I Went To a Garden Party....

Isn't that how the song goes? Anyway, I have to write a little about my neighborhood Garden Club.

I live in the coolest neighborhood with lots of older ladies. Our neighborhood Garden Club will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! Lots of the ladies show up to these monthly meetings. Sometimes as many as 30+! Most of these ladies are 75+ years old. They have stories and know things that most of us just don't.

A few years ago, I was invited to perform at one of their meetings. I had no idea what to expect. But I just showed up ready to play my songs. I had the most captive audience in those sweet ladies. It was one of my most fun performances I've ever done! And beyond that, I found a group of the most welcoming people I had every been around that weren't family.

So, I went back for the next meeting to just BE one of the ladies! And I went back the next month and the next. These meetings became the highlight of my months. It's just such a great experience to listen to them, and to see how sweet they are to each other. If someone comes in late, EVERYONE seems to be up scrambling around to find the new person a comfortable spot. They always bring cookies and snacks. They make little announcements if someone is sick or has broken a hip, and they pass around little get well cards for us all to sign. I knew I could learn a lot from these ladies!

Somewhere along the way, I started working Thursdays, which is the day of the Garden Club meetings and I stopped attending for a few months. And then, they had their summer "break". So, at this point, I hadn't seen many of these ladies in 1/2 a year.

But this past week, I was out for a walk, feeling so sorry for myself about my neck pain. Wishing for my Mom. Wishing I could find the right person or thing that might help me. And RIGHT as I was thinking all of this, my Garden Club friend, JOY, drives up beside me and said, "Young lady, are you ever going to come back to Garden Club? We've missed you. We have our first meeting of the season today!" I told her I missed everyone too but that I was working and couldn't stay for the whole time. "Well, if you ever want to come, know that we would just love to see you, even if you have to leave early."

After she pulled away I realized maybe I got my wish right there... I needed some sweet older women in my life right about now. Of course I was going to that meeting!

So I went. And I cannot tell you how much it filled me. Just being in there presence. Being with such kind, loving people that are NOT in a hurry!!! Lots of them seem to know the secret of life. I hope there wisdom will rub off on me!