THESE ARE THE DAYS
By Rachael Jones
"These are the days now that we must savor And we must enjoy as we can These are the days that will last forever You've got to
hold them in your heart."
Van Morrison
The kids got dressed up and went to their Homecoming Dance. For one, the last time I fitted him for a suit was when he was a ring-bearer, wearing a 2T baby tuxedo.
For the other, this was the first time she was in a home long enough, able to focus on her special day and make sure she has all the unnecessary accessories to look and feel fabulous!
The picture of them (see pix above) truly speaks more than words and communicates their connection well.
One has had to step slightly to the side to allow another to belong, knowing that sacrifice will be richly rewarded both now and forever. The other has bravely stepped into her place, letting go of the pain of the past so she can experience love and joy to change the path of her future.
God help us to truly see what's going on with those around us and let us step aside or step forward so we can love them well.
The next story is a reminder to shop with
people whenever possible, to move beyond the convenience of a click and interact with humans. We were meant to connect, daily and often with one another. And, there is a reason:
Our son needed a suit (see pix above!) He is a slim guy and I knew we'd have some challenges. We started our search at Kohls, hoping that the massive place would have a few options. Wrong! Desperate to get something on time, I pulled out my phone in the middle of the aisle and opened my Amazon app, looking for
Prime-Only options. Search, click, click and a few options were on their way - hopefully! We walked out of Kohls with something we'd neither seen nor tried-on.
Upon leaving the parking lot, my husband said we should try the mall. Now you know what's going on with malls these days. They are ghost towns for the most part, but he recalled a men's suit shop the last time we'd been inside.
We walked down the hallway, lined with empty stores until we came to Jimmy Holmes where we were greeted by Jimmy. He looked my son up and down and said he had just the suit. He fitted the suit on-site making minor adjustments, all the while getting to know my family while sharing his stories, giving solid marriage advice and suggesting every month we all
get dressed up just to feel good about ourselves and maintain an appetite for the good things.
He even pressed the suit. On our way out, we shook hands, thanking Jimmy and saying good-bye as we would a friend because that's what we'd become in the hour we
were there. As we were leaving, Jimmy had one more gift. He pulled out his guitar and impeccably played us a Gospel song!
We left with more than a suit. My encouragement here is to purchase from a person. Even at a Big Box store, purchase from and through a human
because there is more to life than convenient transactions.
Rachael
Jones is a farmer and owner of Locavore Farm
