Who Are The People In Your Neighborhood?

I thought about this song this morning while I was savoring the warm thoughts and happy things that have happened in my life over the past few days. There are so many awesome people in my life... some here in my actual geographical community... and many, many more in my online community. I'm blessed.

My daddy reminded me last week that the "treasures" we store up in Heaven are not financial... our treasures are the relationships we build here on earth. Which is a good thing... because i seem to have no financial skills... but I do have an ability to "accumulate" people. Not that every single relationship in my life is perfect and without struggle or conflict... but I do put a high value on relationships. I can face an empty bank account with a shrug of my shoulders... but I will grieve over any lost friendship or kinship.

I'm still working on my snail mail communication plan... sent out a few more cards yesterday. I bought Easter cards right after Valentines day and then realized how late Easter is this year... I've been holding on to those cards all this time and was so excited to finally be able to send them out. AND... I got a card in the mail yesterday from my friend Amy-from when I lived in Woodstock - that was a crazy year, for sure, and Amy always helped me find the humor in those circumstances. Amy is the one who stocked my kitchen when I moved up here... her mother had passed away a few months before then and she had every bit of her mom's kitchen packed up in her garage and had no idea what to do with it... then I left michael and had NOTHING so she generously offered me her mom's things. She's moving to Denver soon... so i'll be able to add another stop on my dream blog-reader tour of the US, should I ever be able to do that... Amy's card was awesome and it left me feeling all warm and fuzzy...

Then i had a facebook chat with my friend Tay... also warm and fuzzy... and then a little exchange with my cousin Donald who I haven't seen in... probably 30 years... also happy... and then a friend from way back in my Tara Baptist days, Debbie, is in the hospital having a baby after nearly 20 years of infertility. Can you imagine waiting that long for something you desire? I'm so happy for her.

I live in an awesome place... after spending most of my life as Suburban Sally, it's great to be a country girl. I may not have all the tricks down... I mean, I don't grow things in the dirt or drive a big old truck (Like my friend Alisa) and I don't have goats (yet) like my friends Alisa and Cyndi... and all the roads to my house are paved... but I get the benefits of small town life in a part of the world where people come to vacation and I think that's really cool. They know me here... I belong... and that makes me feel connected and protected.

I think about the things that I feared when I was contemplating leaving Michael. I endured so much heartache and frustration because the devil i knew was better (I thought) than the devil I didn't know... but truly... God had such a wonderful plan for me... and He brought so many wonderful people into my life, in part because of that unhappy circumstance... that I can't help but wonder what wonders He is going to bring into my life through these difficult times that I'm dealing with now... and truly... He does minister to me daily. I'm not depressed and discouraged, even though there are some uncertain times ahead... will they be able to fix me so that the pain stops? is this what i'm going to live with for the rest of my life? will i have to have surgery? what happens if I'm unable to work (did you just hear that aflac duck quacking?) what happens if the loss of feeling in my legs gets worse? ...

All I know is this... MY neighborhood is filled with amazing, loving, caring, awesome people... both here in Hooterville and all around the world... and I know that these light and momentary troubles are helping me build relationships with people... helping me store up treasures... and for that, i thank God. I am grateful for every single circumstance that makes me need Him more, that softens my heart to the suffering of others, that reminds me how very not alone I am... because i know that on my own, left to my own personality and character traits, apart from Him, I am not the kind of person you'd want to be friends with... i'm catty and sarcastic and selfish... but with Him... I'm worthy of being one of the people in your neighborhood... in your neighborhood... i'm in your neighborhood...

love and hugs and wishes for a wonderful Wednesday!