Edens Edict

Lately as I travel, I can’t help but think of my God daughter Eden. During the summer when I was her nanny (along with her 3 other sisters) it would never fail that she would use the phrase “me too!” at least 10 times each day. The contexts she used it in were always shifting …often it was more of a question, like ‘can I do it too? ‘ ‘Can I have some also?’ A lot of times it was also a response; I’d say, I love you Eden…she’d say, “me too!” (I guess I always assumed she meant, I love you back, but maybe she quite literally meant that she also loved herself!) And sometimes it was more of a statement “hey, I’m doin this too!!!”After a while the phrase became kinda  a joke as I’d mimic Eden in her sweet lispy tone…“Me too guys!”

Today as my mom and I explored Lubbock Texas (YES, my mom is with me (woo hoo!) and yes Lubbock has more to offer than you might think) we stopped into a shopping center, one of the most unique little places I’ve seen called ‘Cactus Alley.’ We almost didn’t go in. It wasn’t far from our sketchy hotel and we were wondering if we should travel into the nicer more bustle-y downtown area. But since it was right there we figured we’d check out some of the shops…we really weren’t expecting much.

We stopped into a boutique called 'The Swanky Nomad.' There were two women in the store, one was working behind the counter and other was her friend. As they figured out that we were out-of-towners and that we were on this crazy adventure they began to ask questions and as we began to talk we gradually moved from a nice safe, comfortable horizontal conversational to a very personal vertical one. We talked a lot about culture and faith. I asked them about their own personal stories and how they felt about religion and church in the south and how culture plays into their beliefs. They answered honestly and openly in whatever I threw their way. At multiple points in the conversation tears were held back just barely by a short pause or deep breathe. 

There was so much difference between us and yet so much the same. I found myself being blessed and encouraged by what these women were saying, how things they’ve experienced in their life were not that far off from my own journey. As we talked about walking with Christ and how that often means deep pain and sorrow we came to the conclusion that the meaning behind it all; the worth...the peace…it comes from having someone hear your story and say “me too.” I believe that is what my trip is ALL about…divine appointments with people who I might never have met otherwise, people totally opposite me, people in a whole different space and place in life…for us to sit with each other and go “hey, me too!” 

As I walked out of the store all I could picture was sweet little Eden with a cute frilly dress and high top sneakers (I’d like to think her fashion sense was something I passed to her!) waddling over to me…”me too kate, me too!”