connection at the pool

She came into the locker room with her big smile and a hello.We met a few days ago and I was glad to see her.

She has just celebrated her 93rd birthday and is quite proud of it.She swims about 30 minutes, a few times a week.I will call my new friend Mamie.She has thick white hair, a face that wouldn't be out of place on a 60 year old and we share the same "crepey"skin.

We chatted for a few minutes and then she headed for the pool.I was curious, so I peeked in a bit later to see if she was in the warm, "arthritic" pool, the 4 foot deep one.But,no, she was swimming in the lane that is marked 7'12".I swim in the 5 foot lane.There she was goggles,swim cap doing the crawl which I have yet to master.

I want to share with you what she said before she went swimming because you may never have the privilege of meeting Mamie:"I like to keep busy.If you sit on the sofa, that is all you will be able to do.I am active in my small church and I do work for Habitat for Humanity.(I immediately thought"paperwork").I believe that we are put here for a purpose and that is to help each other.It doesn't have to be a big thing, a smile will do nicely."

As I write this, I think that my assumption about the paperwork is probably faulty.I can see Mamie with a hammer and nails working on a window frame and I smile.

connection in the streets.

Today,my daughter and I had lunch in the Virginia-Highlands area.It was a lovely time and I was so happy that we had gotten together.As we were walking back to our car, a woman with red hair and desperation written on her face, came towards us.I knew what she wanted.

She said that she was hungry and homeless and as I opened my wallet, she said,"My name is Sharon."I said,"That's my name, too."
She thanked me and asked me to pray for her and that she would pray for me and that I was not to worry because the angels protect her.
Since I have recently been led to believe that same thing about myself, I was astounded by her words.And as I type , I do pray for her.

I know what you are thinking;she took it to a bar and that is a real possibility.There were many bars close by and her face did have a reddish tint.But,maybe things are not always exactly what we think they are.Perhaps, Christ was on that corner letting us each know that we are loved.That's how I felt as I walked away,loved and part of a huge story that is mostly unseen.