Musical minds think alike! I've been rearranging furniture in that front with with an eye to reaching the piano easily. It needs to be restored, it is out of tune (though it is ~ in tune with itself and has held what it has remarkably well, all things considered) and has a high C that doesn't play, but I've been meaning to sit down and play more, get my hands back into shape. Just yesterday I was debating hauling out music while my son is at school so he doesn't have to suffer through my limbering up. ;-)

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I made a wonderful discovery today when I was shopping. I go to a small store called Save A Lot; they don't have every brand, or even every size and flavor of the brands they carry; it is a place to buy the staples, and it gets me through most weeks. There is a clerk there who I first met at another of their stores that closed. She's a beautiful young woman who had one glaring problem--really bad teeth. One in front on top that was clearly rotted more than half through and kind of a snaggletooth. I always wished there was a way the store would get dental insurance because clearly she needed a lot of work.

I was over there today in her checkout line, and I remarked that I hadn't seen her for a while, I've been through on a different shift. And then it hit me, she had a perfect smile. I pointed and asked her when this happened, and she is so pleased to have this work done (and noticed!) that it wasn't an imposition for me to remark. I did also tell her that I thought she was a beautiful woman and had always hoped she'd be able to do this. She needed to hear that.

The story is the remarkable part. She had a customer come through her line in September--she named the day--and he told her he was a dentist and that she needed to make an appointment with him. She held onto his card for a week before calling, and her co-workers urged her to call. When she made the appointment he did the xrays and told her what he proposed--her teeth were in bad enough shape that she needed a full plate on top and would also lose a couple of lower molars. It took a couple of months for the entire process, she said.

I moved from the register with my groceries and began to pack them nearby, and we were talking across the space between us. I asked if SaveALot had put in insurance to help her cover this? She said no, and that was the amazing thing, this dentist offered to do it for free--no cost beyond what her medicaid covers. We both burst into tears right there in the store and I had to give her big hug. That was such a generous thing for him to do--she knew this was a lot more work than normally would be covered.

I took my groceries out to the truck then returned with my camera phone and sent one of my twitpic posts to Twitter. She pulled out his card for the spelling--this man is a member of a family well known for good dental work here in town. His brother is an orthodontist we consulted (it was a long drive to get over there, which is why we ended up going somewhere closer). To go from broken, blackened teeth to a beautiful smile--it isn't just a vanity issue, it is a major health issue and such a huge psychological boost. And I am so happy to be able to share this story with each of you.

Go through the day with a smile!

Maggie