new friends

Yesterday felt like a bit like a marathon. The first concert went well. Then the choir and everyone involved in the production had lunch in the gym after which we had an hour and a half to fill before the second performance. We sat around and chatted, went for mini-walks around the building – that sort of thing.

I am getting to know and like the Romanian women, D1 and D2. They are very bright and sharp.

D1 has a management position with a company that makes the little packets of condiments used by KFC and other fast food chains. As well she is a wife and mom of three and is taking classes in management!

She is lovely with fair, clear skin and soft brown hair that curls around her face. I love the way she speaks, with just a touch of hesitancy as she searches for the right English word. Yesterday she wore a black suit that had glittering threads woven into the fabric, with a shimmering jacquard top. Her clothes and manner speak of quiet quality.

She is also warm and generous. After her phone call home between concerts. she reported that there was a din in the background with her house full of people - mostly family. I’ve seen her greet her little nephew with a big hug.

She told us she loved to cook. She worked in product development at her last job and came up with a whole slew of cappuccino flavors for them. Her dream is to run a little coffee shop that serves specialty coffees and European pastries.

D2 is a slim, blond optical engineer – single. She wears gypsy skirts, sometimes with a velvet top and always elegant shoes. Her blonde hair is casual, a modern layered cut with a straggly long bit of bang that she keeps brushing out of her eyes.

I love the ironic bite of her outlook.“What would one do with psychology studies?” she asked. A discussion ensued around the fact that studies in psychology and other subjects like political science, English and history would surely not be an end in themselves. In her observation, North American young people seemed to choose ‘soft subjects’. It didn’t make sense to her; why would they not choose something that ends up with an actual job?

When I asked her what her dream was, she said, “You mean business dream?”

“You’d like to get married?” I asked. She just grinned.

F. is a little flight attendant with a French Canadian accent. She is feisty and funny. She told about how she’s inevitably called in to work extra shifts in difficult situations. Like the time their airline was asked to transport a prisoner from Mexico to Canada. She kept that burly prisoner in line, though.

“No alcohol. You hear? No alcohol! You know how expensive it is if we have to land in the States.”

Later, when the drinks were being passed around and he was asked what he wanted to drink: “I’ll have a Coke,” and, then looking to F., “Is that okay?”

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As I’m getting to know and enjoy these new friends, God is saying to me: Violet, that is how I want you to look at everyone - with kind eyes and an open heart. Because that is how I look at you and at every person on earth. I find each of you endlessly fascinating with your foibles and idiosyncracies and dreams. You are all so special to Me and I want you, my child, to appreciate all your human brothers and sisters in the same way.

I also am ‘collecting’ these women. Who knows, some day bits of them may be reflected in my stories.