Saturday morning I woke up around 8am and headed to town to do some errands. First, I went to the bank and across from the bank is WalMart. I needed just a few items and as much as I dislike shopping at WalMart it was convenient so in I went. Let me say in warning...if you wear your team logo shirt to WalMart on a Saturday morning, you MUST be prepared. You WILL be expected to be an authority on game time and opposing team. I was stopped and asked more than once, "what time is the game?" as I sported my Alabama sweatshirt. (I also got a few "roll tides".)
After leaving WalMart, I headed to Munford Tire to get my oil changed. As I sat in the small waiting area while they were working on my vehicle, an older woman came in and sat across from me. Her hands were gnarled with arthritis and she had a brace on her leg. She was also a talker. She told me about her strokes, arthritis, Lupus, and osteoporosis.
With great pride she told me about her newest grandchild, Madeline. And I got to see Madeline's picture in the brag book she carried in her purse. And then with tears in her eyes she told me of her 35 year old son that was killed by a drunk driver last year.
After I left, I got to thinking about the lady I had sat with. I thought about her joy and pain that I had learned about in just a few minutes. It made me realize that everyone has a story. Their lives have meaning and purpose. We should all take the time to listen to each other's story.
