Unexpected Blessings

Heather and I attended Spring Creek Church yesterday morning with my sister's family. They decided to visit the church we used to attend for Vacation Bible School when we were kids. The church is a small church in the country, located not far from the church we attended regularly. Spring Creek recently built a brand new facility as they are growing and outgrew the original building. The new church is beautiful! Marty and I attended this church a few months when we lived in Missouri, but when Dad got sick we left that church to attend church with Mom and Dad.

I saw so many people I knew from my childhood at Spring Creek! The first face I recognized was my 3rd grade teacher! She walked right up to me and knew who I was immediately. I adored Mrs. Ragsdale! She left after church before we could catch her to get a photo with her though.

I then ran into my grade school friend Diane. Diane and I were buddies from 3rd grade through 9th grade. Diane was always up on the latest music trends so it should not have come as a surprise to me to see her involved with the music at church, but it did. It was such a blessing for me to see her and her family so involved in church and her family had the honor of lighting the advent candle during yesterday's service. Her husband Mike runs the church's media from the sound room, just like I do for our church. I don't think I have seen Diane since high school. We were inseperable as kids! We have so much to catch up on. I think we were in the same home room every year in school and could always be found together at recess on the playground. I even remember one ocasion that I spent the night at her house my mom, who does not drive in bad weather at all, drove me to Diane's when there was some snow and ice on the roads. I was sure Mom would not be driving me over, but she did!

Diane, her husband Mike, and their children as they read scripture and light the advent candle.

I told Diane I've been in touch with our friend Russell the last couple of months and she wants to catch up with him too. Oh the times the 3 of us spent laughing and carrying on as kids! Those 2 would tease and torment me until I cried! Russell's supposed to arrive in West Plains some time today. What fun to get to see so many old friends!

Diane did manage to make me feel old. She introduced me to her children (she has 5 of them) and showed me pictures of her new grandbabies! Wow! I don't even want to think about that possibility for many years!

Diane and me.

My 3rd grade class picture. If you click on the picture you can enlarge it and see some of the names I have filled in. The names filled in are those classmates I actually saw or talked to on the phone during my visit or that I keep in touch with regularly now. Matt on the top row is one we keep in touch with regularly. He and his wife Kim are the best friends of my sister Regina and her husband Greg. Matt and Kim are like family to us and regularly join our family at holidays and celebrations. When they didn't come by on Christmas day, I stopped at the place where Kim works one day to say hi and to tell her to come to Mom's for Lacey's birthday. They did come and more pictures can be found on that post when I get that post updated! I'm also on the top row of this picture, just down from Matt. In the next row is my friend Russell. We laughed together so much as kids and just recently got back in touch with one another. We were both in West Plains for Christmas and had plans to meet for coffee but because his nephews whom he seldom gets to see were with him, he couldn't make our coffee date. I guess I can't fault a man who puts his family first! I was disappointed not to see him, but we did talk on the phone and text so all was not a loss. At the end of Russell's row is Diane and next to her is our 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Ragsdale who were both at the church I attended. In the very front is Angie. Angie and I don't keep in touch and I haven't seen her since high school, but did run into her at Wal Mart while in West Plains. We stopped to visit and catch up briefly and I am still amazed at how many former classmates I saw. I rarely see classmates when I go home!