These days while most people are giving up their landlines and choosing the anonymity of mobile phones to avoid unwanted calls, preferring to speak the exclusive group who have been granted their number, I have kept a landline for a couple of reasons. First, it costs practically nothing when bundled into my internet and cable bill. I get a zillion features including caller ID which allows me to determine whose call I will answer. Unrecognized numbers are ignored; I figure if they are legit and really want to talk to me, they’ll leave a message. Secondly, and most importantly, it enables people who want to talk to me to call me, and that is sometimes times a real gift.
This morning for example I received a call from a woman who many would consider a “Grand Dame of Greene County.” I have known of her for almost as long as I’ve lived here and have been aware of her extreme generosity to the community but I’ve never met her. What I didn’t know was why she was calling me or better yet, how she got my number. I was on the phone when she called, so I let her leave a message.
It turns out she has a bunch of custom-made drapes and curtains that she would like to donate to our local Habitat for Humanity to hang in our next project home and wanted to know how long it would be before we were ready for them.
So, when I finished my call, I called her back. What I thought would be a very short call where I explained that our group wouldn’t be beginning a rehab or build for at least another year or two at the earliest, turned into a wonderful forty minute conversation.
Having the opportunity to speak with a very old person with a very sharp mind is a rare thing indeed. Mrs. G told me of her love for the county and how she has enjoyed sharing the profits made from the sale of her family homestead with the community. I had heard that she funded the construction of a pavilion at the county recreation park to provide restroom facilities for the children after watching them use porta-potties and then eat their lunches. She found it unbearable that the children had no place to wash their hands so she contacted the County Board of Supervisors and put her money where her mouth was. She is a can do kind of gal, but I already knew that.
She is also responsible for a scholarship that pays tuition for local students wishing to take community college courses while still in high school. This year eleven students will graduate with not only Advance Diplomas but also with Associate degrees. She is very proud of “her” students.
What I didn’t know was just how old she is because she looks really good. I’m still not sure, but she did mention that she graduated from high school in 1936 which by my calculations is eighty years ago! This was after she mentioned she’d spent three hours yesterday mowing her five acre yard and what great joy she gets from spending that time praying, meditating and singing hymns through the job. It was clear from our conversation that Mrs. G gets great strength from her faith and strives to stay healthy so she can continue to answer God’s call.
I still don’t know how she got my number. It’s a small county and my number is definitely out there as well as in the phone book. But, regardless of how it came to be, I’m so glad I accepted the gift of a call and visit with her this morning. It really was a great way to start my day!