LOOOSSSSEEEERRRRR

I have this neighbor. . . she actually is not right next door to me, but she is down the road a little ways . . . still in the same subdivision. She walks ALL the time. Most days I'll see her twice a day . . . sometimes even 3 times.

The first time I saw her we actually saw 2 other neighbors walking too. We stopped and talked to these 2 sweet ladies. This "crazy walker lady" walks by . . . the 2 sweet ladies say, "Hello _____." She doesn't look up. She doesn't acknowledge their presence. She doesn't acknowledge us. She just keeps a straight-forward look on her face and says, "Goodbye".

The other 2 sweet ladies said they didn't mean to talk about her, but she was weird. Apparently she is a former doctor who lost her medical license due to malpractice. She also no longer has custody of her 3 children. My heart really started to hurt for her.

I told the children later she really needed Jesus and we are going to show her His love.

A couple of weeks later I'm taking the trash to the end of the driveway. She walks by. . . I said, "Good morning" in a very peppy, bubbly, "if you haven't had your first cup of coffee you might slap me" voice. She never acknowledges me . . .just keeps looking straight ahead fixing her gaze on the horizon and says, "Goodbye".

Determined . . . I tell you. . . I'm so determined to be her friend . . . not because I want her to like me, but because obviously she's had a lot of pain in her life. One night as I went to bed for some reason I was thinking about her . . . why she lost her medical license. . . and her kids. . . who knows someone may have died under her care, totally unintentionally. . . could you imagine carrying that burden? Then maybe she went crazy and that is why she lost her kids? I don't know. This is a totally madeup story in my head. . . but there has to be some reason for it.

But for whatever reason, obviously she has had pain in her life for her to want to block herself off from people the way she does.

Fast forward a few weeks later I'm walking to my front door after my morning run. I see her walking . . .say "Good morning" just in a normal voice . . . not so peppy and bubbly as before (but usually when I talk it is peppy and bubbly).

She said, "Good morning. Have a blessed day!"

What? Oh my, I may have even started skipping . . .I don't remember, but I did put a pep in my voice and said, "Oh good morning. I hope you have a blessed day too." I was so excited!! Then, as she continued walking forward, she said, waving her hands by her side emphatically and with a more emphatic, a little bit of sternness in her voice, "I said have a blessed day."

I smiled, walked into the front door shouting, "It's a miracle y'all. It's a miracle," and told my family what had transpired.

A few days later I'm riding my bike and I see her in her yard with her dog. I said, "Good morning." She sang . . . notice I say she sang, not said, "Goodbye lllloooooossssseeeeerrrrr." That is loser for any of you going cross eyed reading that.

I giggled and smiled. What else was I supposed to do?

I tell you what though . . . it makes me even more bound and determined. My heart really does hurt for her. She lives in this huge house, all by herself. She obviously doesn't have any friends.

Now before any of you think I'm nothing but a softy . . . I do throw some caution out there. When it starts getting dark, and if our kids are playing outside. . . I make them come in . . . 'cause you never know how crazy someone might be . . .just bein' honest folks!