There is evil in the world, but the world is not evil.
The ladies and I were sitting in the sunroom as each of us was asked to name something we were thankful for. I said, “Today I saw a butterfly.”
“I’ll be glad when I have the time to enjoy butterflies!” Lynn said.
Faces froze and I began to think how I could back-pedal out of the awkward conversation until, without thinking, I said, “You know, Lynn, if I had not known troubled times I don’t think I could appreciate butterflies.”
We continued meeting together for weeks; Lynn began to ease and though her troubles did not change, her attitude did. She began to enjoy the butterflies. In fact, one day she brought me a gift — a drawing by artist Uncle Bunky; it was of a butterfly. I hung it on the wall to remind me to remember the butterflies, even in troubled times.
And so it was last week I left my Prairie paradise with a heavy heart. I ventured into town to the Lowndes County Courthouse where circuit court was in session. I determined to smile and be kind to everyone I saw, which was about 200 people who were waiting outside the courthouse doors. That’s when something magical happened. Everyone smiled and was kind back.
As I held doors open for others, doors were held open for me; my heart began to lighten. I’d say “hello,” and they’d say “hello” back. Occasionally, I’d get that look like, “Do I know you?” It was fun.
There was a long, lanky man parked on a sidewalk bench who spoke as I walked by, “Do you know how hot it is? I think it’s a hundred.”
“No sir, I don’t. But I think it’s cooler than yesterday. Maybe in the 90s.”
Once inside the courthouse I saw a familiar face. His face was the color of cocoa, and his eyes were creased by what Momma would have called “laugh lines.” He was dressed in a fine suit.
I asked, “Were you an officer for the Starkville Police Department when Chief Sisk was there?”
He said, “Yes, I was. Then I left and came back just as Chief Sisk was retiring.”
“That was a lifetime ago,” I said. “I was the ‘cake delivery lady,’ a volunteer with the Salvation Army. I’m glad to see you’re still alive.”
He laughed and nodded in agreement; he said he was with the District Attorney’s Office. Then he asked about me, my life, and what I was doing now.
As we started to part, my eyes brimmed with tears. I said, “It was a blessing to see you today. My heart’s been heavy in these troubled times.”
He nodded in acknowledgment and said, “It was a blessing to see you, too.”
The day ended very different than it started, although nothing had changed … except me. The world is a good place, and there are good people in it.
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