Today was a busy day and a very hard day. I dealt with both business issues and personal issues. Several meetings, several phone calls, coffee cupping, signing contracts, making payroll, relationship challenges, and a Treasure.
My old friend Gordon came by the Coffee House just as I was finishing up a tough, but necessary meeting. I say “old friend” because we’ve known each other for about 20 years and he is 93. Gordon walked up the hill to where I “hold court” on our hill. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda says that nothing of significance happens in Rwanda unless it happens on a hill, so I built one at Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Company. I put a table on our hill so significant things could take place there.
Gordon walked up the hill and apologized for not letting me know his wife Mickey had died and for not inviting me to the funeral. It just slipped his mind. Mickey died around a month ago, and here he was concerned about me. Treasure.
I asked Gordon how he was doing and he said okay, until he starts thinking about Mickey, which is a lot of the time. I asked him how they met those 68 years ago and he shared with joy the story of double dating and how they were competitive until he realized he had to let her win.
I then talked to him about his days in the service during WWII. Gordon was with the Ghost Army and literally went around Europe with inflatable tanks and rubber guns and a phonograph to make the Nazis think they were a large battalion. The Ghost Army diverted the Nazis, and then they would disassemble everything and run!
The Ghost Army saved a lot of lives, but it wasn’t real, it was made up of “fake” weapons, sounds, and uniforms. But the Nazis thought it was real.
Many of the challenges I faced today seemed real, seemed important, but they distracted me from what is really real: grace, goodness, and God.
Gordon stopped by for a brief hour or so and reminded me of what is real. Grace, Goodness, God & Gordon. Thanks friend, you are a Treasure.
J
Thank you for this. I am learning so much from you.
We are sharing your coffee at our local screening of As We Forgive in two weeks! Thank you for your heart for justice.
Lynne
Posted by: lynne lorentsen | October 30, 2009 at 03:09 AM