I’m going to admit it. I went to see Gary Allan in concert a week ago. I don’t get off the farm a whole lot, I’m pretty content playing in rocks and dirt, with the smell of diesel near by.
I met a stranger at the concert. We got to visiting before the show and during intermission, and it wasn’t long before I KNEW she was a woman of substance. Mild speaking, polite, smart, with a warm, genuine smile.
Turns out she is a ” Home dialysis” nurse and drives from Hamilton Michigan to Fort Wayne Indiana several times a week for her job. (That’s a 2 hrs and 45 min drive one way.) I admired her dedication.
I have no credentials behind my name. I am a woman who became a wife 42 years ago, Had four babies, and I am called OMIE by 12 beautiful grandchildren.
I’ve made hand milled soap for 35 years, written and published two novels, but basically I’m a farmHer, a grunt worker, without a degree or anything that would be worth putting in an obituary behind my name.
We shared stories of our children, bits and pieces of our lives, shared photos from our phones, and then I showed her this photos of our grandchildren, and explained that most every Sunday we are all together for homemade biscuits or pancakes, etc
This woman is out in the REAL WORLD, everyday . She sees things I may never see and some things I probably wouldnt want to.
When she saw the pictures of our 12 grandchildren, she looked me in the eye and said…. you are blessed .
” Thank you, I said. I agree.”
” No, She said, I mean, do you know how blessed?. I have talked to you for 20 minutes and I can tell you, you have a family lifestyle that people want. One that is disintegrating in this country.
Very few people keep their family first, and fewer tend to the home’s fires, keeping the communication bridged between the old & young generations.
In my line of work, I see a lot of messed up, broken families with no compassion for the seniors struggling to get through what’s left of their lives. Young people are getting lost in a world of chaos, video games or social media. Most families get together, but to have your family lives close, and visits you throughout the week…… that is something to be proud of.
WHAT ENLIGHTMENT I RECEIVED FROM A STRANGER, and how thankful I am, that she took a moment to make her point. I feel Blessed by our children, their spouses and our grandchildren. And though I feel I work hard every day on this place, without placing an actual paycheck on the table it’s difficult to feel that what I do matters or makes any difference. And some people have been quick to point that out to me over the years.
SHE was a stranger, a highly educated professional telling me, …… how lucky I was to have my family so closely bonded. It was a gift.