Anonymity ?

Some years back I was at a family celebration and visiting with another friend of the family.  She is a lovely, educated woman, attractive and well dressed.  But she was wearing shoes that can best be described as utilitarian.  She commented about her footwear.  She said, "you know, after a woman turns fifty five, no one looks at her feet."  Now that's a pretty freeing statement on its own.

More and more it seems to me that after sixty five, or maybe seventy, no one looks at one much at all. And conversely, I know I do a very poor job of setting names and faces in my memory.  Only this morning a cute young mom with a couple of Kyndall-sized kids greeted me as the end of the church service.  I said, "I know I've met you , please tell me when and where."  Turns out it was the wild Chuckee Cheese birthday party a few weeks ago.  At that party she had asked me if I was at Christ Church because I looked familiar.

Now I have a new identity and its working really well for me.  If you have kids you may remember back to the elementary school days when they had friends over to play.  When things got out of hand, or not, a visiting child would come running to you saying, "Laura's Mommy, so and so pushed me."  Or maybe, "Stephen's mother, do you have a bandaid?"

Guess who I am now.  I am Kathy Bosley's mother!  Her range of acquaintances is huge, from early days of teaching here, to years of church work and now she and her children's involvement at All Saints (never mind that years ago she worked at Chili's and made a lot of friends there too).  Its a great introduction and so many people connect immediately.  The first Sunday I introduced myself to Fr. Brandon (Chaplain at All Saints and on the staff at Christ Church) I followed that with "you do know Kathy Bosley, don't you."  He replied, "doesn't everyone know Kathy Bosley?"

What a gift it is not to have to explain oneself.  Better still what a great connection it is.  Today after introducing myself to a man for whose family she helped in many capacities for many years, he studied me a bit and then said, "I see her in you."  Wow.