Right at home

I am watching it snow outside my window--second time in four weeks. Nashville actually has four seasons and I am enjoying it. The snow is a little fine to stick, but it is a marvelous sight watching the snowflakes dance on their way to the ground.

Yesterday was fun spending time with Ryan and Sarah Williamson and their two children, Sidney and Jack. Sarah is a trip, and always makes me laugh with her sunny personality, and Ryan is just a big bear--so much fun to hug. Sidney and the girls enjoy playing together, and Jack just roams about as the only boy--next year he can play with Sam.

There have been two serendipities--yesterday at the bank where I was cashing an Abilene check, the teller asked if I knew where Hamlin, Texas was--seems her parents graduated from there. The teller is the daugher of Judy Fitzgerald and Jaylon Fincannon who of course I knew--they are my brother Mike's age.

Today at Otter the speakers were Charles and Darlene Coulston, Otter's missionaries to Kenya. These folks were at Minter Lane about 30 years ago as college students--they haven't changed much and are still doing good work in the mission field working with street children in Kenya. I believe they were in the Mark program while at Minter. It is indeed a small world in God's kingdom--one must always be on her best behavior.

I haven't had a chance to talk about the Otter Christmas show. It was truly a special production with laughs and great music. Brandon outdid himself as Pastor Oglethorpe. His drama teacher Sally Gary would have been proud of him. He has come a long way since playing Charlie Brown and Ralph Herdman.

I think I crossed a threshold today--I actually felt a part of the Otter community, and found two things to volunteer for. Leaving Highland is very difficult.

One of the elders read Psalm 20: 4-8 as a blessing to Charles and Darlene today and it seemed so appropriate for our lives this week--asking God to bless our endeavors and expecting success. All too often we ask God's blessing and then go blissfully on our way never looking back to account for the answer. I have resolved to quit doing that. I want to notice each blessing of God every day no matter how small and stop and thank Him for it. Right now my blessings are 4 and 2 and minus 6 months old. I think Sam Thomas would probably have been the proudest grandfather in the world--as we often prayed for Brandon's future life, who could have forecast wonderful Sheryl and the girls? God is in the business of overblessing and overanswering our every need. There is no God like Jehovah!