All summer long we've been passing the "Ryan's Fruit Market" sign on our way home. Every week I would tell myself - "that's it we're going!" And another week would pass and, boo, no trip to Ryan's. Well last Saturday I decided that was it we were going! So we grabbed a basket and a baby and headed out. We spent a good hour looking for it until we finally gave up and called. Turns out we had been essentially circling it the whole time. Also, they had just closed. Just our luck. We were disappointed but unwilling to let the afternoon go by without some fun so we drowned our "no peach" sorrows in some ice cream.

But I wasn't about to give up! So on Monday we tried again. We knew where to go, we knew the hours and we were sure it was going to be a success. And it was! Sort of... We found it, we were told we were catching the last of the peaches but that they also happened to be the best and that they... only accept cash. Which of course we had none of. But in the meantime we had bonded over the Redskins, our street (everyone knows every street in this town) kids; you always bond over your kids. And so as we stood there with our bushel of peaches under the hot sun and regretfully informed the kind gentleman that we had no cash and no checks he surprised us by telling us to come back with the money. Slapping papa bear on the back he laughed "I trust you guys!" He also gave us his phone number and invited us to a barbecue. 

We drove home in our peach scented chariot and naively dreamt of all the things we would do with all those peaches. Of course they were all devoured within days. On Tuesday we dropped off the check and lamented the Redskins terrible, terrible game. And thanked him for the peaches. And we thanked God for the fact that we live in a town where we can be trusted to "pay later." That in fact was the second time this month we had been trusted to do just that when the credit card machine at the farm stand broke. It changes the relationships you have with people. They are no longer just a "cashier," they are someone who invested their trust in you and someone you certainly don't want to be disappointed in your character. It's not just about money, a transaction, it's about building a relationship. Your name, your family, for goodness sake these people know where we live. I'm grateful for people like this that know that in the longer run it's much more important that we go home with that bushel of peaches we dreamed about or the basket of the week's groceries and feel cared for than them getting their money right then and there. I will never forget the kindness of the people in this town. The way they hold open doors when I'm hauling a baby and bags of groceries, the many times I hear the words "don't worry about it honey," the sweet souls that make my baby smile when they know she's about to fuss and everyone that has cut me or our family a break on many a "bad" day. God bless you all.