Special Blessings

Every day brings its general blessings: sunrises, food, smiles, peace, mountains, green grass--the list goes on forever--but sometimes God chooses to touch us in ways that are so unique and personal it can be overwhelming.

Back in Michigan at all the various Reformed Churches they play a little game called "Dutch Bingo." If you're Dutch and grew up in the church and you're visiting another church, people will start asking you what your family name is, where you're from, and then they'll start asking you who you know from where and when until you've established at least a few mutual contacts. This still happens to me out here in the desert whenever I meet church brethren from Michigan. I realize that this is not the same thing as deep fellowship--which can happen no matter when you were saved, how, or where, but it does remind me of the strong tendons and ligaments of the Body and how far they can reach.

Here is one example which has recently touched husband and me. My Dad's parents are from Lexington, Kentucky, and they have lived in the same wonderful house on Lanette Lane for many years. As kids my siblings and I spent weeks there during the summer with our cousin Eric, where we got go know my grandparents' neighbors from across the street, Dusty and Misty. We played with those kids growing up and when Dusty entered the U.S. Naval Academy in Baltimore, my family happened to be living in Chesapeake, VA. So Dusty would come out for weekends, sometimes meeting up with his family at our home, and we all enjoyed continued fellowship. When Dusty met Beth and got married, my family attended the wedding, and when they had their first baby, we stopped by to visit her.

Apparently while Dusty was in school, he became good friends with Bob and Judi, a couple from his church. Bob was interested in Classical education, and since I was a classical teacher at the time, Dusty gave Bob my number and we had a few telephone conversations about it.

This all happened several years ago, but about a month ago, a young couple showed up at our church and introduced themselves as Dusty's friends Bob and Judi--who now have a daughter, Abigail. Even though I barely knew them, it was like a small reunion. When we showed them our wedding pictures they remembered many of the names of people based on conversations with Dusty.

I share this because I know many of my family members read my blog and thought you would all enjoy hearing about our new "old" friends.