, she started shuffling her feet, turning with one hand on the wheel.  BAM! went the Mountain Dew…then BAM! went the oxygen.  (I thought to myself…“This oxygen tank’s gonna explode and I’ll be blown to smithereens and they’ll find pieces of us in paints, and some in jewelry, and some in wood and some in scrapbooking…”)  I offered to pick them up for her, but she said she could get them herself.  And she hoisted herself up and back in her chair and leaned back with all the strength she had.  She reached one and then the other.  One went next to her left hip and one next to her right.  Then she realized her oxygen cording was tangled through her legs and around her waist.

Again I offered to help, but she said she knew how to get it fixed, and she pulled out a pair of scissors and cut that oxygen cording right in two!  Well!  That’s one way!

T:  “Oh, my.  Now what will you do?  How will you get your oxygen?”  Now, I was having visions of her falling out of the chair, and gasping for breath.  I would not be able to do anything, because she didn’t have any cording.  And, she would lay there, helpless…and I would not be able to do anything but give her Mountain Dew!  “Maybe you should go ahead and give Coy a call to pick you up.”

WOMAN: ”  Oh, he’ll be here directly.  I just use this stuff when I get winded.  I’ll be fine…I got some more cord at home.”   I didn’t know if she had forgotten about letting me past her, because she began pulling beads off the shelves and matching them to each other.   “Now, these are just too pretty…don’t they look good together?”

T:  “Yes, they really do.” 

WOMAN:  ” I don’t know how much nothin’ costs here.  They ain’t no price tags nowhere.”

So, I showed her how the bags are color coded and where the prices were listed.

WOMAN:  “I’m still moveing outta the way.  Don’t think I forgot or nothin’.

T:  “That’s fine, take your time.  I’m in no hurry.”  And, I wasn’t anymore.  I had decided to let this encounter play out as it would, and see what bit of wisdom I would come away with.  I finally got to the jump rings.  And she was studying some things on the other side of the aisle.

T:  “Let me know if I can reach something for you, “  She thanked me…and the next time I turned around, she had shuffled on out of sight.  Thinking she was gone, I began to make my way to the checkout.  BAM!  I heard the oxygen hit the floor again.  I prayed to get out of that store in one piece!  Then, she came around the end of another aisle near the checkout…as if she had been waiting for me.

WOMAN:  “I just got to thinking about something my preacher said at church one time.  We are ‘sposed to be ready to talk to everyone we meet.  Cause sometimes God lets people get in our way just so we can talk to them.  You just never know when someone needs you for one thing or another.  I was just thinking about that.”

And, she went  shuffled on past me before I could answer her… down the aisle she was on and I went on to the checkout.  I was waiting in line behind 5 other customers and (like everywhere in this town) only one register was open and yet they had 4 of them!  But as I waited, what she said began tugging at me, and I wondered if there was something I had failed to notice in my hurry.  I wondered if she needed something else and I hadn’t seen it.

I left my place in line and went to look for her where I last saw her.  She wasn’t there.  I looked around that area and didn’t see her anywhere.  She couldn’t have gotten far.  I went down the end aisles looking up each one as I passed.  I could not possible over look her…so I went to the other side of the store.  I could not find her anywhere.  I thought of the restroom, but there was a sign on the door: ‘closed for cleaning’.  I thought maybe she did go to the classroom they have in store, so I checked there.  I didn’t even know what I would say to her if I found her.  I didn’t even really know why I was looking for her.  She wasn’t in the classroom.

And, I never found her.  I asked the one clerk at the register if a lady in a wheelchair had gone by.  She said she hadn’t seen ‘nothin’ but people and more people coming up to this register!’  I don’t know where she went.  I got a sinking feeling in my stomach.  I was kind to her.   What had I missed?  Or did I miss anything at all?  I was kind to her and tried to help her.  But, did she sense my hurry or disinterest?

It is hard to resign yourself to the fact that you may have missed out on an opportunity that God had planned specifically for you.  I don’t know what else I could have or should have done…but I hope and pray that I don’t forget this experience.  We can say we care about people all we want to, but words without actions mean nothing.  I hope I helped her in some small way.  Maybe she just needed someone one to notice her.  I did.  And, I won’t soon forget her.