Things I know.

Things I know:

• Everyone has a story.  All the good and bad we like or dislike about someone is truly formed by their story.  The story shapes us and forms us.  Everyone is interesting.  
• Love overcomes a lot...like a whole lot.  It is POWERFUL.  TRUE caring and love will lead to understanding, forgiveness, compassion, happiness, support, peace, and commitment.
• The opposite of love is NOT hate.  The opposite of love is apathy.  Hate is just love with hurt feelings.  Apathy is being without emotion or care at all.  It is moving on instead of staying behind.
• Grief is enormous.  It is all encompassing.  Loss is the heaviest emotion.  It changes a person forever.
• Life isn't "all about me".  Life's meaning and purpose will never be found by focusing on me.
• We aren't guaranteed to live a long life.  We assume that is how it should be but where is that written? No where.  Some people aren't supposed to live to old age.  Their purpose and role in humanity take a different course.  It's all part of a bigger plan.  
• There are no coincidences.  Everything is orchestrated and planned by a power bigger than we humans.  And, if we look for these moments we will see them more and more.
• Trust your gut.  Our minds are powerful and completely intuitive to every encounter we have.  There is always at least some truth to that gut instinct.
• First impressions matter.  You can never go back to change that first opinion.  
• Being silly is an important way to deal with some of the burdens of adult life.  Being silly comforts us, connects us, and frees us.

The most UNBELIEVABLE person I’ve met!!!!

Meet Freddie Hammer....    about 18 years ago he was a family friend.  John had met him at the farmers market.  He was from the N.C. mountains.  He lived in town during the fall weeks to sell pumpkins grown in the mountains here at the Raleigh market.  He and his wife Brenda were so nice that John had offered for them to stay at our house if ever needed.  They never did need to stay.  

Later in the year, Mr & Mrs Bynum, John, Libby and I would make the day trip to Crumpler, NC to spend the day at Freddie and Brenda’s home.   Freddie knew of some land for rent and John was considering growing a future crop of pumpkins in the mountain climate.  We spent time at their home.  They had a nice country home and barns and the neatest small cool-climate barn where Brenda kept all the jars she had full of canned foods.  For some reason Freddie had some new merchandise in one of his barns.  He gave Mrs B and me Lance-type big cookie jars to have.  I still use mine.  We met his stepson, Laramie (like in Wyoming) and granddaughter Cheyenne.  We went to lunch together and I remember him talking about being a lay-pastor and preaching on occasion.

It was a good and normal visit.   BUT...little did we know that we had just spent the entire day with a SERIAL KILLER.  Yes, you read that right.

Fast forward to several years later.  We had basically lost touch with Freddie.  I happened to see the headline that he had been arrested and charged with three murders.  He would go on to be convicted of shooting all three men in their heads when they interrupted him stealing the safe at their Christmas Tree Farm.  Freddie has previously worked for the owner.

Evidently, he had a past of serving time in Pennsylvania in 1978 for killing an off duty police officer. He had gotten out of prison on an appeal claiming it was self defense.  He had, admittedly, moved to N.C. so people wouldn’t know his past.   It would eventually be proven that had killed several other people:  his brother-in-law in 2007, another local person in 2005,  and a TN woman in 2001.  He claimed to a fellow inmate that he has killed 17 people.  He also stated that he “thought he would commit one more murder, probably in prison”.   And, he wants to write a book.

Needless to say, I’m glad we survived that day.  You may just never know.  Definitely the most unbelievable encounter I’ve ever had...