CONNECTION...

I went into JoAnn's Fabric store a few weeks ago to return some wooden beads.  There was a LOOONG line for the cash register that snaked around out into the aisles, and it looked like I was in for a long wait.  There was a woman in front of me, looked like she was from my time, so I just said casually, "Is there something special going on?  This is just a plain old Friday, and I don't know of any holidays."  She said she was surprised at the number of people in the store at that time which was way before noon.

As we stood there together, I started talking about sewing in general and that my daughter had told me recently that the price for patterns was now upwards of $20.  I told this woman I was shocked at that because when I was doing a lot of sewing for my children as they were growing up, I hated it when the price of a pattern creeped up near $3.00.  When I first started sewing as a girl in 4-H, and when my mother purchased patterns to sew clothing for my sisters and me, the Simplicity and McCall's patterns were less than Fifty Cents.  I think Butterick Patterns might have been similar, but VOGUE was too stylish, and the patterns were costly.  Probably $1.99.  She shared her thoughts about patterns, sewing for her kids, and while we were talking slowly advanced forward in that long line.

At one point the group conversation in front of the two of us included a little girl who said she was someone's little sister.  I joked and told her, "Just don't let anyone call you 'Baby Sister'!  One of my older sisters called me that until the day she died, and I was a grown woman with grandchildren."  Everyone laughed.

Shortly after that, the woman in front of me was first in line and was called to a cash register.  I got the next call to the register which was close to hers.

A couple of minutes later, the woman who had been in front of me came over to me as she was leaving the store and handed me a wrapped life saver.  "Thank you for talking to me.  Have a good day!"

"Oh, you're welcome...you have a good day, too!"

I was taken aback.  Was this woman lonely?  Did she often find herself in a group where no one said anything to her?  When she was in line at a store, didn't anyone ever say anything to her?

Whatever the reason, I was glad I had struck up a conversation with her.  It wasn't any big deal for me.  I didn't stand there and think to myself that this woman looked lonely.   I certainly didn't feel compelled to talk to her.  Must be because I am so used to engaging with strangers, I just opened my mouth and started to talk just like I always do.

But for some reason, this woman felt a connection.  And I was glad that I initiated that connection.  You never know who needs a smile, a kind word, an interested comment.  I think that's what ministering is all about--just reaching out to make a

CONNECTION....