I have so many calls to make about our moving. I want to share two of the calls I’ve made so far that have confirmed how much we have loved and been loved by all we’ve encountered during our time here in Sachse.
The first one I called is TruGreen. The woman on the other end did not know me but was empathetic bc we’ve been such longtime and loyal customers. Talking to her reminded me of 2016 when I was feeling really depressed about the state of our world (not to say I told you so, but I told you so 😅) and a TruGreen employee came to service our lawn. He stopped me when I was going to the mailbox to tell me how much enjoyed my dogs Gracie Lou and Angel Glory who watched him from the window. He told me they were such beautiful dogs and he enjoyed seeing them every time.
Then there was a time another TruGreen employee came to my house but our ground was too wet to service that day. He saw my “We Welcome Refugees” sign and asked me about it when I opened the door so he could tell me about my lawn. What happened next was not about the sign but telling me how tired he is. He isn’t treated like a human at work anymore (I get this on a much deeper level now). A computer system sets up his schedule and meeting the demands of an inhuman system is the expectation. Those 15 min he had alotted for my yard gave him a moment to breathe and feel like a human. I received his story. I still do.
My next call was with Pest Management. This one was personal. I know the person who calls me bc I talk to him every time. He is heartbroken we are leaving and going somewhere they can’t join us. A story comes to mind about this company too.
This is right before I heard Jonathan Martin speak at Jen Hatmaker’s church in 2017. This matters bc what he preached on, this experience played right into it. A service person came out to treat our pantry moths. He wanted to see Gracie Lou but only Angel Glory would give him the time of day 😂. But in that time he was petting my Angel (May her memory be a blessing) this man starts telling me a powerful story about Nine Inch Nails and Johnny Cash and the song “Hurt.” I’m not sure what made him tell me this story but it was a transcendent moment—a moment I knew something was happening beyond what I could see or ever describe. I wrote a blog post about it bc it was so wild. This serviceman told me the dark and the light need each other. Pest Management delivering a word to me. JC and NIN could not be more different, but they granted JC the rights to their song “Hurt” after having turned down so many other bands who wanted those rights. I’ll post the blog in my comments. But in this story there’s nails, a man with the initials JC, hurt, death, and new life.
It’s wild bc these stories happened at a time I wasn’t so sure about church anymore. The fact love showed up in ways I’d never think to look for in that way, makes me not fear the mass exodus happening from churches. God pursues us in the wilderness. Love always finds a way.
I share these stories bc they are deeply human and beautiful. We are living in a world that is making human connection seem bad and untrustworthy. It absolutely can be, but it’s still worth fighting for. It’s the only way to get home.
Grateful for these memories from TruGreen and Pest Management of Texas.
I’m including a note from TruGreen that Terry wrote a few years ago. He always said something encouraging. I can’t find the pic where he said: Nice Sign. He was referencing my “We Welcome Refugees” sign.
There is Life Out There 