New Friends

I’m amazed at how quickly we are starting to make friends since the new year began. All of a sudden we’ve begun putting roots down into our new Texas home. I knew it would happen. However, I’m in awe at HOW it has all started to unfold.

Several of our family walks and geogaching trips took us by a wonderful park on the river called “Kid’s Kingdom”. Nolan asked each time if we could stop and play. I promised him that I would be sure to take him to the park the following day. The day spun out of control with the start of speech therapy and the first day back at school since Christmas. I totally forgot that I’d promised and when Nolan reminded me I said – “let’s write it on the list and I’ll make sure we do it tomorrow”. I forgot that “tomorrow” was 4 Jan – Jared’s birthday. The next day Nolan was not at ALL gracious about letting me out of the promise and I knew that I HAD to keep my word. We headed for the park after school and before Birthday dinner and celebration. I struggled with this. I didn’t want to waste my time at the park. I wanted to be home. I had important things to do. I KNEW that nothing was as important as keeping my word to my son that day and so there we were. Grumpy, but at Kid’s Kingdom, about to experience one of those divine appointments.

When we walked up we noticed a boy playing with some younger kids that looked remarkably like Craig from Alaska. I pointed out to Jamin that the boy over there reminded me of Craig and he told me that he and Josiah had reached the same conclusion. In a few minutes two moms with babies just Stacia’s age came over and sat at the bench beside me. They were in conversation and I quickly realized they were homeschoolers. Somehow I became part of the conversation…not sure if Adrienne (who reminds me of Carleen) included me or if I forged in but we all three spent the rest of the time talking and getting to know each other. In a strange twist of fate it turns out that Adrienne is FROM Eagle River (where my heart still strives to abide) and her husband is also in the military, she homeschools, has 7 kids and the youngest is a month younger than Stacia. The other mom Tricia has a husband, who retired, went to seminary and is now here to be an associate pastor at a local church. Her little daughter was born two days before Stacia. She homeschools has four children and her oldest is out of the house for the first time this year. See the connections???? They graciously invited me to join them at another park the next afternoon. You all know I’m shy. Right? We went anyway. We had a great time with the two families again and with two other families. Yesterday was “homeschool park day” and we went and found all those four families and even more to visit with. Andrew (Craig’s twin) is 17 and he and Josiah had a great time with all the little guys at the park. All the little boys had light sabers and they LOVED playing and ganging up on the two 17 yo boys. It was a great day. Several phone numbers were exchanged and we feel like we are well on our way to seeing that prayer we breathe with every move “God give us at least one family friend that will last a lifetime from this assignment”….fufilled….

I am so humbled when I think that if Nolan hadn’t insisted, we wouldn’t have been at THAT park, at THAT time to meet THOSE new friends. Isn’t God amazing????

In another strange twist…at the homeschool park day were ladies I’d met at speech therapy and Wal-mart….connections are abounding.

Ladies Bible study began on base on the 3rd and I sense friendships there too…..I love making new friends.