ALTERATIONS, the sign read. We had been wondering about the little shop that had recently opened in a building formerly housing a barber shop and more recently a healing center. We brought a couple of things in to have hemmed and were met by an attractive oriental woman with a beautiful smile.
"I compliment you on your decor," my thoughtful husband announced as we entered the cheery interior. "It looks better than when I used to get my hair cut here."
She smiled her appreciation, and soon Howard was carrying on a conversation with her which revealed she was from Viet Nam. Her bright smile hid a sad past, with both parents and brother having been killed in turmoil there, and her husband being imprisoned for 4 years.
"I waited until he was released, then we came here," she said. She said her father had been a government worker, so I suppose political unrest was involved in the tragedies.
She seemed grateful for the freedom of this country.
We recently marked the anniversary of 9/11. How well I remember that morning in 2001. Howard and I had taken our grandchildren for a walk down our country road to a scenic spot at the bottom of a hill where water ran under a low bridge from a pasture lake. The kids were two and four, and after dabbling their feet in the water and catching tadpoles in the roadside ditch, they were ready to go home. Going up the hill was harder than coming down, so we made a pack-saddle with joined arms to carry 2-year-old Rachel, as Corrin dawdled behind, tossing pebbles or picking wildflowers.
Collapsing on the den sofa as we came in, I saw that our son had the television on. He was taking a break from grad school and working locally this semester. Seeing smoke billowing on the screen and hearing a puzzled narrative from a newsman, I thought it was the scene of a plane crash somewhere. Then I heard incredulous voices raised in amazement and caught sight of a plane hitting a tower. The gravity of the situation became apparent, and the day that had dawned so beautifully became a day of terror.
Now we are in uncertain times again, and as others come here for safety and freedom, we
find ourselves concerned about our own. I heard news commentators speculating yesterday about how when dictators are deposed, if something good is not put in their place, something worse will fill the void.
It reminded me of scriptures in Matthew 12:42-45 and Luke 11:24-26 where Jesus talks about an unclean spirit being cast out of a man, then when it returns and finds
the "house...empty, swept and garnished," he takes seven spirits with him worse than himself into the house and the man's state is worse than the beginning. Jesus is telling us not to be satisfied with just cleaning ourselves up, but to fill our lives with the Holy Spirit.
The Bible is full of wisdom, both spiritual and practical. The alterations lady not only alters clothing, she altered her locale. Moving into freedom is always a good idea. And Jesus is the Truth that sets us free!
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Best by Taste Test
"There's nothing like home tea, is there?" I remarked to my husband as we ate supper tonight. He agreed, then I said, "But remember how good the iced tea tasted at that one place on our trip?"
Then ensued a discussion of just where that place was. "It was in Tennessee where you thought you were eating chicken, but it was steak," I ventured. He never would admit that particular mistake, but I suspected something when we walked out of the restaurant that was famous for its biscuits, and he said, "Next time I'm going to get a steak biscuit."
Later he told our daughter and family how good the chicken biscuit was that he had at the restaurant. "Howard, I had the chicken, and you had the steak!" I insisted. "Remember you said how tender it was?", to which he said, "That's because it was chicken." I had to laugh, because there was no dissuading him. I hatched a scheme to go there the next day and have him order steak and prove it to him.
He was not convinced, and said that was not what he'd had the day before. "Take a bite of this chicken!" I said, "Is that what you had?" He looked a little uncertain, but stuck by his guns. Men! How stubborn! His reasoning was that he had ordered chicken, and that's what he got. (In reality, he ordered the chicken for me.)
"But that's not the place with the good tea!" I insisted, a movie playing in my mind of the many places we had eaten. Then I remembered it was at our favorite place in Jonesborough, Tennessee. The chicken/steak incident was in Georgia. Even though I'm supposed to avoid caffeine, the delicious elixir was worth the indulgence.
Sometimes our minds can play tricks on us. Like the time Howard brought me an apple pie from McDonald's. I tasted it and almost spewed it out of my mouth! What was this mushy stuff? Applesauce? My taste is unreliable, but I knew the texture was not apple pie, even though that's what the label said.
"Taste this and tell me what it is!" I demanded to my husband. He took a bite and said it was apple pie. I called McDonald's and described the contents for the manager. "Oh," she said, "that's pumpkin. It must have gotten in the wrong box." Since Howard expected it to be apple, that's what his mind told him it was, just like the steak! (Well, it was sweet and contained cinnamon!)
Psalm 34:8 says, "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." That is one taste we don't quibble over!
Then ensued a discussion of just where that place was. "It was in Tennessee where you thought you were eating chicken, but it was steak," I ventured. He never would admit that particular mistake, but I suspected something when we walked out of the restaurant that was famous for its biscuits, and he said, "Next time I'm going to get a steak biscuit."
Later he told our daughter and family how good the chicken biscuit was that he had at the restaurant. "Howard, I had the chicken, and you had the steak!" I insisted. "Remember you said how tender it was?", to which he said, "That's because it was chicken." I had to laugh, because there was no dissuading him. I hatched a scheme to go there the next day and have him order steak and prove it to him.
He was not convinced, and said that was not what he'd had the day before. "Take a bite of this chicken!" I said, "Is that what you had?" He looked a little uncertain, but stuck by his guns. Men! How stubborn! His reasoning was that he had ordered chicken, and that's what he got. (In reality, he ordered the chicken for me.)
"But that's not the place with the good tea!" I insisted, a movie playing in my mind of the many places we had eaten. Then I remembered it was at our favorite place in Jonesborough, Tennessee. The chicken/steak incident was in Georgia. Even though I'm supposed to avoid caffeine, the delicious elixir was worth the indulgence.
Sometimes our minds can play tricks on us. Like the time Howard brought me an apple pie from McDonald's. I tasted it and almost spewed it out of my mouth! What was this mushy stuff? Applesauce? My taste is unreliable, but I knew the texture was not apple pie, even though that's what the label said.
"Taste this and tell me what it is!" I demanded to my husband. He took a bite and said it was apple pie. I called McDonald's and described the contents for the manager. "Oh," she said, "that's pumpkin. It must have gotten in the wrong box." Since Howard expected it to be apple, that's what his mind told him it was, just like the steak! (Well, it was sweet and contained cinnamon!)
Psalm 34:8 says, "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." That is one taste we don't quibble over!
Heartthoughts: Throwback Thursday
"Mimi, since you and Pa Pa have been married 55? years ('56,' I interjected) can you tell Randy and I what your secret is?" my granddaughter Michaela questioned. They have been married a little over a year. "We want to have a long and happy marriage, too!" she stated.
Well, I had no secret to give her, any more than what she already knew about us. She expressed appreciation for her parents' and grandparents' enduring marriages, and also for the fact that there had been no divorces by her husband's parents or grandparents.
She and her husband seem like uncommonly sensible young people. One day when we were grocery shopping on our recent trip there, I mentioned that I always spend more when my husband goes along. "Oh, I don't take Randy shopping," she said. "And I budget and make a list!" I agreed that that was a wise thing to do (although I do enjoy Howard going shopping with me!). They are also serious about their education, he having just graduated college and Michaela taking classes as well as working!
How fast our grandchildren are growing up! And I agree with what one friend said when I posted some family pictures of when the children were young on Facebook's 'Throwback Thursday': "How time fliesssss!" When I look back, I wonder how we raised six children! But God was faithful, meeting our needs and providing for their educations. I read once that to raise good kids there has to be a nurturing figure and an authority figure in the home, in other words, Mom and Dad.
Yesterday, Howard was in Staples getting something copied, which happened to be some Christian material. The clerk surprised him by asking, "Oh, can you tell me in the Bible where it speaks of the Bride of Christ?" She said a customer had remarked, "I don't want to be the "bride" of Christ. Why does the Bible say that?" He gave her the references she wanted.
"Well, the Bible does say marriage represents the relationship of Christ and the church," I said, "calling it a great mystery." There are many scriptures on marriage in the Bible, and I'm sure Michaela and Randy are aware of them, having been brought up in the church. In fact, Randy is to be ordained in ministry in the near future! I think they have access to all they need for a successful marriage! And since they both already work in the church and her parents and grandfather are ministers, you might say they are "throwbacks!" to their ministerial heritage!
Well, I had no secret to give her, any more than what she already knew about us. She expressed appreciation for her parents' and grandparents' enduring marriages, and also for the fact that there had been no divorces by her husband's parents or grandparents.
She and her husband seem like uncommonly sensible young people. One day when we were grocery shopping on our recent trip there, I mentioned that I always spend more when my husband goes along. "Oh, I don't take Randy shopping," she said. "And I budget and make a list!" I agreed that that was a wise thing to do (although I do enjoy Howard going shopping with me!). They are also serious about their education, he having just graduated college and Michaela taking classes as well as working!
How fast our grandchildren are growing up! And I agree with what one friend said when I posted some family pictures of when the children were young on Facebook's 'Throwback Thursday': "How time fliesssss!" When I look back, I wonder how we raised six children! But God was faithful, meeting our needs and providing for their educations. I read once that to raise good kids there has to be a nurturing figure and an authority figure in the home, in other words, Mom and Dad.
Yesterday, Howard was in Staples getting something copied, which happened to be some Christian material. The clerk surprised him by asking, "Oh, can you tell me in the Bible where it speaks of the Bride of Christ?" She said a customer had remarked, "I don't want to be the "bride" of Christ. Why does the Bible say that?" He gave her the references she wanted.
"Well, the Bible does say marriage represents the relationship of Christ and the church," I said, "calling it a great mystery." There are many scriptures on marriage in the Bible, and I'm sure Michaela and Randy are aware of them, having been brought up in the church. In fact, Randy is to be ordained in ministry in the near future! I think they have access to all they need for a successful marriage! And since they both already work in the church and her parents and grandfather are ministers, you might say they are "throwbacks!" to their ministerial heritage!
Monday, September 8, 2014
Temporary Address
"She is 106 years old!" the nursing home resident said of her friend as they sat side-by-side in wheel chairs. Wow! We had heard about her in the church service just before, as her name was mentioned in a prayer request. Now here she was in the hallway. "She worked for the telephone company, and so did I," our informant shared proudly, "and she worked at the post office, and I did, too!"
When I heard that the church we had recently began attending had a nursing home service, I told my husband, and he quickly inquired about helping with it. This was the first time we had come, and Howard had brought his guitar. We were told to be there at 8:30, but it seemed no one had gathered yet. I asked a wheel-chair patient in the hall if she would like me to push her to the service. She seemed a little disinterested, but she agreed.
I placed her alongside some other residents who had trickled in, but soon she had wheeled herself to a place beside where I was sitting behind a table. "I like it better over here," she stated. Maneuvering into place, she encountered unfriendly resistance by another attendee. I looked to see another oldster firmly pushing against this fellow-resident's wheel chair. "You don't run this place!" the first lady said through clenched teeth, as the other patient glared at her! Apparently everything is not all sweetness and light in nursing homes!
The service seemed well organized, with two men coming in bearing communion trays, one standing at the podium and speaking a few words from scripture, then the other praying before they began passing out the communion elements. They served us as well, and we held our cups and bread, waiting on all to be served. But then I noticed some drinking it immediately and thought it was just their mistake. Turns out that's the way it was done here, and we were left holding our cups as the men left the room! We immediately took our communion!
We had a nice visit with the pianist who had come in to accompany the singing and left immediately afterward. I helped with assisting the patients find the right page in the songbook, and was impressed by their participation in the singing. One male voice dominated as it boomed out. "He used to be the shop teacher in high school," the director confided to me.
After a short devotional, everyone joined together in saying the Lord's prayer and their memory verse, John 3:16. Just before she dismissed, the leader invited Howard to play the guitar and sing, which he thoroughly enjoyed, walking around making eye contact with patients as he strummed and sang a couple of choruses.
Several began wheeling themselves out, and I looked for someone to help. I realized I didn't know their room numbers, and some were obviously not able to tell me. One lady said she knew where her room was, however. I pushed her down the hall and she didn't see her room, so we entered the next hall. Then a tall man met us, saying hello to her. "Her room is around the corner, first room on the right." he said, "I will take her home."
None of us know when our time will come, some may live to be 106 and others younger could go out in a car accident or some other untimely way. When I die, how wonderful it will be to hear God or an angel say, like the man in the hall, "I will take her home!"
When I heard that the church we had recently began attending had a nursing home service, I told my husband, and he quickly inquired about helping with it. This was the first time we had come, and Howard had brought his guitar. We were told to be there at 8:30, but it seemed no one had gathered yet. I asked a wheel-chair patient in the hall if she would like me to push her to the service. She seemed a little disinterested, but she agreed.
I placed her alongside some other residents who had trickled in, but soon she had wheeled herself to a place beside where I was sitting behind a table. "I like it better over here," she stated. Maneuvering into place, she encountered unfriendly resistance by another attendee. I looked to see another oldster firmly pushing against this fellow-resident's wheel chair. "You don't run this place!" the first lady said through clenched teeth, as the other patient glared at her! Apparently everything is not all sweetness and light in nursing homes!
The service seemed well organized, with two men coming in bearing communion trays, one standing at the podium and speaking a few words from scripture, then the other praying before they began passing out the communion elements. They served us as well, and we held our cups and bread, waiting on all to be served. But then I noticed some drinking it immediately and thought it was just their mistake. Turns out that's the way it was done here, and we were left holding our cups as the men left the room! We immediately took our communion!
We had a nice visit with the pianist who had come in to accompany the singing and left immediately afterward. I helped with assisting the patients find the right page in the songbook, and was impressed by their participation in the singing. One male voice dominated as it boomed out. "He used to be the shop teacher in high school," the director confided to me.
After a short devotional, everyone joined together in saying the Lord's prayer and their memory verse, John 3:16. Just before she dismissed, the leader invited Howard to play the guitar and sing, which he thoroughly enjoyed, walking around making eye contact with patients as he strummed and sang a couple of choruses.
Several began wheeling themselves out, and I looked for someone to help. I realized I didn't know their room numbers, and some were obviously not able to tell me. One lady said she knew where her room was, however. I pushed her down the hall and she didn't see her room, so we entered the next hall. Then a tall man met us, saying hello to her. "Her room is around the corner, first room on the right." he said, "I will take her home."
None of us know when our time will come, some may live to be 106 and others younger could go out in a car accident or some other untimely way. When I die, how wonderful it will be to hear God or an angel say, like the man in the hall, "I will take her home!"
Friday, September 5, 2014
All God's Children
I found my shoes! What a surprise! I did not leave them at a motel during our trip! Unpacking, I unzipped a side pocket of one of the suitcases at home, and there they were! I had gone shopping for a replacement pair while in Georgia, but the cute, strappy ones I bought didn't feel so great later and would have to be returned.
"Let's stop at the store and return them before we leave town," I suggested as we were about to depart to visit our Tennessee daughter. It was about 9:30 a.m. when we got to the store, but the sign said they didn't open until 10:00. We decided to wait and return them at the mall in Johnson City. No problem, but I didn't get around to buying any more shoes. And now I don't have to!
One day during our vacation Howard had to get a prescription filled at the Walmart pharmacy. I was waiting for him at a table at the in-store McDonald's, people-watching as they checked out their groceries in front of me. Suddenly a voice said, "I like your shirt." I looked up to see a friendly, Tennessee woman talking to me, and I said, "Thank you!"
"I like the colors," she went on, of my multi-colored top. I told her I had bought it at a store in Kansas. "I like your necklace, too," she continued, "It matches your shirt." Then, "Did you buy that there, too?" I didn't remember where I had bought it, but I thanked her. Soon she took her leave and I could see her going back toward the meat department where she obviously worked.
We had to go to the grocery store after we had gotten home, and as we pushed our basket toward the check-out, a stranger came up to Howard and me and abruptly said, "You are an attractive couple!" I was a bit taken aback, but he had thrown his arm around Howard's shoulder and said, "God told me to move to Blackwell from California."
Soon my loquacious husband was engaged in conversation with him, finding common ground with him about everything from scriptural insights to their residence location. "I bought so-and-so's house," the man volunteered, and Howard knew exactly where that was. The former owner's wife had been the secretary of our junior high school!
I guess we seem very approachable, especially Howard. Recently we had attended a drive-in theater for the viewing of the movie, God's Not Dead! Before it started, Howard went to get me some water. While he was gone, I thought the man in the next car was rather friendly, and when Howard came back, they chatted through the open car windows.
That Sunday at church, a man came up and said, "You were parked next to us at the drive-in!" We hadn't even recognized them, since we were newcomers to the church. Then his wife walked up and surprised us by saying, "I saw this distinguished-looking man walking toward the car with water, and I thought I recognized you!"
Well, my husband does look a little distinguished, I guess, with his reading glasses riding low and his serious demeanor. But I think people really see God in him, and kindred spirits are drawn to him. He has been a minister for nearly 30 years, having preached just last Sunday at our daughter and son-in-law's church in Tennessee.
Isaiah 52:7 reads, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" Those were mountains where Howard was preaching, and unlike me, he didn't misplace his shoes!
"Let's stop at the store and return them before we leave town," I suggested as we were about to depart to visit our Tennessee daughter. It was about 9:30 a.m. when we got to the store, but the sign said they didn't open until 10:00. We decided to wait and return them at the mall in Johnson City. No problem, but I didn't get around to buying any more shoes. And now I don't have to!
One day during our vacation Howard had to get a prescription filled at the Walmart pharmacy. I was waiting for him at a table at the in-store McDonald's, people-watching as they checked out their groceries in front of me. Suddenly a voice said, "I like your shirt." I looked up to see a friendly, Tennessee woman talking to me, and I said, "Thank you!"
"I like the colors," she went on, of my multi-colored top. I told her I had bought it at a store in Kansas. "I like your necklace, too," she continued, "It matches your shirt." Then, "Did you buy that there, too?" I didn't remember where I had bought it, but I thanked her. Soon she took her leave and I could see her going back toward the meat department where she obviously worked.
We had to go to the grocery store after we had gotten home, and as we pushed our basket toward the check-out, a stranger came up to Howard and me and abruptly said, "You are an attractive couple!" I was a bit taken aback, but he had thrown his arm around Howard's shoulder and said, "God told me to move to Blackwell from California."
Soon my loquacious husband was engaged in conversation with him, finding common ground with him about everything from scriptural insights to their residence location. "I bought so-and-so's house," the man volunteered, and Howard knew exactly where that was. The former owner's wife had been the secretary of our junior high school!
I guess we seem very approachable, especially Howard. Recently we had attended a drive-in theater for the viewing of the movie, God's Not Dead! Before it started, Howard went to get me some water. While he was gone, I thought the man in the next car was rather friendly, and when Howard came back, they chatted through the open car windows.
That Sunday at church, a man came up and said, "You were parked next to us at the drive-in!" We hadn't even recognized them, since we were newcomers to the church. Then his wife walked up and surprised us by saying, "I saw this distinguished-looking man walking toward the car with water, and I thought I recognized you!"
Well, my husband does look a little distinguished, I guess, with his reading glasses riding low and his serious demeanor. But I think people really see God in him, and kindred spirits are drawn to him. He has been a minister for nearly 30 years, having preached just last Sunday at our daughter and son-in-law's church in Tennessee.
Isaiah 52:7 reads, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" Those were mountains where Howard was preaching, and unlike me, he didn't misplace his shoes!
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Home Again
"I want to go through Siloam Springs," my husband announced as we were about to come upon our exit for the highway that would take us to Tulsa. Tulsa. Our nemesis! Every time we were routed through there, we got lost, due to detours around road construction!
"Why do you want to go that way?" I protested, figuring it would take longer, and I was already worn out after two days on the road returning from our trip. He said he hadn't been to the small town in some sixty years, and he wanted to go there. I knew that's where his brother, a young, traveling evangelist, met the girl who would be his wife, and there were family ties there. But he also reminded me that his great-grandfather used to pastor a church nearby, and that his family had taken him there as a small child.
"There was a spring near there where my mother always insisted on stopping for some of the good water," he explained. Actually, I went there and saw the spring and church on a trip with Howard and his family when we were teenage sweethearts.
The route he had decided on would take us to Siloam Springs via Fayetteville. Suddenly I felt like I was back in Tennessee! The curvy, scenic, mountain roads soon gave way to breathtaking beauty! I hadn't seen heights like this since we crossed Sam's Gap and Fancy Gap, deep, blue, mist-shrouded chasms in North Carolina a few years ago! I ooh-ed and ah-ed in appreciation and wonder.
"Jeannean thought this was the prettiest place on earth," Howard said of his late sister-in-law, young then and a school teacher in the area. Well, it was very beautiful! But the hairpin curves were a little unnerving.
He didn't recognize a thing in Siloam Springs, the main thoroughfare of the sleepy little town having been transformed into a strip of restaurants, agencies, banks and other miscellaneous businesses. "What is that thing in the distance?" I asked. It looked like a monument of colossal proportions, but drawing nearer, we saw it was a casino, complete with a waterfall cascading down its rocky heights.
We were hesitant to follow the signs leading to Tulsa, so Howard stopped for directions, even though we had our GPS. We wanted to avoid the detours through the city at all costs. "He said this was the right way," my husband reported, getting back in the car. Sure enough, we navigated through the metropolis and soon found ourselves clear of the city and on the final leg of our journey home!
What if we hadn't taken the route Howard had spontaneously decided to take? We would not have been on a clear path through Tulsa! Thank you, Lord, for being with us on this 2,000 mile trip! We had been safe all the way! Not only that, but our mechanically-inclined grandson had taken it upon himself to work until midnight on the eve of our departure replacing our brakes! Something very necessary on the mountain roads! Every time we make it home safe and sound from a long, arduous trip, we consider it something of a miracle! And I believe it is!
"Why do you want to go that way?" I protested, figuring it would take longer, and I was already worn out after two days on the road returning from our trip. He said he hadn't been to the small town in some sixty years, and he wanted to go there. I knew that's where his brother, a young, traveling evangelist, met the girl who would be his wife, and there were family ties there. But he also reminded me that his great-grandfather used to pastor a church nearby, and that his family had taken him there as a small child.
"There was a spring near there where my mother always insisted on stopping for some of the good water," he explained. Actually, I went there and saw the spring and church on a trip with Howard and his family when we were teenage sweethearts.
The route he had decided on would take us to Siloam Springs via Fayetteville. Suddenly I felt like I was back in Tennessee! The curvy, scenic, mountain roads soon gave way to breathtaking beauty! I hadn't seen heights like this since we crossed Sam's Gap and Fancy Gap, deep, blue, mist-shrouded chasms in North Carolina a few years ago! I ooh-ed and ah-ed in appreciation and wonder.
"Jeannean thought this was the prettiest place on earth," Howard said of his late sister-in-law, young then and a school teacher in the area. Well, it was very beautiful! But the hairpin curves were a little unnerving.
He didn't recognize a thing in Siloam Springs, the main thoroughfare of the sleepy little town having been transformed into a strip of restaurants, agencies, banks and other miscellaneous businesses. "What is that thing in the distance?" I asked. It looked like a monument of colossal proportions, but drawing nearer, we saw it was a casino, complete with a waterfall cascading down its rocky heights.
We were hesitant to follow the signs leading to Tulsa, so Howard stopped for directions, even though we had our GPS. We wanted to avoid the detours through the city at all costs. "He said this was the right way," my husband reported, getting back in the car. Sure enough, we navigated through the metropolis and soon found ourselves clear of the city and on the final leg of our journey home!
What if we hadn't taken the route Howard had spontaneously decided to take? We would not have been on a clear path through Tulsa! Thank you, Lord, for being with us on this 2,000 mile trip! We had been safe all the way! Not only that, but our mechanically-inclined grandson had taken it upon himself to work until midnight on the eve of our departure replacing our brakes! Something very necessary on the mountain roads! Every time we make it home safe and sound from a long, arduous trip, we consider it something of a miracle! And I believe it is!
Balancing Act
OMG! Someone fraudulently got our card number! The bank showed an expenditure in Florida, where we had not been on this trip! A wasted vacation morning was spent on calls, faxing, and fixing before we could enjoy strolling the quaint streets of downtown Jonesborough, Tennessee's oldest city.
We still had a bad taste in our mouth from a couple of shoddy incidents we experienced before on this trip. I had selected a bottle of water for 99 cents at a convenience store and was charged $1.29. We were promised a free dessert at a restaurant, then charged for it. My husband called it to their attention, and it was grudgingly removed from our tab, but the deduction was never shown on our statement.
Howard had gone in to buy a candy bar at a service station and noticed it was on sale for $1.89. They charged $2.19 at the register and were disgruntled at having to price-check. While most of these infractions were minor, it seemed to show a pattern of deception becoming all too common in retailing.
Thankfully, there are many pleasant memories of our trip that outweigh the disappointments. On entering a dollar store in Tennessee, our ears were met with a courteous, engaging voice on the intercom announcing store specials. Something about the enthusiasm and timbre of the voice made me say, "That sounds like a preacher!"
As we were checking out, Howard complimented the clerk on the store's announcement. The man's voice when he said, "I'm just trying to live for Jesus," prompted my husband to ask, "Was that you?" to which he answered, "Yes, and I wish He was coming back today!"
The woman behind us in line said, "Me, too!" and I said, "Me, too!" also.
Turns out the man behind the register was the store manager. "We go to a Bible study back in Oklahoma taught by the manager of one of these stores!" Howard shared.
When a cashier at a quick stop a few days before said, "Have a blessed day!" as we headed out the door, Howard turned around and said, "I'm glad I came in here!" He gave her and the girl beside her one of the scripture cards that he carries. The piercings at the edge of their smiles didn't detract from their look of sincerity as they promised to keep the cards.
On our way home, we were trying to decide whether or not to have the meatloaf special offered at Cracker Barrel. "Could I have a bite as a sample to see if I like it?" I ventured to the friendly waitress. She went to check, and though it wasn't permitted, we both ordered it. I was surprised (though I don't know why), when I heard Howard say when the server brought our lunch, "Would you ask the blessing over our food?"
"I sure will," she replied, then bowed her head and said, "Lord, I ask you to bless the food of these young people and give them safety on their travels and meet every need they have. In the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen." We thanked her and heard her say as she walked off, "I've never had that happen before!" Then, in an undertone, the mumbled words, "In season and out of season," as she went away shaking her head.
We still had a bad taste in our mouth from a couple of shoddy incidents we experienced before on this trip. I had selected a bottle of water for 99 cents at a convenience store and was charged $1.29. We were promised a free dessert at a restaurant, then charged for it. My husband called it to their attention, and it was grudgingly removed from our tab, but the deduction was never shown on our statement.
Howard had gone in to buy a candy bar at a service station and noticed it was on sale for $1.89. They charged $2.19 at the register and were disgruntled at having to price-check. While most of these infractions were minor, it seemed to show a pattern of deception becoming all too common in retailing.
Thankfully, there are many pleasant memories of our trip that outweigh the disappointments. On entering a dollar store in Tennessee, our ears were met with a courteous, engaging voice on the intercom announcing store specials. Something about the enthusiasm and timbre of the voice made me say, "That sounds like a preacher!"
As we were checking out, Howard complimented the clerk on the store's announcement. The man's voice when he said, "I'm just trying to live for Jesus," prompted my husband to ask, "Was that you?" to which he answered, "Yes, and I wish He was coming back today!"
The woman behind us in line said, "Me, too!" and I said, "Me, too!" also.
Turns out the man behind the register was the store manager. "We go to a Bible study back in Oklahoma taught by the manager of one of these stores!" Howard shared.
When a cashier at a quick stop a few days before said, "Have a blessed day!" as we headed out the door, Howard turned around and said, "I'm glad I came in here!" He gave her and the girl beside her one of the scripture cards that he carries. The piercings at the edge of their smiles didn't detract from their look of sincerity as they promised to keep the cards.
On our way home, we were trying to decide whether or not to have the meatloaf special offered at Cracker Barrel. "Could I have a bite as a sample to see if I like it?" I ventured to the friendly waitress. She went to check, and though it wasn't permitted, we both ordered it. I was surprised (though I don't know why), when I heard Howard say when the server brought our lunch, "Would you ask the blessing over our food?"
"I sure will," she replied, then bowed her head and said, "Lord, I ask you to bless the food of these young people and give them safety on their travels and meet every need they have. In the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen." We thanked her and heard her say as she walked off, "I've never had that happen before!" Then, in an undertone, the mumbled words, "In season and out of season," as she went away shaking her head.
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