Chance Encounter (By the Hair of My Chinny Chin Chin)

I haven't written about a Chance Encounter in a while, probably because I haven't encountered anyone too interesting.  The other night we looked out our front door and found a whole herd of interesting (sorry for the bad pictures - they were taken through a window).

Just in case you can't figure out what you're looking at, here's a better stock picture:

These are javalina (have-a-leen-a).  There were eight of them on our porch, including at least two little ones.  They were having a great feast on our leftover pumpkins.  At one point a car made a loud noise about a block away and they scattered in a flash of little hooves clattering on the brick walk.

This one came back and he was very sassy.  Right here he's standing less than three feet from me with only a window between us.  He was chomping away at that pumpkin.  At one point he raised his head and looked right at me wiggling his snoot.  We were really connecting.

So now that you've seen these guys, guess what kind of animal they are.  Razorbacks?  Boars?  Pigs?  Well, not exactly.  A javelina is a Collared Peccary which migrated over time from South America as far north as Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.  They weigh about 35-50 pounds and travel in herds (like the herd on our porch).  They have very poor eyesight, but a great sense of smell and pretty good hearing.  If you startle them, they will run off but leave a musk smell like a skunk.  That's why they're also called Skunk Pigs.  However, "pigs" as known in the U.S. are derived from European pigs, while javalina are native to the Americas, so they are not related to domesticated pigs or feral pigs (razorbacks).

Their natural food is cactus, but hey, this guy lives in Scottsdale.  He loves ornamental flowers.  He has an accurate calendar and knows trash day.  If you put out your trash can the night before pickup, you will find the street littered with trash from all the trash cans down the street.  That's good eatin'.  These guys even tried eating the votive candles and metal pumpkin pails in front of my house.  This guy spared my pumpkins before Halloween, so I could hardly begrudge him a little snack and chat with me.

I guess we had a chance encounter over a good meal.

cindy

Chance Encounters

A friend of mine lost her teenage son to leukemia today.  I haven't spoken to this friend - ever.  I've never met her in person.  Yet I've known her for over 9 years and have been there during many of her major life events - bankruptcy, divorce, her son's diagnosis, bone marrow transplant and now his death.  If that seems strange to you, you probably aren't a blogger.

I met my friend online over nine years ago when I was a SAHM.  We both sold children's clothes on Ebay.  There was a big group of us - women in Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Washington and Ohio.  During Hurricane Katrina, we were online with one of our friends who was in Slidell with her two kids waiting for her husband before she evacuated and another who fled to Florida during her third trimester and returned to find nothing left of her home in Port Arthur.  There are many other stories, including my own, but you get the idea.  Blogging wasn't quite as popular then as it is now, so most of our conversations took place in a chat room format.  Eventually we created private chat rooms, especially for one particular friend, because she always seemed to draw the trolls.

It's really hard to explain to someone how you can be so involved in the lives of people you have never seen in person.  Sometimes I can hardly understand it myself.  Yet today I find myself in tears, worried about how she will make it financially.  I worry about her loss of faith during her son's illness.  I'm not sure how she can make it without leaning on God.  I'm also worried because her son was her life.  She is disabled and doesn't work outside of her home, so it's going to be a lonely place for her.

I do know that she has plenty of friends around the country, just like me, and we are all praying for her tonight.  Many of us will send her cards and a little money or a gift card to help out.  I just hope and pray she will reach out to at least one of her friends who, like me, have never met her in person.

cindy

Chance Encounters

I've mentioned before that I ride a commuter bus every morning.  I see the same people most days, but the bus is generally very quiet while everyone reads their Kindles, looks at newspapers or phones (or in my case crochets).

There is a young man who is there every day.  I've never spoken to him, and I have never heard him talk to anyone else.  I know his name (at least his last name) because it's printed on the hat he wears every day.  In fact, he wears the same clothes, hat, boots and carries the same backpack every day.  This would sound weird except his clothes are camouflage.  He is a member of the U.S. Army.

I believe he's a recruiter, but when he gets on that bus with his close cropped head, full fatigues, army boots and camouflage backpack, I can't help but feel a sense of pride.  He exudes dedication and dependability.  It's all right there in his uniform.  I have never spoken to this man, yet I admire him.

Funny thing about admiring soldiers.  Somehow people believe that to admire a soldier means you admire the current military policies and actions.  On the other hand, if you don't like the current military policies or actions, some people accuse you of failing to support the troops.  I don't want to debate whether recent military actions are good or not.  What I do want to say is that I admire that soldier on my bus.  Period.  Has nothing to do one way or another with whatever military action in which he may or may not participate.

I am offended at the suggestion that the litmus test for supporting military personnel is support of a military policy.  This soldier I see everyday has put his life in the hands of his country and its leaders.  It's not his job to make decisions about military policy or where he will live or what he will do.  He may be a recruiter this week, but next month he could be halfway across the world under fire.  All he knows for sure is that he has put his life in the hands of his country and has a job to do.  Does his position on the politics behind a particular military action have anything to do with his valor?  No.  In fact, I think a soldier who doesn't agree with the military decisions/policies yet does his job may show even more valor.  He made a commitment to do a job and he follows through.  That's honor.

Tomorrow I'm going to look right at him and tell him thank you.  Not "I thank you because I support the policies which might send you into battle," or "I don't like you because your job represents a war I don't like."  Just "thank you for your service."

I think that's all he wants to hear anyway.

cindy

Chance Encounters

This is Emma.

I was sitting in a local theater waiting for the show from the Do Re Mi School of the Arts.  (My son loves performing.)  I felt a little hand tap on my hand and looked over to see this adorable but serious little face standing in front of the seat next to me.  She said: "Would you mind holding my seat down while I sit?  The seat makes me nervous that I might fall on the floor."  She immediately made me smile.

She told me her name (Emma), that she is 4 years old, and was attending the performance with her sister and babysitter.  They were there to see Mary, the babysitter's sister.  "Do you know Mary?" she asked.

She kept talking. "I have definitely been here before.  I remember those chairs and that piano."  She pointed to the props on stage.  "Yes, I've definitely been here before."  I introduced her to my daughter, who was sitting to my left.  Mackenzie was immediately charmed by this little girl.

By this time Emma was becoming more comfortable with me, and asked if I would tie the ribbon on her dress.  Then she started to get silly.

She and Mackenzie got the giggles and then she wanted to make faces.

(By this time her big sister was having fun too.)

When the show was ready to start, the lights went down and Emma put her hand on my arm. "Is this going to be really loud?"  I told her no.  "Will the lights come back on?"  I told her yes.

For the next two hours, I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she giggled, bounced in her chair and clapped for the kids onstage.  Despite the length of the show, she never fidgeted, but sat in her seat watching intently.  When "Mary" finally came onstage, she turned to me: "That's Mary!"

By the end of the show, I couldn't tell which entertained me more, the kids on the stage or the one sitting next to me.  After the show, she turned to me and said "I have to go now.  Thanks for sitting with me."

My pleasure, Emma.  My pleasure.

cindy

Chance Encounters

Last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting the parents of one of my dearest friends.  My friend is one of the kindest people I have ever met, with an infectious smile and a warm hug.  I was intrigued to discover the people who raised this very special person.  I was not disappointed.

Her dad is a character.  No, really, a character, someone bigger than life.  He's a big guy with a huge personality.  The best description I can offer is that he is the ultimate Texan.  He knows everything about oil and Texas history and other interesting topics and he's not afraid to share it.  He's one of those rare people who can be a big personality without being a big ego.  KWIM?

Her mom is a sweet, nurturing woman.  She doesn't say too much, but it's not because she's shy or doesn't have anything to say.  It's because she is a listener, and a good listener at that.  She looks right at you when you talk and is genuinely interested in what you have to say.  She's proud of her daughter, but more importantly, admires her as a person.

As interesting as these people are, that's not why I was so fascinated with them.  What is remarkable is how my friend is the perfect combination of both of her parents.  She's a wonderful listener, compassionate and sensitive.  At the same time, she has a smile as big as Texas and a mischievous twinkle in her eye.  Wherever she goes she fits in and charms everyone in the crowd.

As interesting as it is to see the physical resemblance among children and parents, it's so much more enlightening to see the "inner" resemblance.  It brings a whole new facet to a dear friend and I'm privileged to have experienced that chance encounter.

cindy