Had to go to the Post Office by my work today and it was interesting. I work in a unique part of town; lots of local history, lots of different walks of life. It has a downtown, urban feel but just up the street, it's suburbia. Anyway, the Post Office has been there for years and years. As I waited my turn, I enjoyed the old pictures on the wall of past employees. And I do mean PAST employees...these had to be from almost 100 years ago.
I was waiting in line because there was this nice, eccentric, older woman in front of me. Her clothes were a bit worn and her gray-streaked hair was loosely pulled up in a bun. She had a blister on her thumb (cleaning? sewing?) and her shoes didn't fit quite right. She was buying money orders. The clerk was speaking a little bit loud and I couldn't quite figure out if she normally did that or if the lady was hard of hearing. I'm thinking it was a little of both. The lady bought two money orders and then couldn't decide why she had so much money left over. Then she remembered she needed another money order. I work at a bank. We get this type of customer a lot. Especially in this particular neighborhood. I always try to have lots of patience with them, because, let's face it, that is going to be me someday and I sure hope someone is patient with me.
So the woman gets her money orders and moves out to the counter in the lobby area. I get my stamps and the only place to stand to put them on the envelopes is at the same counter in the lobby area. There's plenty of room but I just take the very edge, steering clear of the money order lady. I began stamping my envelopes and from two feet away, she starts saying that she should have used the counter inside the Post Office so that I would have more room. I assured her I was fine. Then she said it again. And again. Each time, I assure her that I'm fine. In the meantime, I'm putting stamps on as fast as I can to get the heck out of there because I was obviously distressing her a bit. Then out of nowhere, she begins to sing. LOUDLY. And it was pretty. She sounded like she was on stage giving a performance. I have no idea what song she was singing, something along the lines of black witchcraft and white witchcraft. ??? But she had a beautiful voice. It was so shocking to me that she was singing so loudly, and so much, but once I recovered from the shock, I actually enjoyed it.
I was thankful for the reminder today that when your soul feels like singing, you should just let it on out. Someone might think you are a little loose in the head. But someone just might get a big ole blessing out of it. Thank you, Lord, for helping me put my priorities in the right place today and for helping me see the joy in that older woman's soul today. I needed that.
