A Wonderful Week with Best Friends

A week ago today, I was sitting at a McDonald's catching up with a dear friend from Indiana. We had been attempting to meet for the day (the drive is a bit longer for her, but there is quite a nice antique mall near there, which is always a good incentive). I met Shirley close to 18 years ago when we attended Bethel church in West Lafayette, Indiana. Shirley and Jerry sang together in a group we called "The Ensemble" (ok--not an original name, but boy, could that group sing!). Our children are the same ages, and we just "clicked". Through the years, we've had many joys and sorrows that we have seen each other through. I haven't seen her in at least a couple of years, and was so excited to get to see her, that I forgot to take a picture of the two of us. Our visit wasn't long enough, but we plan on getting together with our husbands some weekend in the near future.

My week wasn't over, though. Friday, Jerry and I drove to Anna, Illinois to meet Sheila (my high school best friend of 42 years) and her husband, Dennis. We stayed at a bed and breakfast named The Davie School Inn. The innkeeper, Gary, was a fabulous host. Several years ago, the four of us (along with Stephie) stayed at a place called The Old Squat Inn. Trust me, we never, never want to go back there, but it has given us lots of laughs over the year. The Davie School Inn was perfect! Each room is named a color. It will come as no surprise to any of my life-long friends that Jerry and I stayed in the pink room. It wasn't overly pink, of which I'm sure Jerry was quite happy about. He has been hankering to try out a Temper-Pedic mattress, so he didn't care what color room it was. We were thrilled with our room. I liked that it was extra roomy, and the soft towels were an added bonus.

We got there well before Sheila and Dennis, so Gary suggested that we try The Blue Boar Restaurant. Once we got settled in the room, we headed out for dinner. Southern Illinois is like southern Indiana, and has gentle rolling hills, and it was actually in the lower 60's, so that was very pleasant. We had a nice dinner, and as we were leaving, we saw that next to the restaurant was a rock formation with a natural spring coming out of it. They had built a nice bridge and sitting area next to it, so we wandered over to look at it. The taxidermy animals were inside of the restaurant, over to the side from where I was sitting. I'm not sure what they are supposed to be representing (or doing), but as you can guess, I had to take a picture of them.

Sheila and Dennis arrived around 10:30, and we all met in their room (the yellow room) to enjoy the Gigi cupcakes that Sheila had brought. It was a wonderful way to celebrate a myriad of things: Jerry's new job, our 42 year friendship, my birthday (a little late) and just general love for each other. We planned on meeting in their room for breakfast, as Gary brings breakfast to you whenever you want (within reason, of course). Sure enough, at 8:30 the next morning, Gary knocked on the door and brought in omelets, hash browns, bacon, fresh fruit, pastries and orange juice. Holy cow it was good! Sheila's room had a table that four could easily sit at and enjoy the meal. After we sufficiently stuffed ourselves, we got ready for our shopping expeditions. Gary had told us of a town in Missouri that had a stream of fun thrift/antique stores, so the two of us headed out, while our husbands lounged around watching NCAA basketball.

 We easily found the town (which, thinking back on it, is a major surprise for us--yay for GPS). The stores were very fun to poke around in, and the prices were wonderful--much better than here in central Illinois. Just the outside decoration of the first shop was fun to see.

We poked around and shopped for most of the afternoon. By the time we got back, it was just about time for dinner. Gary had suggested an all-you-can-eat fried chicken restaurant that was fabulous. Our dinner had fried chicken, along with homemade biscuits and apple butter, homemade dumplings (savory), green beans, and cole slaw. Yum! This is a picture of the four of us at dinner.

 By this time, we were kind of waddling back to the inn, and spent the evening in our room catching up and making new memories. What fun Sheila and I have together, and we're very blessed that our husbands get along so well together. The next morning, Gary brought us baked french toast, sausage, and fresh fruit for breakfast. We sat and talked some more (we had a list of things to discuss that Sheila had written on the blackboard, although we did all get in trouble and had our names put on the board before the weekend was over) before we had to head out to get back home in time to pick up our beagles. I am so blessed that God put Sheila into my life all of those many years ago. We have been through so much together, and we don't get to see each other nearly enough. We've promised ourselves that we won't wait another 10 years before we do this again (and we will definitely go back to Davie School Inn instead of The Old Squat Inn). I'm back to catching up on things before heading back to work tomorrow. Spring hasn't arrived quite yet, but I'm hoping that by Easter, we will at least have a few warmer days. I'm also hoping for a good strawberry crop this year, so if that means that spring comes a little later than last year, I'm ok with that.

I hope that each of you have a wonderful spring, and that you count your blessings for each person that God has put into your life. I know that I thank God for both Shirley and Sheila and the love that they have given me, and I love them both. Thank you for the love and memories from both of you this past week.

Winter Into Spring

Have I mentioned that I'm not a fan of winter? Even though I've lived in either Indiana or Illinois for most of my life (minus 4 years in KY at school and 3 years in NC), I've never learned to like it. I can barely tolerate it. However, the upside of winter is that you appreciate the arrival of spring so much more.

It's been an odd month and a half. The week before Christmas, within a span of 48 hours, I learned that Stephie's job was a mess, and then Jerry's job at Caterpillar had been eliminated. It seemed fitting that I learned this during the darkest part of winter. I will admit that it was a hard week for me. I will also admit that the news hit me hard, and I've struggled to figure it out. However, like winter into spring, I'm beginning to see God's hand at work as I learn (once again--I'm a slow learner, apparently) to put my trust in Him and allow Him to guide us through this process. Slowly, things are emerging and beginning to show life. Stephie has found a new job, and Jerry has been put into a pool within Caterpillar to hopefully find a new position at Caterpillar. I'm calling 2013 the year of transitions.

You know how dirty and gray the yard looks in the middle of winter? Yet, already, I'm seeing a few daffodil leaves come up just enough to give me hope. Years ago, my grandmother would insist that the winter had been too cold and had killed everything (she would start this at the end of February, because by then in Mississippi, things had been blooming for weeks). We would assure her that no, things weren't dead--they were just taking awhile. Sure enough, within a few weeks, her yard would be in full bloom and, once again, beautiful. Patience is a virtue (and one that I could stand some work on). So it is that I'm beginning to see some things happen that shows me that God has this under control and I should back off with the worrying!

I'm one of those people that sticks in a CD while in the car, and on occasion, the lyrics on the CD will really speak to me, and I'll listen to it until it's about worn out. So it has been with a Larnelle Harris CD that I just randomly stuck in the CD player recently (and if you know me at all, you know I have a soft spot for my tenors). It's one of his lesser known CDs called I Want to be a Star (like a star in heaven, shining for Jesus, not like a star on stage). Anyway, several of the songs really were exactly what I needed to hear. This one, in particular, has spoken to me the past couple of weeks (I told you I listen to them a long time when they speak to me).  I would like to share the lyrics with you:

If Not For the Storms

Words by Larnelle Harris

If all I had were blue skies

And days of perfect peace

Always sailing smoothly over

Gentle, Quiet seas

There's so much about You

I might have never known

But I have faced the wind and waves

And I see how faith has grown

If not for the storms

I couldn't say that You're my shelter

If not for the storms

I would have never known Your strength

I found You so faithful

Through all that You allowed

If not for the storms

There's no way I'd know You

As I know You now.

A shepherd strong and tender

I'd only read about

Met me in the middle of

My moments filled with doubt

A provider, a protector

A friend who knew my need

There's so much I can tell of who

You've proven Yourself to be.

If not for the storms

I couldn't say that You're my shelter

If not for the storms

I would have never known Your strength

I found You so faithful

Through all that You allowed

If not for the storms

There's no way I'd know You

As I know You now.

Sometimes it's hard to see the reasons for the trial I'm in

Looking from this earthly point of view

But You have surely proven to me time and time again

I can depend on you

To bring me through.

If not for the storms

I couldn't say that You're my shelter

If not for the storms

I would have never known Your strength

I found You so faithful

Through all that You allowed

If not for the storms

There's no way I'd know You

As I know You now.

So, yeah. That's kind of where I am right now. People are praying for our situations, and I feel the prayers. If you are so inclined, we would cherish your prayers that Jerry finds the right job for our family and that things will all come together for both him and Stephie in their new positions. Pray that God will see us through, as we continue to trust in Him, and not allow fear and doubt to overtake our thoughts, and that God will allow this time to bring us closer to Him as we see His work in our lives.

Thank you for remembering us, and God bless each of you.