“It’s my lucky day!”
Do you say that when you find a four-leaf clover? Or how about if you find some money in a parking lot?
Personally, I don’t believe in luck. Instead, I believe in the Lord and how He works. Let me tell you, He led me to find a treasured jewel of a friend: Jeannie Cox.
It started in August 2016. That’s when our beloved dog Little John died. Tim loves dogs, so he had to have another one. He soon found one he wanted at the Union County Humane Society.
By September, they let take us Roxie home. When we reached the red light at Hickory Star and Maynardville Pike, I asked Tim to turn left instead of right and going back home. There was a place I was trying to locate. After we found it, we turned around and headed back home. As we drove, I happened to be looking at the stores that we passed. Then I saw it. “Stop! Stop!” I yelled.
Let me back up here just a second. My mother had just bought an antique white china cabinet that had been restored. I thought it was beautiful and I wanted one. From that point on, I kept my eye out for one.
As we were driving toward home with Roxie, I spotted a beautiful white antique china cabinet sitting in a shop window. That’s when I yelled at Tim to stop. To which he answered, “I can’t stop now. We’re too far past it.” Then I told him, “Then turn around and go back!”
Being the sweet husband he is, Tim turned around again and drove back to the shop with the cabinet. At that time, it was still Jeannie Cox’s shop: “Rustic ReDo.” When we pulled up to it, I was ready to jump out and go inside. I wanted Tim to go with me, but he said, “I can’t leave Roxie. I don’t want her have an accident in my truck.”
My thoughtful reply was, “I guess you’ll have to carry her.” And that’s what we did. We walked into her shop with Tim carrying our almost grown puppy in his arms. Jeannie came up to greet us and gave her beautiful, sweet smile.
The real treasure I found that day wasn’t the china cabinet, it was Jeannie. We all started talking and just hit it off. It was as if we had been friends forever. Tim and I would often drive up to her store and visit with her. She was so pleasant and a joy to be around.
As my Mamaw Jo used to say, “They are a good somebody.” She was most certainly that. Everybody who knew her loved her.
Talk about talent. I was amazed and what she could do with paint and furniture. I have no doubt that everything she worked on came out looking better when she finished than it did when it was brand new. I don’t know how many pieces of furniture in our house came from her store. She even helped me when I was working on my kitchen cabinets. She drove to my house on her own time to help and show how to do it to get the look I wanted.
The world is a dimmer place without Jeannie in it.
“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (KJV)
When you have a dear friend you want to edify them because you care about them. You encourage them and be there for them. That’s what friends do. And if you have that kind of friend, then you have truly been blessed by the Lord.
I want to give a special thanks to Melissa Savage. She was close friends with Jeannie and agreed to let me use some of her pictures.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.