“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities” ~Stephen R. Covey

When I was a teenager, I had a part-time job at County Seat - a clothing store in the mall.  I worked there for five years, and during that time I was blessed to form many friendships through my job.  It was a great place to work, to grow, and to learn a little more about life.

Growing up in East Texas, I was somewhat isolated from the "big world."  Everyone I knew was from East Texas, and talked just like me.  Then, I got the job at County Seat, where I quickly met a very diverse group of people.  Marcie was the manager, and she was from Washington state.  Trish was the assistant manager, and she was from Minnesota.  Bev was from Wisconsin, and Annette was from Florida.  Talk about culture shock!  The first night I worked with Trish, neither one of us understood a thing the other one said.  (I told her I was going to the back to fill up the ice trays, and she wondered why in the world I would be filling up ash trays.)

Even though these young ladies were from different parts of the US, and had extremely varied backgrounds and personalities, we all grew to love each other, and work was a great place to be!  Jayne, Shelley, and Gwen - fellow East Texan natives - worked there, too.  We also spent time together outside of work at each others houses, and all of them became much more than co-workers.   I have great memories of my days working and playing with them all at County Seat, and most of us have kept in touch in the years since.  Jayne and Shelley were bridesmaids at my wedding, Gwen served at my wedding reception, and Marcie and I have continued to correspond and occasionally visit through the years.  Trish moved back to Minnesota, and I loved being able to see her when I traveled up there several years ago.  I keep up with Bev and Annette through Facebook as well.

From this diverse group of friends, I learned so much.  They gave me a place to "fit" and "belong," when I didn't always feel like I fit or belonged among my peers in high school.  They taught me how to work hard, and how to feel a sense of accomplishment in doing good work.  From my County Seat gang, I learned that people from different parts of the country talk really strange, but once you get used to it, they're really not that different.  I learned that work and fun CAN go hand in hand - it's just a matter of attitude.  My memories of those days in my youth make me smile, and I am better for the time I spent with each one of my County Seat friends.  I hope they each know how special they are to me, and how much of an influence for good they had in my young life.