One Happy Bank, Seven Sisters

One of the more urgent tasks we needed to get done on arrival was starting a local bank account. On the advice of our new pastor we contacted Happy State Bank in Amarillo and I mailed them our identification documentation prior to leaving New Jersey. They created an account for us and were holding all the paperwork pending our signatures.
One of the bank representatives met us at the hotel yesterday about 4pm and got the signatures needed. I gave her a check to start the account and she credited it to our account as soon as she got back to the nearest branch office. She had our debit cards activated and ready to use – pending the deposit.
So within fifteen minutes we created an active, funded account, complete with ATM cards and we never saw the inside of the bank. I think Mama and the representative talked about forty minutes during and after transacting the paperwork. It was a different banking experience than we have ever had. It is something Mama and I could get used to.
While at breakfast yesterday we met – rather Mama met – a group of seven sisters who get together once a year to catch up and reminisce; a time they spend celebrating life and close family. They range in age from 64 to 82. All are in respectable health and four still have their husbands with them. It seemed to reinforce the strength of family and the bond of loved ones in a very visual way. For all of them to plan to go out of their way simply to visit with each other every year evidences a special intimacy and grace that is rarely seen anymore.
We are still learning Amarillo, but in only a couple days we are familiar with several areas near the church we are planning to attend and thanks to the GPS we have I learned a faster way to work from the hotel we are staying in temporarily.
As of Monday there will be no more sleeping late.