Sometimes You Don’t Know Until You Do

Hello folks, I hope each of you had a very Merry Christmas. We did! I’m so glad to see y’all by the porch today. I love this in between week, nestled after the big to-do and before the new year dawns. It’s a great time for quiet and reflection. Of course, it’s worth reminding ourselves that we have to make time for that. It won’t happen accidentally, will it? Indeed, 2012 is sneaking up on us fast, y’all, but I do think we have time for one more get-together. Have a seat, and let’s chat… ~smile~

My brain’s been on a regular field trip today. You may know this as an excursion down memory lane, but trust me, in this head, it’s a field trip. It started when I ran across a story I’d recorded in my Iphone, told me by a belle named Barbara. I met Barbara at one of my recent speaking engagements. She had just returned from what she called her annual Redneck Shopping Trip to Dallas with her girlfriends, a trip they make complete with a U-Haul towed behind their SUV. Clearly, these women are professional shoppers—which has absolutely nothing to do with the story I’m telling. I mention it only because, having been born without the female shopping gene, I find that level of commitment fascinating.

Barbara’s story was set in a bank, hence the field trip I mentioned earlier. I was a bank teller myself back in the day, you know. And, yes, I do have some stories from those years, but right now, I’m bent on sharing this little gem from Barbara.

Some years ago, when Barbara was a brand new high school graduate, her daddy took her to the local bank to cash her traveler’s checks. Our young belle was feeling like quite the grown-up. Upon reaching the front of the line, she explained to the teller that she’d be using the cash for her trip to college.

“That’s nice, dear,” the busy teller said. “What denomination would you like?”

“Excuse me,” our mature young belle said.

“Denomination,” the woman repeated, slowly. “What denomination, do you prefer?”

Our belle was most surprised at the personal direction the exchange was taking, but she met it head on in her best doing business voice. “Well, I was raised Methodist,” she announced, “but I’ve been going to a non-denominational church.”

You know I’ve got to say it, don’t you? Bless her heart…

Happy New Year Hugs,
Shellie