Thursday, Thursday,Thursday

I haven’t posted for awhile. I just couldn’t get past Wednesday night and preaching at church. Too much on my mind. To many thought running through there.

Right now there is a thunderstorm going on outside. I kind of enjoy thunderstorms. The rumbling of the thunder and the sound of the rain hitting the windows. Even the gray skies aren’t to bad today. I even opened up the window in the kitchen for awhile and let the smell of the fresh air go through the living room. It was great.

I planted a bleeding heart plant today in one of my flower beds. I love Vicki’s and couldn’t resist this one when I saw it. I put it right in front of the living room window so I can see it. Right next to my bright pink tulips. Can’t wait to see them. This rain should be great for them.

I walked again this morning. Two miles again. It was a little easier today. I made sure that I stretched my legs more today than yesterday. It made a big difference.
Over the weekend I bought an ipod nano. I walked with it yesterday and today. I really like to listen to Jamie Smith, Lincoln Brewster and Desperation while I walk but towards the end of the walk I like to turn off the music and listen to the silence. We live in the country and there is no noice when I am walking. Just the sound of the birds and an occasional horse. Today the birds were going crazy and the smell of the fresh air was fabulous. Loved it!

Tonight Alex and Mariah are going to be here for dinner and then we are going to watch Pride and Prejudice. I have wanted to see it but I told Mariah that I would wait to watch it with her and Alex. Alex requested that I make some chili sometime while he is home so that is what we are having along with cornbread and brocoli, cauliflower salad and brownies. I think I might give the honey in the chili suggestion that Jeremy had a try.

Tommorrow Larry and I are going to the Phillips, Craig and Dean concert at First Federated. I am looking forword to it.

HOW RUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday we went to town to run errands in the afternoon. We finished our schoolwork by 11:00 and we were out the door. We dropped Kinzie off at her Moms office and went across the street to Lowes to pick up some paint chips so we can make a decision on a color for the cupboards and walls in the kitchen. After that we went to Marshalls. I like to go in there and just look around. Sometimes you can find great things on there clearance racks. We ran a few more errands after that to some other stores and ended up at TJMaxx.

I couldn’t believe what happened there. As I was walking up to the register to pay for some things I was going to buy this customer at the register started yelling at the store clerk in a big booming voice loud enough to make sure that everyone around could hear.
The customer was an african american and a senior citizen. I didn’t see everything that happened but the woman told the clerk that she wasn’t trying to steal anything. She said,”I’ve shopped here since I moved back from Texas.” “I have never been treated so badly anywhere. I will never come back here again. You all are a bunch of racist. Your people stole from us but we never stole a thing from you.” Again with the” I am never coming back in here again.” I along with all the other customers in the store who were withnessing this scene thought……please do us all a favor and don’t come back here. In fact just leave now. But no….she stayed. Still yelling her remarks while the store did everything they could to resolve the situation. The clerk helping her said she was sorry. The customer yelled at her and said”No your not or you wouldn’t have said it.”
I don’t know what was said but I was so shocked by the behavior that it is hard for me to imagine what could have been said that resulted in the treatment she was getting.

The clerk turned in my direction at one point and when she knew that the customer couldn’t see her the tears rolled down her face. I felt so bad for her.
I wanted to do something. Make the woman who was making a scene stop humiliating this store employee. She and several of the employees working the registers were from latvia and when the store employee was turned in my direction one of the other clerks spoke to her in latvian trying to encourage her. I could not understand all that she was saying but I could make out a part when she kept telling her not to let her make her cry.

By the time I got out to the car I was upset by the whole scene. I couldn’t imagine how the store clerk must have felt. I thought about her for the rest of the day.
I kept wondering if there was anything that I could have done.

Well now THE REST OF THE STORY!
On Sunday afternoon after church all the kids were at the house for lunch. Alex is home so we had lunch to celebrate all the March birthdays. In our house that is 3 out of 6.
In the afternoon we decided to go to the Apple store in Jordan Creek. I was ready to purchase a Nano and Larry wanted to exchange a case for his ipod that Layne and Sara had got him for his birthday.
After that we went to get a coffee at the Starbucks in the mall. We were standing in the aisle there in front of Starbucks and I saw the woman who was the store clerk at TJMaxx go by me and stop at one of the food places there just in front of me.
I knew what I wanted to do. I walked up to her and told her that I was in TJMaxx on Friday afternoon when she was being yelled at by a customer.
I told her that that I thought she handled the whole situation very well and I thought she had great customer service skills.

You should have seen her face when I told her those things. She beamed and said thank you.

On Sunday morning Pastor talked about divine crossroads of opportunity. They are not always great big tada moments but can be just a kind word or a helpful act.
Maybe seeing that lady in the mall was one of my divine crossroads of opportunity. I will probably never know.

Just”B”