We realized that it was already 4:35 and that we needed to get dressed to go back to church, so I went inside to get some clothes out for the kids. As I was throwing clothes and instructions at Nathan with equal abandon, the phone rang. It was Ali letting me know that she and Chris would not be at small group; Chris' grandmother was having emergency surgery and Ali was still sick. Could we run by and pick up the DVD for small group? I checked my watch and agreed....we could get dressed, get the DVD and get there by 5:00. I pushed it into high gear, dressing Grace and myself simultaneously and throwing my hair up into a ponytail.
Trevor had the kids in the car and we sped away to church, agreeing to eat dinner after. We dropped Nathan off at the Family Life Center and then went to our classroom. We noticed as we drove into the parking lot that none of our small group members were there yet. Hmmm. Not as strange as you might think...most of our group is not constrained by time and rarely arrive until 30 minutes after the start time. As Trevor and I sat there waiting for everyone to show up, I decided that maybe I should call around and make sure that someone was actually planning to attend. First I called Kenneth and Kellye, who informed me that they were too busy for God (just kidding, Kellye!). They have the same "Not Enough Hours in the Day" syndrome that Trevor and I have, so they were passing for tonight. Kellye also told me that Jason and Alicia would not be coming either, so when I called Mike and Heather I was not surprised to hear that they weren't going to be there. Actually, I almost laughed out loud when I talked to to Mike because it was already 5:20 and when I asked him if they were coming he turned away and asked Heather if they were planning on coming. That was probably a question that should have been asked at 4:00 or so, but it's Mike and Heather so what are you going to do? (Can you tell who is not constrained by time yet?)
So, we loaded the kids back up and ran a few errands which ended with us sitting in the automatic car wash. My phone rang and it was Kellye wanting to know if we had eaten dinner yet. Kenneth had been out checking his lines and had 7 fresh catfish that he was offering to fry up for us. We have had Kenneth's fish before and were not about to turn it down, so plans were made for them to come over and eat. We ran to the store for a few items and then back home to get the side dishes prepared for dinner.
It had been a beautiful day and it ended with a cool, clear evening. The kids played happily on the swing set as we fried the fish and fries out on the deck and set up a table so we could eat outside. The food was wonderful, and as I sat there and watched my family and friends enjoying each other's company I felt a deep sense of contentment and peace come over me. This was not forced conversation and uncomfortable silences that sometimes comes with people you are getting to know. This was the easy banter and joking of friends who have nothing to hide and so much to gain by learning more and more about each other. These are people that I can depend on....people who matter to me. People that I love.
So, although the weekend flew by in a blur and I didn't get as much accomplished as I would have liked, it ended on a perfect note. I can't think of a more beautiful sound than the song of Christian fellowship.
1 comment:
Was that contentment that washed over you when we were over there yesterday evening? I thought you were zoning out on me while you were swinging. Just kidding. We had a great time. Your deviled eggs rock! I gave myself a tummy ache on them. We sure love you guys and more than once has Kenneth said (and I agreed) that we are blessed to have you both as friends.
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