On-Line Miracles

By chance, many years ago, a group of people ended up single.  By choice, by chance, by loss of a spouse to death, some had never been married.  None of us expected to be there, all of us were.

Life drew us together sometime thereafter through a local singles group.  The beauty of that was while some met future spouses, all of us made friends.  Girl friends, guy friends, guys who were just friends and vice versa.  We joined a site, but were blessed to become part of a community.  Since then we have shared trials, tribulations, successes, wildest dreams.

So, you're wondering where this is leading.  Yada yada yada, you've heard of on-line dating.  Some judge it's success only via a marriage license.  I beg to differ.  I wouldn't be where I am today without the use of a singles site. Okay, several singles sites. 

The good Lord doesn't hesitate to use the computer world to bring people who need each other together.  He probably doesn't experience the same glitches we do.  I suspect his computer never gets virus', or crashes on Him.  Or runs out of memory, or needs to be backed up.  His system would put Bill Gates to shame.

But He manages to bring us together, no matter our circumstances.  Which is cause to celebrate.  This weekend a couple will exchange their wedding vows in front of friends who they met through that same singles group.  Their invitation came via email, which has been the thread that has bound us all together.

  

While we can't physically be with them to celebrate.  We'll do the happy dance from afar.  Miracles come in a multitude of ways.  On-line we celebrate them all.

The Big and Little of It

You know the saying, it takes a village...  It's funny how that works.  I've always been a big city girl.  Until about a year ago.  Of course part of me still feels that way.  Probably always will.

But life took us down new roads and I've developed a new perspective about cities, towns, villages.  I am beginning to wonder if the smaller the town the more people you know.  Granted your odds increase when the population decreases. I still miss seeing people I know when we go places out here.  Now if I cross paths with someone it's a huge deal.  First time I ran into someone I knew at the grocery store was a red letter day.

What got me thinking is the conglomeration of people who group together to build a life.  Some are large groups, some are medium, some very small.  Not unlike the pioneers who pulled their wagons into a circle for safety's sake. There are our work groups, church groups, quilting groups, etc.   There are groups that form randomly because of a tragedy. Groups that form in neighborhoods.  You catch my drift. 

We made a big move to a little city, but that only defines the geography of it.     Now we're getting ready to move to an even smaller city.  In the process our world increased.  We used to know bigger cities and the surrounding areas intimately. Now we know many more towns and cities.  The roads that lead to them have expanded our horizons. I guess the bottom line is little places are making a big impact on our life.  Part of that is still scary, but it means we're growing in our little part of the world.

In Between

They say these are some of the  biggest stresses in life:   getting married, changing jobs, moving, loss of a loved one.  Check, check, check, check and I'm throwing in another check because we are getting ready to move again.

I'd never make it as a military wife.  Never would have made it as a pioneer wife.  Thankfully we are past child bearing age, as would sure don't need that stress added to our life right now.

We are in that stage of moving where it doesn't quite seem like it is going to happen.  Thirty days from now we'll be in the thick of it. Luckily a lot of our stuff is still in boxes from our move just about a year ago. We could probably do without all the other stuff in boxes.  We've been using the essentials, the rest is extra. Honesty, it may be like Christmas, or a garage sale (I'm not sure which) when we finally get to unpack everything.  

For now we are in between. In between buying and moving, packing and unpacking, loading and unloading.  We are anxious, but not stressed.  Okay, one of us is.  

I hate to wish time away, but I do wish we could get on with it.  In the meantime, or the in between time, I try to figure out exactly how we should be preparing for this move.  So we pray.

Which Side Are You On?

Not whose side, but which side.  Of course there are two sides, or more to any store.  For example, my side and the wrong side.  The upside and the downside.  The inside and the outside.  The wet side and the dry side.

So, to get to it, there are days in marriage that neither side is happy with the other.  Days like this come and go.  Frankly, the always surprise me when they happen.  It's like a reality check.  Must have the bad with the good to increase our gratitude.

For reasons I won't go in to we switched sides on the bed last night.  My idea, guilty as charged.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  But man, I probably wouldn't offer again.  I like that other side for a reason.  It fits me, it knows me.  That side knows my flip flops and restless turns.  My side is roomy and comfortable.  The other side really didn't want me there.  It was not welcoming and not nearly as spacious as my side is.

But sometimes you just need to try and see which side works best.  Last night was an epic fail.  So I will appreciate my side even more tonight.  See, proof that discomfort, when embraced,  increases our gratitude.

Both sides are the same, yet completely different.  I will side with that concept.