Small Town

Recently, a friend of mine reminded me how vividly she remembers the day my family and I were in the wreck back in 1993. She is definitely someone I believe when she says she prayed for us. This reminded me about a lady I met this past November (2009). She knew me by name, because she prayed for us. This lady, who I had never met and quite honestly, don't know that I ever even heard of her, came right up to me and said, "Hello, my name is _______, and I was a member of your Aunt Brenda's choir when you all were in your wreck, and I have prayed for you and your family." WOW! Now that was awesome!

Being from a small town, like Oak Grove, LA, has it's advantages. I guess you would say from a worldly perspective, I was a fairly popular person in my little town and being married to a guy that played professional football only magnified the fact that many people knew us. When word spread that we had been in an automobile accident and I was paralyzed and not sure I was going to live, well...the Lord was busy fielding prayers out of Oak Grove! I'm sure every prayer chain in every denomination exploded into spontaneous prayer! How awesome is that?

I don't know how people make it that are from cities that have no support structure. I truly don't. I shudder to think of the homeless that have only what will fit into a small bag. (And just so you know, friends are few and far between for those of us in day to day society, never mind those who are on the street. They have and trust NO ONE). For whatever reason they have no family support. Man, I am so thankful for my family! I am blessed with two sides of family that are close and I know we matter to each other. When one hurts, we all hurt. Not so for the homeless or the one that has striven for anonymity and melted into a sea of faces in the large city!

Something that concerns me a bit about our society is that we strive for anonymity by hiding behind a computer screen. Sure there is Facebook* and Myspace* and social networks like that, but even they are pseudosocial clubs. It doesn't take much effort to post a few words here and there to old friends, but what about real tactile interaction? You know where you share a part of yourself with someone by giving up your time. We may as well be living in the crowded streets of a megalopolis when we recluse ourselves to a computer. Please understand, I am all about the social networks, because some really good things have come from them; but I don't want my interactions with people to be limited to that kind of relationship. There. I'm off my soapbox.

I have recently made a new friend and he is very relational. He is "good people". He lives the principle that people are more important than anything else in this world. He is a real friend and I have grown to love and trust him. Small town people have that quality almost built in. Thanks for being a real friend, Todd. The friend that reminded me about my small town, well she has been with me through some very dark places. No, we do not talk on a daily basis, nor weekly, nor monthly, but if she found out that something bad happened to me, she would be there to encourage me and pray with me.

Thanks Shea for reminding me to be that friend to those I grew up with in Oak Grove! I may have moved away, but I can still be the friend I should be. Thank you for your example! (And go Tigers! That's small town pride for those of you who do not "get it"!)