Desert Messenger

10 www.DesertMessenger.com September 20, 2017 Traveling with Gypsy Jane by Jane Finley (1936-2017) Message from the Universe Pagosa Springs, Colorado 7/31/03 Read Desert MESSENGER ONLINE @ www.MyQuartzsite.com I suppose there were other mes- sages from the universe before this one. But I was busy then -- too busy to notice or take them seriously or even know that life sent messages pointing us in the right direction. I call this the fi rst message from the universe because it was so signifi - cant. It was so supportive of what I was doing in the most diffi cult time of my life. I went to Seattle for a few days to take a break from a very unhap- py marriage. While I was there, I knew that I could not return to that house, to that man, to that life. I de- cided to ask my friend Lois if I could stay with her. I lived in Moses Lake, Washington at the time, and Lois was a good friend with a very large house on Moses Lake. When I called from Seattle, she said my timing was perfect because she was going away for a few days and needed someone to housesit. That was the beginning of my "life support." I arrived on her doorstep with tears streaming down my cheeks. She poured me a glass of wine and listened silently while I blurted out the whole story: how I simply could not go back to my marriage even though I had no job, no money, no place to live, and two young children. I always felt that Lois was the one friend with whom I could let it "all hang out" and not put on a happy face. I can't count the times over the next few months that I just sat with her in her living room and cried. (My eyes are misty now as I write this; it's not something I en- joy reliving.) I also remember the time she of- fered me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich left over from her kids' lunch. I was so poor that I ate it, even though I had just eaten lunch. In those days, I wasn't quite sure where my next meal was coming from. I found a job eventually. Even though I was a college graduate and former teacher (preschool through college), I took the only job I could fi nd: driv- ing a sugar beet truck for six days a week for about ten hours a day for $3.00 an hour (back in 1978). I was thrilled to think that every three days I would have almost another $100. I put every penny back into a business I was starting: "Jane Finley Tempo- rary Help." I had business cards and fl yers designed (red ink on orange paper) and posted them all over town. I did any job that came along: house cleaning, offi ce organization, typing, childcare, etc. When the sug- ar beet job ended, I went to the local orchards, bought fruit, and sold it out of my camper. My days consisted of buying fruit, selling fruit, buying more fruit. I always took the fruit to nearby cities to sell it because I was too embarrassed to have my friends from the AAUW (American Associa- tion of University Women) see me. All this while grieving for my chil- dren. I missed them terribly, but I was in survival mode and had to put a roof over my head and buy food to eat. I was living on the edge, but I was making it, barely. I am not sure how I did it -- just putting one foot in front of the other, I guess. Sur- viving this moment; not thinking of tomorrow. I can smile now thinking back on it, but I wouldn't want to do it again! Lois left on her trip, and I had the whole house to myself. It was a se- rene, quiet, and beautiful setting, a welcome calm in the hurricane that was my life. It was the perfect kind of place I needed to decide what I would do. I remember sleeping alone that fi rst night, something I had seldom done during 16 years of marriage. I remember how I had to learn to sleep alone again, just as I had to adjust to sleeping with the man I married. I've learned over the years that I do well in crisis. Not that I'm not scared, but I brace myself and am able to focus on what needs to be done and do it. Now, I knew I need- ed to fi nd a place to live. I remem- bered a house down the road, less than a mile away, where I had gone to a garage sale. It was a big house with several bedrooms for sons, who had since moved away. I thought I would just walk down there and ask if they had a room to rent. I did just that, but when I got to the house and part way up the walk, I made a fast U-turn, thinking, "I can't do this. It's crazy -- even for me." I started back down the road, turned around, marched right up to the front door, and rang the bell. Now here's the really amazing part: The door opened, and the own- er said, "Are you the one who called about the apartment?" I was speech- less. When I regained my voice, I told him that I hadn't called, that I was staying in the area, remem- bered their house from the garage sale, and thought I'd inquire about a room to rent. The couple was as surprised as I was but charmed by the story and what I call the "cosmic serendipity" of it all. As it turned out, it wasn't a room that was available but a darling, little house next door. I describe it as "early Tennessee Wil- liams," painted a kind of dusty rose on the outside. It was perfect for me. The best thing about it was it was on a wetlands bordering Moses Lake with abundant wildlife, especially red-wing blackbirds (my favorite). And the owners, an elderly couple, were sympathetic to my situation and kind of adopted me. The charm- ing cottage, the picturesque setting, the kind owners -- for the fi rst time, since I left home, I began to see a bit of light at the end of what seemed like a long, dark tunnel. ~*~*~*~*~*~ If you have the guts to do what you need to do, the universe will support you in amazing ways. ~ Jane Finley ~*~*~*~*~*~ QUARTZSITE COMMUNITY THRIFT STORE 177 W. Main St. (end of Showplace Lane) Behind Silly Al's Pizza SUMMER HOURS April thru October Thurs. Fri. Sat. 9am-1pm Call us and schedule a donation pickup 928-927-6039 or 928-916-7338. 100% of our proceeds remain here in Quartzsite! WINTER HOURS November thru March Mon- Sat 9am-1pm QUARTZSITE COMMUNITY THRIFT STORE 585 N. Central Quartzsite Open Mon-Fri 8-5 928-927-8787 Johnny DelPino, Owner BEST AUTO RV & TRUCK REPAIR SERVICE YOU CAN DEPEND ON!

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