Thankful Sunday--May 20,2018

I am thankful for small towns and friendly people.

I talked to this man about tying fishing ties. 

Recently, I spent a few days with my mother celebrating Mother's Day. As you may know, my mother still lives in the small West Virginia town I grew up in. Often during my visits, I run into several people that I know, or knew my sisters, or worked with my mother, or used to trade with my father (he was a big barterer), etc. This time I didn't see many people that I knew, but I found plenty of people to talk to all the same.

On Saturday the weather was warm, so Ward and I decided to take a walk to visit two flea markets that were going on that day. The first one was indoors and filled with craftsmen as well as others selling used wares. Everyone was friendly and chatted like we were old friends.  I had conversations with several people where I learned about their crafts, their cookie recipes, and the ages of their grandchildren. Ward struck up a conversation with another man selling tools and learned about his woodworking and his plans to move.  All of our conversations were relaxed, casual conversions like we had been friends for a long time.

When we finished there, we proceeded to the other flea market on the other end of town  (3 1/2 blocks away). On the way, we ran into the Boy Scout car wash where Ward spent time talking with one of the leaders about the value of the program, controlling boys, and a scout master that they both knew. He happened to be my mother's doctor and had saved the life of this man's son. Ward, who is most comfortable in the background during these visits, was surprised and pleased that he was making connections, too.

The poultry seller had some baby ducks
that were very cute.

The other flea market was a more casual style with a bit of anything and everything there. Among other things, we saw plants, chickens, produce, car parts, glassware, and toys. The conversations flowed easily here, also. One man told me how to stop deer from eating my plants and another told me about how he maintains the family cemetery. We were impressed with the girl selling hot dogs with her brother to earn money to study a semester in Italy. That's where we had lunch before we went home to escape the heat.

Once we got in the cool house, the good feelings continued. There were several neighborhood kids out playing and listening to them took me back to when I was a kid playing on the same street. Nothing electronic in sight. Kids of various ages were racing their bikes, playing hide and seek, and passing balls. The older ones looked out for the younger ones and even though there was lots of noise, it was happy noise with only an occasional dispute. I haven't seen or heard kids play like that in a long time.

A lot has changed in my hometown since I lived there and it has its fair share of problems, but during my recent visit, I enjoyed the friendliness of the people and the slower way of life. And for that I am thankful.