Every once in a while, maybe more often for some, we are fortunate to have sweet mentors make lasting impressions on our lives. I certainly have been blessed to have a very long list of wisdom women in my life. I'm still blessed by the ones God has called to broaden my depth of love for him. They are not all older women either. Most do not even realize themselves how God uses them.
One special lady, that was always kind to me and in the sweetest voice allowed me to see her soul was Juanita Hamman.
Later in our lives, Juanita and I worked retail together. Retail & commission is a battleground and she was a winner there. What God wants is for us to look for the good in people. Juanita was about as full of good as a cup can hold.
I first met Juanita when she and Bill, her husband, owned the Yardstick in downtown Plainview. I remember my mother taking me to the Yardstick many times to pick out the fabrics for the perfectly sewn garments she created for us to wear.
Bill and Juanita knew their fabrics. They stocked beautiful and then practical bolts, too. Here are a few pictures of my clothing that my mother made with fabrics from the Yardstick.
People like Bill and Juanita put their thumbprint on Plainview by being business owners, taking the risk, and working hard. Their thumbprint is embedded in our history. It excites me to see others creating their place in Plainview's history by becoming business owners, offering Plainview the opportunity, and being mentors.
Thank you to Kyle Hamman (and the Hamman family) for the use of the newspaper and picture.