Stranger #4

Wayne Carelock

I met Wayne at the gas station in Houston while we were both filling up our pickups. Just simply said” Hi, how are you?”

“Good, thanks” He responds. “You from Austin?”

I had forgotten I was wearing my “Keep Austin weird” hat. “Oh, no, I just love Austin. It’s one of my favorite cities.”

“Yea it’s a fantastic town” He replies."I live around Austin. I love it.”

He told me he comes to Houston regularly for business. He works for Napo Precast,  a precast concrete company and they do quite a bit of business here in the Houston area.

“So where are you from?” He asks me.

Well I grew up in Lubbock Texas but I now consider my home to be Santa Barbara, California but I rarely go there much.  I tell him about my business and why I’m here in Houston.

“I was raised in Lompoc. It’s defiantly a gorgeous area” He states. (Lompoc is about 40 miles to the north west of Santa Barbara)

“Why did you leave?”

 “My Dad was stationed at Andrews Air Force base but when he was sent to Vietnam my mom moved to Texas and I’ve been here ever since. You know if they could inject an Austin attitude into that West Coast climate, Now that would make the Perfect place.”

“Your kids live here in Texas?”

“I have a daughter here in Houston My son is in New Haven, Connecticut. He doesn’t much like it much up there but He is attending Yale.

“Wow!”

“Yea He’s pretty smart.” He said with pride written all over his face.

As I drive off I begin to think about how we pass up meeting great people every day who are right  there, less than 10 feet away, on the other side of the pump. All we need to do is just open up, start the conversation. What are we scared of?  We have let our mother’s advice, of not talking to strangers, keep us separate from each other.  We have a fear of being thought of as strange or odd, so we just silently stand there and we miss a golden opportunity.  We have to learn to open ourselves up. Release the fear. Don’t let all the negative news stories make us scared of each other. Realize that every person is a wonderful creation of God, with beautiful stories and wonderful gifs to share. All we need to do is ask, reach out. Most people are good decent people.

 And by the way, so are you!

Stranger #3

      Britt Brooks

I met Britt on a flight from Houston to Dallas. So he was a bit of a trapped subject.  As I took my seat I started a conversation. Lucky he was very personable and fantastic conversationalist. He stated he was headed to Dallas to seal a business deal for the company he works for M.B. Environmental, LLC

“Why not just complete the negations over the phone? I ask

“Well sometimes it’s best to look them in the eye.” He states.  

 Isn’t that true?  No matter how well technology has helped  us communicate by using video conferencing, web sites e-mail and phone calls. There is simply nothing better than personal interaction. We seem to get a much better grasp of the other person’s integrity from looking them in their eyes.  The eyes have been called the window to the soul and in my experience anyone lying to me will have trouble maintaining a connection to my gaze during the response.

He told me he grew up in out on a farm in Lynn County, Texas  which is just 30 miles or so south from where I grew up, in Lubbock Texas. We talked at length about growing up in a “dry” county but having no problem as teenagers finding ways to get alcohol.

“We knew that every farmer had a pint of whisky hidden in his tractor cab. We would steal it and leave a note saying that we would pay him back when we get reach 18.” (Which was the drinking age when we both grew up.)

“So did you ever happen to eat at a restaurant located on the corner of the cotton gin yard in Tahoka?

“That would be the Tejeda Café.  My God everyone in Lynn County knows that restaurant.”

“Isn’t it just a regular old house and the grandmother cooks, the mom washes dishes, the kids serve the tables while the Dad watches the cash register?”

“Yep that’s the place; you can’t get more authentic Mexican food than that and you get to eat it right there in their living room.”

I did a bit of research by calling the county clerk in Tahoka and she informed me that the restaurant has moved to the courthouse square in down town Tahoka but is still run by the same family and is still thought of by the town as the best Mexican food around but you won’t have a 10 year old waitress any more. (Somehow that seems a shame.)

Thanks Britt for reminding me of some great memories!

Stranger # "Whoops"

I was really excited about sharing stranger #2. It was going to be a couple. I actually met them last Sunday July 4^th but did not have my camera with me. We talked and I shared with them what I was doing with the “100 Strangers Project” and told them I wanted to include them in the blog. They were excited about the idea and we were going to meet the next Sunday at the same place and take the photos but something changed their minds in the following week and they told me they did not want to be a part of the project.

However, I’m still going to tell you about this couple but not their names nor photos. I met this couple last weekend at Wild West, A country and western club in Houston Texas.  They arrived at 10pm and started dancing. They are something to behold, not just because they were excellent dancers, but because of the bright smiles on their faces. The amazing thing is that they danced to almost every song until the place closed down. I asked a friend about them and she said she thinks they come out three times a week, always around 10pm, only dancing with each other and to almost every song.

I asked the manager at Wild West, Jan Johnston, about the couple this evening before they had arrived. He stated that they have been frequenting the Wild West for 14 years and he swears they have not aged a single day. “They look exactly like they did 14 years ago”. “So what are their names” I ask?   “You know, I don’t even know their names, isn’t that amazing. They keep to themselves, never order anything to drink, if they stop dancing they go off by themselves and then back to dancing on the next song. Never really see them talk to anyone other than a cordial hello.”

Imagine that, fourteen years they have been coming to this establishment and no one here even knows their names.  And it’s not like they don’t stick out, they dress impeccably, she has gorgeous long thick hair flowing down to her waist, He is bald with stunningly good physique. When they dance you can see people point to them. You simply can’t miss them. Yet fourteen years and no one here knows their name.

Not even me. Last week when I met them, I introduced myself but he responded with “Well, Hi Matt, nice to meet you, How can I help you?” in a beautiful Scottish accent, but never told me his name. It did not even dawn on me until this evening. I may not know their names but I will never forget them.

Stranger #1

Linda Lee

I met Linda while she was busy feeding the homeless in downtown Houston.  Right there on the street, no building, no tables, just lots of love.

She told me she started this a few months ago after seeing lots of food go to waste following a catered lunch. She thought she could just pack it up and distribute it out here in the downtown area.  Well it was such a blessing that about 7months ago they started doing it every day. So every day Linda , her daughter Amanda and a few other volunteers cook up a large meal and bring it down to the inter city and distribute it. They simply drive up to this building across from the police department and set the pots on the dock high porch and start serving.

“So who Pays for all of this?” I ask

“Well we do, with the help a few other friends.”

“So,  No 501-C3, no charity group, No thoughts of tax deductions, just done out of the love in your hearts.”

“Yep, God provides” she states in a matter of fact tone.

It was wonderful just standing and watching them interact with the people, their “friends” as she calls them.  “I love to look them in the eyes and treat them with respect” she says.  Many reciprocate by giving her a hug which she gladly receives. One brought her a crumpled up candy bar which she received with grace thanking him for being so kind.

“We now know quite a few of them by name.” she says proudly “and we have watched several get apartments.”

It has become such an important part of their lives that Amanda’s husband proposed to her right here on this street while she was serving. He was around the corner and handed out roses to the people waiting in line with instructions to give them to Amanda. He then came around the corner and proposed to her right in front of the serving line.

They ran out of food the day I met these wonderful people, but Amanda quickly broke out the peanut butter and made a few quick sandwiches.

Amazing people, just out making a difference in the lives of others.  Definitely made a difference in my life today. Thank you Linda Lee for showing the Christ like person you really are.