Friday, January 27, 2012

Sharon's Story

Sharon is the gentlest lady you will ever meet.
She is older; I would refer to her safely as in the autumn season of her life.
 Sharon has a very small frame and stature. She wears short naturally graying hair and glasses.
Her voice is quiet and slow. You must really stop and pay attention when she is speaking. She does not naturally demand attention or make it easy for you to hear her.
 Her spirit is quiet and gentle.
        During her visit in the shop this morning she began to candidly share a story of when she was younger and going through an extremely difficult season in her life.
       This is the beautiful story that Sharon shared with The Shop Downtown this morning.
       I was young in my early thirties and we had just moved from the city into an old farm house out in the country in Columbus, Texas.
I was a stay at home mom with my two small boys Jason, who was young preschool age and Josh, a toddler.
 I was not very content at the time. It was a particularly rough season in my life and I was just not very happy. 
 I had not met anyone in this small little town and had no family or friends around to speak of at all.  I found myself lonely, tired and sad. This was my life as I started my morning with my sons.
 I realized suddenly that Jason, my oldest, was nowhere to be found. After looking exhaustedly, I found him in the bathroom, where he was pouring my favorite and most expensive perfume into the toilet. 
       I am not usually a screamer, but today I became one. I yelled at Jason and whipped around in my frustration and anger to find Josh at my heels where I accidently trampled backwards over him, making him cry. Both boys were now in tears, along with me.
       I quickly and not very gently picked Josh up and held him sideways on my hips as he cried. I continued to yell at Jason as I chased him down the hallway into the living room trying to retrieve and possibly save any remains of my perfume. Just as I entered the living room, I heard a knock at the door. I could hear them clearly and as I stopped, knew that they must clearly hear me as well.  
       Knowing full well that I should feel ashamed and embarrassed as I approached the door, I was not. I was at the point today of reckless abandonment of all cares and concerns about impression.
I didn’t know anyone anyways, so I approached the door, which was already open on this cool day, leaving the barrier of only a screen to mask my behavior.  
       There behind the screen door stood a stranger I had never seen before. It was an older gentleman that appeared normal and very harmless.
 He began to tell me that his car had broken down up the road and asked if he could possibly borrow my phone to call someone for help. I didn’t stop to think or discern the situation as harmful or safe; I just opened the door and welcomed him into my home.
 The kids continued to cry, run around the room and bounce on my furniture as he dialed his numbers and phoned for help.
After he made his calls, he sat down for a moment on my couch and I sat down as well, and began, for whatever reason, perhaps temporary insanity induce by stay at home motherhood, poured my heart out to him.
He began to comfort me through his words and gentleness while giving me council in a way. The kids both calmed down and snuggled in beside me as I spoke and visited with this stranger. 
       The phone rang and I went out of the room to answer the call. When I came back, he was gone.
I looked outside on the porch, then walked up to the road to see if he had gone back to his car, but he was nowhere and there was not a car in sight anywhere on the road.
I never had the chance to thank him for the kindness this stranger shared with me that morning and the peace that he brought into my life. He was just gone.
Vanished, like my bad mood.
       Was he an angel? It was a very bad season. I was in a very bad place and desperately needed someone at that moment, anyone.
 Had God sent me an angel?
I like to believe that He did!
      

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