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Musings
of a Senior Scribe
An Old Crock Pot, An
Old Friend, and a New, Wiser Woman
By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! I've been working with Mary Ellen - yup, straight out of the
Blue Ridge Mountains - Cowboys don't cry/Heroes don't lie/Good always
wins again & again/Love is a sweet dream. Trouble comes in bunches
and she "runs."
In her past, an old friend had been telling her to come down off "the
mountain".- you can't keep "blindly believing" - you're gonna get hurt.
You need to "watch and wait." - make them earn your trust - don't just
trust until they prove otherwise.
She meets a guy through a friend. He says "all the right stuff" ...he's
been through a tragedy or two himself ...(hero?) They get married.
Together they are a family - complete with grandkids. - It's a "Blue
Ridge Christmas" come to life.
Then she gets sick - very sick. It all crumbles. The grankids get
older. At night she watches the neighbor woman's porch light - on
during the week..off on the weekends. Deep in her "Blue Ridge Heart" -
she knows the truth. Even she can't deny or justify this one. They
split.
I recently told her I would help her sort through the stuff she had
collected for a grand daughter's 16th birthday. I took cookie mixes to
church with me. The kiddies' faces lit up instantly! (I sort of
"redistribute" stuff no one wants, but they do not want it to go to the
trash.). I wound up with a crock pot, too.
Mary Ellen looked up the "old friend." She told him thanks for all he
had done for her..that he was right..that she should have listened to
him. She should have looked past his drinking...she should have
at least considered that he could be right.
The old friend has made a new friend - she wasn't around when they
became friends. Like one of life's crazy "links in a chain" - the new
friend is raising two children by himself.
Same story - new players. I'll spare you the details. The Mom left him
with a 9 year old son and a 7 year old daughter. Now the old friend has
a new person to mentor - maybe someone who will listen.
Through a conversation of these three - the "Daddy" has a lot of doubts
and worries. How do you raise a daughter by yourself? (Yes, some
Daddies will accept the challenge). Kudos to you!! Now he gets to work,
clean the house, and raise the kids. He does not cook past opening a
can of something. Enter the crock pot!! He has a working knowledge of
it - put the food in it and "dinner" is ready a few hour later. This is
something he and the kiddies can do together.
As for Mary Ellen? - She has more things to distribute. She is learning
and applying the truth - "You can not just blindly believe"
anyone.
To put this one together - People are not always the way they seem. A
guy "said all the right stuff" - "did all the right stuff" - and
late at night, when he thought no one was watching - out came the
truth. (Some one saw, though. Someone always "sees".).
Another guy openly drinks. He owns his own business. He tells the woman
how it really is...but that's not how it "looked" to her. It "looked"
all right. It "looked" liked the guy told the truth always. It "looked"
like he was serious.
The Old Friend opens a beer and silently hopes Mary Ellen has become a
wiser woman. Through their 23 year friendship he has seen the love in
her heart and actions.
As for the crock pot? It stands ready to cook whatever the Daddy &
the kiddies put in it. There just might be a "Blue Ridge" family after
all!!
Remember the kiddies and our service people. Take good care of the
furry and feathered ones out there. Be safe and healthy. See ya next
time!! Ever Toodles! MONA
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