My new friend Mary

Unbeknownst to me, CFA celebrated it's 40th anniversary last Friday.

I found out randomly because I went to the CFA on Jimmy Carter last Friday a.m. at around 9:30 while my car was in the shop at Tires Plus. Fortunately it was only about a 10-15 minute walk, so I went while the experts were trying to figure out the most important thing for me to fix out of the list of things that could be, and probably were, wrong. But the car is 12 years old, so, that's what happens.

It makes me exceedingly happy to walk places. I feel like I'm overseas. Plus, I had never been to this particular CFA before on the inside, so, "neat" I thought as I walked through the door. That's when I found out about the anniversary. There were crazy amounts of balloons everywhere. I just wanted a chicken biscuit and coffee (they have great creamer there too) and to sit down and read something to pass the time. I brought a school book which I should have been reading, but when I sat down I spotted a whole AJC newspaper sitting on a nearby table. "Sweetness" I thought, grabbing the paper and starting to catch up on the local Hotlanta news.

I was halfway through an article about a female pastor that was recently installed at a Baptist church in Decatur, when an older woman, probably in her 70's, with a cow necklace called out "who took my paper?? Who took my paper??" Ohmygursh..for the love of pete I was reading her paper. "Ma'am I'm so sorry. I took your paper. I thought it was Chik-fil-a's!!," I admitted, shamefully, to the woman. She responded, which a grandmotherly, southern voice: "OH honey, don't you worry about it. I've got the sports section of Gwinnett county and that's all I really wanted. You keep it until you're done." Fortunately, I seemed to be out of hot water.

The funny thing was though...she kept talking to me. And it was, kind of, interesting. She was the one who told me about how she came here for the anniversary, and that's why she was wearing the cow (the symbol of CFA), and how everyone who worked there was so nice and how she worked out at Bally's down the street and isn't exercise so good for you? She left me alone at this point, which was probably good because I didn't want to get into my personal vendetta against Bally's. But soon I was done eating. And she noticed. Plus, my car wasn't done yet. And I sort of paused in my paper reading because I noticed I got a section a bit wet and I wondered what she would think. Next thing I know she says "honey, do you want to come sit over here and talk with me?" Hmmm..why not?

I probably sat with her for about 30 minutes. She was delighted to find out that I went to Berry for college, because one of her sons did, and Berry is indeed such a fine school, but yes, quite expensive now. We talked about her family, how her son was suddenly going to be deployed to Iraq and he had two daughters and a wife and they were devastated. She talked about her husband who had passed seven years earlier, her church, etc. It was really fun, actually. I felt like that guy in the Kleenex commercial who's out in public armed with a couch and kleenex, listening to everyone's life stories.

Finally, I did need to go and check on my car. When I told her this she said "I think God sometimes brings us such fine blessings. I know that you're outgoing and so am I. I can just tell. So this was such a blessing to me." It was hard to leave. I think she could have sat with me for another hour at least. Maybe. It's funny because really it was just the company I provided, which I guess, she needed.

I have no idea if I'll see Mary again. But it would definitely be a blessing.