These are the people in my neighborhood.

I imagine that in major metropolitan areas where people cram themselves into subways, buses, and trains, eventually you get to notice your regulars. Maybe you even strike up a conversation with them. You may even learn their names and become friends.

In our less-urban settings, we don't have that luxury. But that doesn't mean we don't commute to work with our own set of regulars. Since I have not spoken to them personally (although a few of them I have certainly spoken at), I still have assigned names to each of my mobile neighbors and would like to introduce you to them.

My first regular I usually pick up coming out of the neighborhood and onto the highway. I just call her Sunshine. She almost always had a smile on her face, and her little car is brightly colored. Her smile gets brighter as we travel as she applies the bright lipstick and equally luminous eye shadow as she manages the wheel with an unseen set of hands.

Then there is a woman I call Bountiful Betty. I haven't met her, but I know she has a husband and four kids as well as three dogs and a cat. I'm afraid that if her family gets any larger there will be no room on her back window to add another cartoonlike character.

The Quick Cajun is my next co-commuter - at least for the brief moment he's riding alongside me. QC has magical powers that allow him to go so fast that the green, yellow and red of a traffic signal blur into one color only he can see.

QC should in no way be mistaken for Lane Change Larry. Poor Larry wishes he had similar magical powers because he invariably picks the wrong lane every time. We travel together quite often as I tool along in my lane and watch him pass me on one side before I pass him right back.

Turning Terry is also my traveling buddy. The turn lane was made especially for Terry. Terry will be turning - eventually - even if he does pass through several intersections to get to his turn.

One-Eyed Juanita is next. While most people can cross their eyes side to side, Juanita can mystically move one eye up to watch the traffic and one eye down as she lowers her head and says her Blackberry prayers.

So, if you should happen to see Sunshine, Betty, QC, Larry, Terry or Juanita, please give them a big hello from Too Kind Keith. He's the one who lets absolutely everybody into the lane and drives the vehicle that looks suspiciously like mine. Be sure to honk as you pass him. Everyone else does.

I said YES!!

On February 4th, 2007 my daughter came to our room to tell us she had a bad cold and did not feel like she could make it to church that morning. We knew she was really feeling poorly because she didn’t want to miss church. Her youth choir was singing that morning and she loved to sing. We told her she would have to call Mr. Charlie and tell him that she could not make it to sing that morning. The day was uneventful as we sat around and watched movies. At one point Beth looked up at me and asked me if I would help her build pom-pom buddies. These were little creatures she would make out of the little puff balls and an occasional pipe cleaner. I told her that I would as soon as the movie we were all watching was over. As is usual, when that movie ended another began and we started watching it. A few minutes into it Beth turned to me and said, “I guess we will wait until this movie is over to make the pom-pom buddies.” So I told her that I promised her we would make the crafts when the first movie was over and she just needed to bring the stuff into the living room. She hopped up and ran and got her supplies. We put paper down on the coffee table and got out the glue and the brightly colored puffs of yarn. Not being creative I immediately made what any man would make. A caterpillar. I figured it would be easy to glue a series of these puffs in a row, make a set of antenna, and put a couple of eyes on the first puff. Beth was much more creative than I was so she made a frog for her friend Hillary who evidently liked frogs. Not to be outdone I grabbed a larger, bright orange puff. I put smaller puffs at the base of it and, three eyes later, as well as a small set of red “lips,” had an alien. She loved it. It reminded her of a creature on one of the cartoon movies she liked. The look of joy on her face was worth every minute. It was definitely time well spent. It would have been a memorable day regardless of the circumstances that would follow just a few hours later. Today the caterpillar sits atop her desk in the study looking down on the empty space that once held her books. The alien protects her mother as it rides on the dashboard of her car. And the frog? It made it to its intended destination. There are a few things that I look back on 4 years ago. Some with dread, but some with joy. I cannot imagine how I would have felt had I said no to her request to do arts and crafts with Beth that day. But instead I said yes. A few hours after playing with my daughter I was holding her in my arms as she was disoriented by what I thought was either the flu or a virus. I snuggled behind her in bed and held her close praying for her to feel better. Suddenly she sat up in bed, spun around, and hugged me extra tight. I didn’t know it then but my holding her then and telling her that everything was going to be okay would be the last time I would speak to her. I believe, and will never be convinced otherwise, that she saw Jesus and turned to give me one last hug before running to her reward. I believe she was telling me good-bye and thanking me for saying yes. My intentions in sharing this with you is to make you understand, not the pain in losing a child, but the joy in spending time with them. It will not be time wasted and I guarantee that you will get more out of it than they will. God bless.

Uncovered Boss

On Feb. 7, 2010, much of the country celebrated with us as we cheered the Saints on to a Super Bowl victory. However, if you happened to be one of the millions who stayed tuned to CBS after the Super Bowl, you began another emotional journey that continues each week.

Undercover Boss has quickly become one of my favorite television shows. Each episode puts an executive officer of a Fortune 500 company on the front lines. This means that the suit is exchanged for a uniform and the grunt work begins. At the end of the program the executive reveals himself to the people he worked with for a day.

After a year of watching I have wondered two things. First, are there not any Fortune 500 companies that have a female boss? And second, are the CEOs that work at these companies really that out of touch? The first question is an article for another time. I want to concentrate on the second question.

As a small business owner I am in a unique position. There is not a job in my store that I have not done before or will not do again. I will admit that many of the things I do at my office are done better by the others I work with. But I can scrub a toilet with the best of them.

When I see these corporate decision-makers struggle to clean a room, fold a shirt, or face a customer, I wonder how they became so disconnected. Is it any wonder, according to the show's intro, that the average consumer has become disenchanted with the executives and the companies they represent?

Small business owners are often forced to spend time away from our customers to deal with the mundane paperwork and other necessities to make certain our business survives. But, at almost any given moment we can be called out to greet our regulars. We also get to witness the daily interaction of our staff with the customer. As a result, small business owners can truly count many of our customers as friends. That is not as easy for an officer in a multi-million dollar company.

Good customer service is not limited to small businesses. I've experienced it at the larger companies as well. Which is why I return to those stores regularly. I would, however, like to encourage you to support the local entrepreneur - even if it means you are going to my local competitor. Local business keeps most of your money here. Local business owners need to especially support their brethren.

Now, if I could get only one of my customer/friends to help me scrub my toilet.