Monday, January 7, 2013

I have always said,things can always be worse. I made the mistake of saying "It can't get any worse" one time. Guess what, it got worse. So I haven't said it since. So whether I was aware of it or not, I have been reforming for about 20 years now, I just didn't know it. More on that later.

Today in church, I was really feeling sorry for myself. Things are not going as planned in my new life "plan". Because I hadn't realized that I can't completely control the "plan". Life has a way of working its self out, and God has a plan. More on that later too. Lol :)

So today as I was going about my day at work, I was still feeling rather down. Why aren't things going the way they are supposed to? Why am I still here, I am not even sure I want to be here anymore. Then I met a woman, much like myself, but I didn't know it yet. She is about my age (35-42 leaving it a range so if you don't know I'm old, I don't have to admit it. :) ). She is in the store looking at engagement rings and wedding bands with her boyfriend and her 2 teenage boys. They are all dressed in camo, if you know me, I need not say anything else, but to not get on yet another tangent, I don't think its a fashion statement. At the very least, not a good one. But in "sales 101", I learned a long time ago to NEVER judge a book by its cover.

   I introduced myself, and started to talk about the rings she had picked out. I was trying to stay within the budget they had given me. This woman was smiling, a lot. She seemed like everything in her life was perfect, and she was about to get married. So it was getting better. I started building rapport with them, even joking about camo wedding rings. She told me a few minutes earlier, she wanted to keep looking. They didn't want to buy the first thing she liked. Little did she know, I already knew they were buying from me. lol I try to teach my customers a little about what they are buying, so that when they go into other stores, they aren't at quite a disadvantage against "the big bad salesperson". At the same time, I am earning their trust. Earning their business and hard earned money. Her boyfriend and sons start talking to someone they know walking by, and for a minute, its just her and me. She is a single mom, I thought of 2, but she was a single mom of 3. Her husband was her high school sweetheart, and he ran off about 4 years ago. Leaving her to raise these 3 boys on her own. She isn't bitter, she is still smiling. I wasn't smiling 10 years ago when similar things were going on. I was very bitter, mad at the world. She then tells me her youngest son, passed away. He had been battling cancer all of his life, but he beat it. His immune system had not fair ed well, and he passed away from other things his body couldn't fight. Her story is a fairly well known local story, so I am not going to get too specific for obvious reasons. She and I had a moment, it was still just her and I. I was telling her that I too had been a single mom, and that I understood how it felt. But truth is, I have no idea what it feels like to lose a child. I was nothing like this woman who stood in front of me. We talked for a few more minutes. We continued to talk and I continued to be amazed by this woman's strength. So with tears in our eyes, I wrote down what we looked at, and told them I would see them in a few minutes. 

When they came back, I told them they would, :). I was ringing up the sale, and we kept talking. At this point, she has already amazed me with her strength, and her will to keep going for her and her boys. She then proceeds to tell 2 more horrific things that have happened to her, just this year! I can't tell you I would be standing up, let alone standing tall, smiling and telling my story to some woman I just met. But she made me think, a lot. I am a pretty humble person, I really am, and remember, I know things can always be worse, but I have never been through even ONE of the 5 things she told me about herself in 4 years, in my whole life. I feel like I need to say this again, she was NOT whining, or complaining or wanting me to feel sorry for her. She was simply being herself. And they walked into my store today to answer my questions of doubt. My lack of faith in how God works. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have a lot of "a ha" moments, and realizing how good I have it. This was different, and it couldn't have come a better time. I only hope that I left a fraction of the impression on her, that she left on me. They were the reason I was still there, SHE was the reason I was still there. So tonight, the only person I am feeling sorry for is her ex husband. He walked away from the best thing that ever happened to him. And I am thankful that I had the chance to meet her and her boys. They helped me today. In many ways. And this is just the beginning.....