It never fails to make me smile when I see a man wandering around Keim Lumber Company in Charm, Ohio with a lost look on his face.  “Can I help you find anything today?”  I can almost hear his response before he opens his mouth.  “You can help me find my wife,” he replies with a grin.  Who would have thought that a man would lose his wife at a lumber yard? 

In the 120,000 square foot showroom, the first place he looked for his wife was in the Lawn & Garden department.  With items ranging from garden accents, fountains, and hammocks to bird houses, lawn products, and camping supplies, surely she would be there.  No luck…she wasn’t there.

His second stop he thought would be successful.  The Plumbing department displays 6 full bathrooms and over 22 bath vignettes full of tile and accent ideas, not-to-mention over 375 lighting fixtures.  Where else would a woman be in a lumber yard?  No luck…she wasn’t there.

A look of relief came over the man’s face as the Paint and Wallpaper department came into view.  I should have known, he thought to himself.  Skimming through the household aisles containing cleaning products, Oreck sweepers, Bosch mixers, and White Mountain Ice Cream Freezers, she was not to be seen.  He continued through the aisles of colorful paints, never-ending patterns of wallpaper, and home décor products. 

With a dumbfounded look on his face, this is where I found him...

“Can I help you find anything today?”

“You can help me find my wife,” he replies with a grin. 

“We could page her if you’d like,” I laughed.

“No,” he replied, “I’ll be in more trouble if I do that.  I’ll keep looking.”

So I watched him look through the kitchen department, passing the beautiful kitchen displays of Bertch, Grabill, Jim Bishop, and Kitchen Compact cabinets.  The kitchen cabinet designer watched with a smile on her face.  We smiled at each other.  We had seen this before.  He continued through the maze of over 90 windows and doors from Eagle and Andersen companies.  After weaving his way through the displays, he checked the deck area.  Maybe she is sitting in some of their patio furniture that is on display.  I could almost hear his thoughts.  He gazed up at the Carpenter’s Café.  No luck…she wasn’t there.

With defeat on his face, he returned with only one option.  “Can you page my wife for me?”  With a smile I raised the phone to make the announcement, when a woman walked towards us with a carving kit in hand.  I pointed in her direction and her husband smiled.

I overheard their conversation as they walked away from my desk.  She was in the tool department.  A department full of men’s tools such as Milwaukee, Makita, and Bosch.  Who would have guessed?  Her voice faded as I heard her telling her husband about all of the different departments in Keim Lumber.  He looked back and smiled at me.  I couldn’t help but laugh.  The simplicity of a smile said it all.