Several months ago I shared with the Mt. Airy Rotary Club how living in Mt. Airy helped prepare us for living in Ocosingo. I shared how both communities have worked to allow the benefits of advancement to come in while holding fast to the culture and heritage of the mountain people who "moved to town." Similarly, I realized after arriving in Ocosingo another amazing way in which our family has been prepared to live in this new environment.
Since early childhood, I (Ginny) have loved spending summers at my grandparents' summer cabin which was aptly dubbed "Road's End." There I learned that, because of the joy of experiencing God's creation and fellowship with family & friends, I could overlook problems with water that stops flowing, screen doors that don't close, small creatures than invade without invitation, and the absence of modern conveniences like dishwashers & TVs. Fortunately for me, John, Holly & Maggie love Road's End as much as I, and they too have come to appreciate these joys. I have fondly reflected on wonderful memories of Road's End as I've prepared pancake breakfasts and tomato sandwich and cantelope lunches, and shopped the open air markets for locally grown and harvested fruits and vegetables just like those on roadside stands near Boone. That we wash & dry dishes by hand and hang pots and kitchen utensils on nails on the walls seems perfectly normal to me....because my grandmother, Mama Gin, and our summers at Road's End prepared me!
When Mama Gin would lead my cousins and me "to the Top of the Mountain," we would frequently cross over someone's cow pasture, complete with the visual and aromatic ambiance of cows. As adults, John and I have led caravans across those same pastures with Holly, Maggie and friends over the years. Those were wonderful adventures enjoyed with some of my favorite people in the world, so the smell of cows, oddly enough, produces positive emotions for me, Holly & Maggie. That's good too, because the slaughter house next door to our home sends familiar breezes our way with great regularity! While we never bathed in the creek at Road's End, I'm sure that my love for the cold waters of the creek and diligence about wearing "creek shoes" is part of the reason I'm perfectly delighted to bathe and wash my hair in Mexico's beautiful "swimming holes."
Never did I expect that Road's End would prepare us for a small town in Southern Mexico, but it just goes to show that you just never know how God is at work all the time molding, shaping and preparing us for God's purposes!
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
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1 comment:
Ginny - I can see Roads End in my mind from my visits and understand fully how it has helped to prepare you and your family. One never does know how God is preparing us for the future. Thank you for sharing.
Teri
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