The Enlightened One (Part One)

Memories from 2011.
I vaguely remember the first time she came to the Women's Spirituality Group at our church.  Very intelligent, knew lots about diverse topics, wanted to share, had some issues with health.

At the next time we met, we teased about how one of the women had just came back from a retreat in Myrtle Beach.  I remembered going to that retreat center in my past, and said I'd love to go again, did anyone else want to go?  The Enlightened One did, as well as several other women.  In the end three of us did take the 5 hour road trip in my then 15 year old Toyota, to Myrtle Beach and stayed several days in February 2011.

Each of us had been there before and had very diverse but spiritual-growth kinds of experiences.  And the same thing happened with this visit.   I'll respect each of our own paths and leave it at that.

After that trip, I tried to have more social interactions with The Enlightened One, but I didn't pick up on her transportation limitations right away, of  living on the side of a mountain about 2 miles from the center of the town of Black Mountain and having no car.  Her daughter was taking her places, she said, but she lived a ways away.

After a while she did ask for rides to various doctor appointments.  But she continued to say she was walking to the grocery store and library herself.  As I was the chairperson (at that time) of our church committee that looked after the needs of people who were sick, I kept up with her, as well as several other folks dealing with illness.  She was concerned about my saying we were limited in how to help people.

The Enlightened One brought a friend to train the committee at the church in how to share caring for other members who were sick.   During that summer she looked after her garden and mowed the grass on her hilly lot.  (This was more than I could do!)  Other folks at the church also had close relationships with her, and were visiting frequently.

The second part of this story will be posted tomorrow.