Kindred Spirits

It's funny how when you meet new people, sometimes you feel a connection like maybe you've known them forever. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to the temple (thanks so much, Bobyn) and while I was there, I met a wonderful woman, Jane Robertson. She is one of those people for me... I just felt a connection, like we could be the best of friends. The funny thing is she is in her 80's! I guess you could say I have an old soul. She is a temple worker who has volunteered her time and talents serving at the Mesa Temple for over 15 years.

I first noticed Sis. Robertson while I was waiting for my session to begin. She was with another white-haired gal and just happy as could be. They were both smiling, joking about being able to get up off the cushioned bench they were sitting on, and for some reason I couldn't stop listening in. You could tell they were loving life, and making the most of each minute...definitely "enjoying the ride."

Luckily for me, she was the worker in my session. As I studied her appearance, she had more wrinkles than I've ever seen on a person before, short bobbed, grayish-white hair, with not a stitch of make up on, but a real beauty just the same. She had a great smile with twinkly eyes and you could tell she'd had a lot a laughter and joy in her life....smile lines. When she spoke to you, she had a certain lilt in her voice. A way of making everything she said really meaningful and almost story-like.

As I got to know her a little, she told me this fabulous story. There was a name that we read, and it reminded her of her growing up years and so she shared: You know when I was growing up, there was a girl in my neighborhood named Donna May. Donna May, Donna May. Whenever anyone called her Donna, she was real quick to correct them. My NAME is Donna MAY! Well, you know what happened? This girl grew up and fell in love. She married a man whose last name was Leak. Well, you never saw a girl drop a middle name faster than Donna May Leak!

I got such a kick out of this story, the circumstances, and this lady...she totally made my day! I felt a little like Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes as she's listening to Izzy tell her stories in the nursing home. As I was getting ready to leave, I thanked her of course, and she said maybe we would meet again next week. I really felt like I had made a true friend and left completely rejuvenated, and feeling more like me than I have in a long time. It was just so refreshing to meet someone so comfortable in their own skin, that it made me want to be like her. Hopefully sooner than later I will be able to let go of caring what other people think, without letting myself go, and truly enjoy the ride.