Market Conversations

Forty-three degrees fahrenheit with a high of 57 today. “It’s perfect weather for running the marathon,” Andy told me, as I checked him out yesterday at the market. The couple weighted down with backpacks said hi as they walked away from the market to go hiking. Ideal hiking weather too.

“You know our friend Carol? I have good news and bad news about her. First, the bad news. The tumor hasn’t shrunk.” The good news was that it hasn’t grown, nor has the cancer spread. This came from a 79 year old customer who’s on oxygen.

“How are you?” I asked the young man with a dog.

“I’m living the dream?” His answer took me by surprise, and I asked what the dream was.

“I’m alive, and I have my dog.” Simple things.

“How are you doing?” I asked the woman whose mother passed away a few weeks ago. She proceeded to tell me about a phone call she’d received the evening before her mother died, one that gave her so much comfort. The caller had told her that there are two main forces in this world: love and fear, and how she’d chosen love. “O,” I said, “Like the Bible verse: ‘Perfect love casts out fear.'”

“Where is it?” she asked. I told her. “I’m going home before I forget it,” and away she walked, saying, “1 John 4:18, 1 John 4:18.”

There was the customer who was not buying his usual two watermelons because we didn’t have the seeded ones. And a favorite handicap customer who only talks with his eyes but managed to give David a fist bump. Two little girls each bought a pie. They said, “Thank you, Stranger,” to the lady who added grape juice and a mango to their purchase.

Lastly, I visited with boss Israel. Sarah and he are feeling somewhat discouraged because he needs another surgery (it’s at least the third one) on his hand because of an ugly splinter that made it into his palm one market. The only thing I know is that I can pray. You can too.

Everyone has a story. Sharing stories brings blessings to market workdays.

Berniece