Terri’s Journey

Yesterday at my orthopedic doctor appointment,  I looked around. Six feet of space. Masks on. Sanitizer available. Coffee bar out of order.  Yep. All normal.  Now please understand this. Since Covid restrictions have started, I’ve been definitely healthier in that I’m no longer getting all the normal bugs I usually get all year long.  I like not being sick with normal stuff.  But I think something else has happened. Something not so good. And it’s one that we can correct. You just have to be intentional. Connection.  As I sat in my chair far away from everyone, I noticed a young man. He had a knee brace on. His hair was fixed in a dreadlock updo. He was college age and obviously uncomfortable.  I cleared my throat and got his attention. “Football?” I asked, pointing at his knee. He nodded yes. And then we started talking.  We talked football and college and scouts and pro ball and hopes and dreams…his. We also talked about disappointment and plan b and choosing to make hard decisions. 

I remember the first time I went to the library at school. I was in the first grade and I was totally and wonderfully enthralled. Surrounding me were all the books I could ever want. As a little one just starting out, I hurriedly learned to read so I could explore the library and all of it’s secrets.  I loved books. I mean I really LOVed books.  It was in books that I could become anyone or anything. I read the classics. I read biographies and autobiographies. Mystery, adventure, and intrigue….all contained between the covers of book.  And when I didn’t have a library book, I read the encyclopedias at home from cover to cover. From A to Z…and then the new additions that updated them. Medical books about human ailments , books of poems, and even newspapers. There was a whole world out there ready to explore. In our little town of Van Horn Texas was our city library. In the 60’s and 70’s I frequented the aisles. I would walk the many blocks just to get to walk in the door. The library wa