The Solicitor

It was the inevitable moment that most moms dread. My open front door was a welcome invitation for the door-to-door solicitor heading our way that I saw a split second too late. My husband was in the shower, I had a baby on my hip, a tired and whiney toddler asking for another cup of apple juice and it looked as though a toy box bomb had gone off in our living room.  As I saw that sweet face approaching our steps, catalog and order form in hand, I shuttered at the thought of what would happen if I opened that door. There was no way I could coordinate listening to a sales pitch, looking through a catalog, writing out an order form and filling out a check; all while holding a baby and trying to keep a toddler and a kitten from escaping through the small crack in the door that we would be conducting this business through.

I listened to her initial request while I held on to my toddlers arm, trying to keep the other half of his body from getting out the door. The only barrier between my kitten and the outside world was my foot and I finally had to say to this sweet girl, “I’m sorry, I can’t buy anything today”. She was so respectful, thanked me anyway and told me how cute my children were. There was something about that interaction though that seemed different to me. I really wanted to see what she was selling and why she was selling it.

A few minutes later my husband was out of the shower and was able to take over toddler duty. With the baby still on my hip I snuck out the front door just in time to catch the once dreaded solicitor coming down from the neighbor’s house.

“Excuse me?” I said, “I can take a look at your catalog now.”

I sat on the front porch as this girl told me all about the products that she was selling and even offered some suggestions of items I might be interested in. When she got to the part of what she was fundraising for, I knew exactly why I had been drawn to her. She explained with great enthusiasm that she was in the Logan-Hocking Middle School Choir and that they were doing a fundraiser to get new uniforms and new sheet music. As she went on to tell me about the choir, I found myself momentarily lost in thought of my own high school choir experience.

Being a part of choir was more than just another class for high school credit. Some of my best friends to this day were in that choir. We were a family. The connections we made and the bonds we formed through music intertwined our lives forever. Everything and everyone I loved in high school were in my choir family. Between rehearsals, trips, performances and competitions, I think we were together more with each other than we were with our own families. The friendships we made and the loyalty we developed to one another lasted far beyond our high school years. In the six days between my late husbands death and his Celebration of Life service, almost every original member of our high school choir had reunited to pay tribute to one of our own. We sang together that day for the first time in almost a decade and it was as if we’d never missed a note.

I could do nothing but smile as this sweet girl continued on about how much she loved being in choir. I was so impressed at not only her enthusiasm and passion for promoting what she loved, but also for her professionalism, respect and maturity. She was able to answer every question I had, she was very helpful in all the ordering details and most importantly, she smiled from the beginning to the end of our conversation, even when I had initially rejected her request.

This interaction solidified in me that we have to be proactive in supporting the kids in our community. I only spent $12.50 that night but it’s not about the monetary value of our investment; it’s about what we can do to foster and encourage the love and passion that a child has for something. I shared my story with this girl about how much being in the choir changed my life and what a rich and beautiful experience it was. My hope and prayer is that she and her fellow students spend the next several years making incredible memories that they will carry with them throughout their entire lives. And I really hope they get their new uniforms and sheet music.