being different is really a good thing

while i was recently in the states, i had a few experiences in which i found myself to be different than at least 95% of the people around me.

the dear husband of a woman i know passed away after a long and hard battle with cancer. loving Jesus every step of the way, he passed away with a minimal amount of pain and suffering. this was truly a miracle. after arriving at the church for the wake before the funeral- which was going to be an all day event- i thought very little of the women in white standing around the sanctuary. that is until my mother pointed out that it was good they had enough nurses on hand.

NURSES? whatever for? the man already passed away.

apparently this is for those who may be so overcome by grief and crying that they feel faint or even lose consciousness during the funeral. point taken. i have never been to a funeral where the grieving has even come close to hysteria that people would begin to faint. totally different point of reference for these particular funeral proceedings as opposed to all other funerals that i had witnessed in my life.

who's to say what is better anyway? bottling the grief up inside and it only exploding in bitterness and sickness? hysteria on the point of fainting, but at least touching the depth of grief felt? seven days set aside for a concerted effort to grieve? the outward grieving must be healthier than keeping it in. definitely!

last monday, labor day, after whirlwind of events and changes and upheaval, my parents moved yet again. this is not a shocking event, as they have moved approximately every two-three years the entire 31 years they have been married. my mom hates moving. i was actually around and able to pack up the apartment and help them get settled into the new place. 40 minutes from where they have lived the last 25 years. a different county. P.G. county. if that doesn't mean anything to you, fine. but, really. from montgomery county to PG county. that's not just a move. that's like an entire paradigm shift...at least in some ways.

my entire life my family has always been the minority where we have lived. except for the first neighborhood we lived in while in MD, that is. we were there for two years. i was little. didn't make too much of an impression, obviously. so, we are used to living with all sorts of different neighbors. montgomery county is HUGELY racially diverse.

pg county is not. my parents are still very clearly in the minority. when i went to the walmart (which, by the way, has a nail salon, subway and a branch of the "urban trust" bank located inside) i was suddenly struck, after 45 minutes of wandering around, that there was no one else, of the hundreds of people filling the walmart at 8pm, who looked like me. no blonde hair. no blue eyes. you get the picture. "wow!" i thought. "this is so COOL!" i thought. "i LOVE this!!!"

every store i walked into, people turned to greet me. everywhere i walked, people said hello. even at stop lights, the people in the cars next to me talked, said hi, and good naturedly laughed as i danced and sang my heart out.

and no, it wasn't only men! for those of you inclined to think that it was because i'm a blonde young woman in the midst of loads of other non-blonde people.

it was incredible.

at the gas station.

walmart.

shoppers food warehouse.

the stoplight.

the other stoplight.

target.

old navy.

safeway.

i lived in a snobby county for most of my life, and didn't realize that life could truly be more friendly.

inspiring.