Live and Learn New Mexico!

Last Saturday was the 5th annual Comi-Con sale at Bethel storehouse and thriftstore, masterminded and organized by Olivia, longtime employee at this beloved Moriarty institution. I visited the day before to see how preparations were going. It seemed fairly quiet.  "Oh, I'll be staying all night after we close emptying that truck out in the parking lot," Olivia explained. "That's anything and everything Comi-Con that's come through our doors as donations in the past year. "I'll be clearing off everything on the shelves and putting up Comi-Con stuff. I'll be here at 10:00 tomorrow when we open. "I'm hoping for volunteers to help me but I'm not counting on it," she laughed. I didn't visit until after 10:00 the day of the event so I didn't see her open up the store.  But when I stopped by that afternoon, the place was humming and people were enjoying a store full of Comi-Con. I had a great time snapping pictures....

I've lived in Moriarty now for eight years, and I believe it is a place of healing, full of light workers, also called angels, who have helped me through difficult times.  These days, for example, when I need hugs and a shoulder to cry on, I go to the local grocery store. Many of the employees there have become my friends. They care and give me pretty good advice when they can. That's what happens in small towns.  In this second post in my series about Bethel Storehouse in Moriarty, I am talking about another light worker, the person who has volunteered there the longest. That dedicated angel is Agnes Salazar.  Agnes has been volunteering at Bethel since day one (Bethel just celebrated its 38th birthday).  "I took a year off during Covid," she said, "My grandson passed because of Covid. I didn't want to take any chances. So it's been a total of 37 years." At that point she proudly mentioned that she would be 89 in the next few days.  "I don'...

Today I celebrated with the Moriarty community the 38th birthday of Bethel Storehouse. It was a grand time with bounce houses and games... friendly faces everywhere.    When I first moved here, I discovered the thrift store was a great place to pick up household and yard items to help me settle on my homestead.   During Covid, I was among those who were generously given food boxes from the storehouse. They even gave me dog food for my furry friends.  Now, living alone on the homestead, I go to Bethel to see friendly faces and share stories. I also get good quality clothes and shoes. I love thrift stores!  Friendly staff and volunteers Linda Smith has led the nonprofit for 37 of its 38 years. When I praised her success, she said, "It's not me. It's the community. They make Bethel work so well."  They live up to their mission statement : "Our Mission for Bethel Community Storehouse is to be a Christ centered non-profit mission providing food, clothing ...