It’s very, very cold here. Being a Southern girl to the core, I have heard of socks before but never really had a need for them since I’ve worn flip-flops year round. But now it’s so cold that I’ve dug into my long forgotten stash of socks.
There is something about this weather that has made Daniel and I quite nostalgic and romantic, too. Which is not a problem at all, mind you. It’s just that the last time we experienced this type of weather was when we were falling-in-love over Christmas about four years ago. I’d traveled up to the North to meet his family over the holidays and I’d been shocked that I needed a thick coat to even open the front door.
Last night we drove to a neighborhood restaurant and filled ourselves with hot food and then took a drive through the country. It was so calming to wind through the farms and stately houses with their cute little candles in the windows. Duffy was belting her heart out through our car speakers but you could still hear a small voice from the backseat saying, “One. Two. One. Two. One. Two.” He’s learning to count, by the way.
He’s also learning to mimic every single word that he hears. And when we hosted our first overnight guests here a few days ago (Tim and Dani), Drew practiced words like “buttock,” “Santa” and “booger.” Yes, his Uncle Tim is atrocious. The last thing I need Drew screaming in the middle of the grocery store is “SANTA HAS A BOOGER ON HIS BUTTOCKS!”
It really was a lovely weekend with Tim and Dani, though. We had some long talks, reading sessions, TV-watching, and book-sale shopping. And one particular card game that got wild and lively. Of course, I was half-asleep in the green chair. Try as I may, I simply cannot stay awake when it gets really late. I’m pretty much a little early-to-bed nerd.
They also came along on Sunday to the first “preview” service we had at Engage. The service echoed quite a bit of what I’ve been re-learning about God in the past year. Two moments stood out to me. A new friend that I’ve just met shared part of her faith story and in so doing, she admitted that living with rules and regulations in faith is something she finds to be attractive at first glance. I heard her words and had to blink back tears as I saw myself in what she was saying. Another moment was when Jon asked us to share with our group what questions we would ask God if we could simply turn to Him and expect an audible answer. I didn’t expect to break down into tears at all but when I started opening my heart, I pretty much lost it. I have so many questions. Very few answers.
I am very thankful that we’ve found this band of believers. Being with them reminds me to look for God to pop out of the mundane, ordinary, and really frumpy days of life.