A Princess In Our Midst

She was with her grandmother.
We were in the room where the antique things are kept.
It was a day to drive to my favorite place.
It was a day to explore my favorite little shop.

The back of my minivan was filled with donations.
I emptied my car making a few trips inside the large area where donations are sorted.
The room was neat and organized.
Amish men in suspenders and straw hats usually do the sorting.

It was a gorgeous spring day.
There was not a hint of humidity; there was a cool breeze.
In the back, next to a corn field, are picnic tables for the employees and volunteers.
Many were enjoying the day as they ate their lunch together.

Across from the donation area is the designated parking for Amish buggies.
There is always a shovel and large dust pan handy.
There is metal rail for the horses to be tethered while their owners are inside.
As I was unloading my minivan, an Amish buggy drove up.

A mother and daughter unloaded things from their buggy to donate as well.
They dressed alike.
They walked alike.
They looked alike, except for the difference in their ages.

I parked my car and went inside.
I went into the antique room first.
There are such wonderful things to explore in that room.
There are shelves of vintage toys, which is where I saw the little girl and her grandmother.

They were discussing things that the little girl remembered in her play.
There was an old hobby horse on a stick.
How many cowboys must have been chased with that wonderful horse?
There was a vintage fire engine and vintage pull toys as well.

Everything caught my eye.
I was not planning to purchase anything.
I left that room and went to the other room, which holds antiques for silent auction.
I saw a large doll house and porcelain doll in a vintage carriage.

This was a browsing day.
Even when I plan to just look, it rejuvenates me.
There is something about stepping back in time.
There is something about the simplicity of it all.

The grandmother and the little girl stayed downstairs, while went upstairs.
Upstairs is where dishes, home accessories, quilts, baskets, toys, and books are kept.
Tucked away in a corner, almost out of sight, was a marble roller.
I already have a large marble roller on a window seat in my kitchen.

It was made for me by a Mennonite man many years ago.
It has gotten many years of play.
This marble roller was a smaller version of the one I have.
It was built a bit differently and it intrigued me.

I picked it up and carried it with me as I continued to look around.
I saw the Amish women in the quilting room, working on a large quilt.
I know the Mennonite woman who oversees that room.
We had a chance to talk together, outside the room so as not to disturb the quilters.

Quiet music played in the background.
I heard a woman coughing.
She was coughing quite a bit.
I turned and saw that she was an Amish woman who volunteers at the shop.

I always have natural honey cough lozenges in my purse.
I reached in and grabbed one.
I walked over to her.
I thought this might help you, I said, handing her the cough lozenge.

She smiled and looked right into my eyes.
Thank you, she said with sincere gratitude.
You have a blessed day, she added.
You as well, I said as I walked away.

I turned to walk back downstairs realizing the significance of that little encounter.
Amish and English do not usually talk.
There may be a smile between us, but words are usually not spoken.
Often, I hear the Amish women talking together in German or Pennsylvania Dutch.

Even though only a few words were exchanged, it mattered.
One woman had a need.
The other woman had a remedy.
I was not wearing black with my clothes fastened with pins but that was unimportant.

I got downstairs and saw the woman and her granddaughter at the cash resister.
I watched the grandmother place many things up on the counter for purchase.
The little girl was holding a stuffed cat.
My granddaughter brought this in with her, the woman said pointing to the stuffed cat.

You could tell that the stuffed cat was very loved.
The woman wanted to assure the volunteer that the stuffed cat belonged to them.
In this place of Amish buggies, your word is good enough.
There is mutual trust and respect.

As I paid for my marble roller, I heard the woman and her granddaughter talking.
Out of context, nothing was understood.
The little girl’s words hit my heart.
That’s because I am a Princess, she said.

I have no idea what caused the little girl to say that to her grandmother.
It was not said in a spoiled kind of way.
It was said sweetly, as if someone close to her called her, Princess.
Did her daddy or her grandfather call her that sweet title?

And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:18)

Did God?
In Christ, we are sons and daughters of the King.
In Christ, the little girl is indeed a Princess.
The little girl said more than she knew.

Perhaps that is why the cough lozenge was accepted.
We, too, are daughters of the King.
We, too, are Princesses.
That makes us more alike than we are different.

I left the shop and went towards my car, carrying the marble roller.
I saw the horse tethered to the metal railing.
I saw the mother and daughter getting ready to get in their buggy to head home.
Princesses were everywhere.

2 responses to “A Princess In Our Midst”

1. Gina,
   I have often gone to this shop and could visualize exactly where you were in the store. It made your story all that more enjoyable as I could picture exactly where you were. It is one of my favorite go-to places

   Reply

   • Kaye,
     I am delighted when someone recognizes a place I write about. I never names the places I describe because I hope that the stories will transcend location. You are clever to notice. I am glad that someone else likes this little shop as much as I do. It would be lovely to run into you there some day. Blessings.
     Gina

     Reply