That one place I work...

okay everyone, I'm sure most of you know that I work at an inspirational book store. Great times, right? Most of the time...yes I mean, selling someone a picture of Christ that they'll look at all the time, or maybe suggesting a book that they look like they'd enjoy.

But then there are other times when people feel that their local booksellers need to hear everything in your life...Here's a small list of things I've had customer's tell me.

We have one customer who comes in weekly, he's a compulsive liar, so that should disqualify him from blog acknowledgement...but they're entertaining.

"I have ALS, I only have 6 months to a year to live"
The Next week it was...
"I have MS, in about 12 months I'll be confind to a wheel chair."
and then to my coworker
"Do you have a problem discussing urination...because of my "condition" I have a severe problem with wetting myself."

The next lady
"I need to find a scapbook cover for a wedding, but it can't say "temple wedding," because she's pregnant."

"My daughter is marrying a BAPTIST! I can't believe it! She just barely left a porn addict and now she's going to marry someone WORSE! Do you have ANYTHING that might change her mind?!"

Those are just a few. I have more written down at work. My favorite customers that I have come in are ones that are buying a Mark Chamberlain book, or Colleen Harrison's He Did Deliver Me From Bondage. They are usually extremly nervous, I laugh at them inside and think to myself "If they only knew who they were buying this book from." I make a polite comment that Dr Chamberlain is a great man, with wonderful insights--and more recently, that I was able to hear him a week ago at a conference (he spoke at the EG conference) They walk out the door and I hope that they'll make it.

I don't know if I mentioned this, but during ED week my store was wicked busy, I had someone come in, the woman opened very cautiously to a page in an ad that, she then pointed to the book "In Quiet Desperation" she asked where it was. I suddenly felt my knees give out a little, I was so nervous. Masking my nerves, I quickly walked over to our self improvement section, and handed her the book and told her, "This is book is in my top-ten that we have at this store." That sentence alone floored her. She didn't quite know what to say, "Oh, so you've read this..." she asked me. I quickly answered, "Yes, I found the content appropriate, timely, and spiritually based, there is a lot of insight that the authors bring to the topic, I loved it" I could tell she was putting two and two together, not quite knowing what she should say next. I filled the awkward conversational gap with, "Well, if you need anything else. Please let me know" I smiled kindly, trying to tell her that I know what they're going through, I understood her families pain, and I wanted to help... I tried to tell her that everything would be okayy. After that, I went back to my hanging some framed art while she looked around some more...

I wish I would've given her my email address, offering help. But I figured it wasn't my place, nor would she feel at all comfortable doing so if I even offered. But I wonder all the time if her and her family is okay.

Anywho.