I’ve never been fearful of 70 year old woman, that is not until yesterday.
You see my daughter, who takes after her Mother, moi, had money to burn at Savers second-hand store. And she was ready to get going!
We hadn’t been there in six months. Getting out of the house seemed like a great idea. Mom, me and my daughter piled in the car and fifteen minutes later we were pulling into the perfect parking spot.
Now, Savers is always an adventure. This is true even during the visits I make when I have no money to spend. Other times, chances are good that I can walk in five bucks and walk out with three books I’ve wanted for years. Just lucky that way.
Part of the fun of Savers for us, is that is a great way to spend time bonding and dreaming. I find old blonde furniture or records I had back in high school. Memories bubble up that I share with my daughter that I might not otherwise remember.
Plus, I get to daydream about how I would some day decorate the big old pink Victorian I know I will never own.
Anyway, yesterday my daughter took an hour to find a vintage table with a record rack, a skirt cut on the bias and something else I can’t remember right now. She only had to fork over ten bucks.
What did the Grandma get? Of course, the Grandma found a designer purse.
Grandma and I waited near the checkout while my daughter went through her visions in the dress aisle. And it was quite a wait. But I never mind. I enjoy strolling along, seeing what items other people are throwing away.
Mom and I must been there for a good 30 minutes while checking out the videos for sale. We noticed that the checker was working on the same customer all this time.
Suddenly, the customer turned to the lady behind her and shouted, “Well, I don’t care how long you’ve been in line!”
“It’s been about an hour,” said the obviously foreign lady behind her.
“Too bad,” bellowed lady number one. “I’m a good customer here.”
“So am I and I don’t care.”
The shouting was getting even louder now. Wasn’t the second lady afraid to get punched? I was!
They stood only a foot apart when the unforeign lady said, “Well I’m almost 70 and you should be glad we let you in this country!”
I was so embarrassed at that moment. I wanted to tell that lady that I was sorry that some people don’t want anyone here except American-born people.
I imagined that the slow shopper sat glued to her tv cheering the other day over the crazed gunman in New York City who lost his job and his mind.
People come here from other countries for many reasons. Many come here to be free from the torments of corrupt governments, dictatorship, ethnic cleansing and war.
BTW does anyone realize we are still fighting an occupation in Iraq? Our immigration quotas aren’t allowing many escaping Iraqis to come here.
My point is, this: people come here to make their lives better. We all have laws to obey. These folks don’t owe me a damn thing. America is much better because of the discoveries and hard work that can be atttributed to immigrants.
If we don’t want foreigners here, we need to tell our representatives. If we find that our borders or policies are too lax for our taste, then we need to take it up with the government.
Taking a rifle into a place where people are learning about America is not the answer.
Let’s not blame people who do what we do ourselves, seek to make our lives better. Americans aren’t the only people on Earth who have values and love their families.
Amen!
triciachambers
