Things I Never Thought About

As I sit on the porch this morning, I am at peace with God and myself. That’s a good place to be. My coffee is hot and in hand. The sun is coming up and the light hues of pink in the crisp autumn clouds tell me that the rest of this sleepy little town will be waking up soon. These times are too short. The gentle sway of my rocking chair is comforting. If you don’t have one, you should get one. Then, you will see what I mean. Rocking chairs are one of the finer things in life. My grandmother had one, and all of the grandkids use to fight over who would sit in it… when grandma wasn’t.
As a kid, I was a dreamer. I use to try and imagine my future, plot my courses. In my youth, I have seen myself in many different situations doing many different things being many different things. However, as I have endeavored to follow God with my whole heart, retrospectively, I have seen, I have done, and I have been things that I never thought about as a kid.
I never thought about being 40 years old. I mean, back then, that was old! I never thought about having 5 children. I never thought about having twins. I never thought about earning a living or paying bills. I never thought about becoming a teacher or starting a school. I never thought about financial hardship and having to do without. I never thought about all the powerful people I would meet. I never thought about making enemies without trying. I never thought about having daughters or the names “Emmali” or “Kayrin”. I never thought about living in Wisconsin. I never thought about being so far away from my dad. I never thought about being removed from the lives of my brother and sister. I never thought about my children not being close to their grandparents. I never thought about my mate’s parents growing old. I never thought about my own parents growing old. I never thought about nieces or nephews. I never thought about retirement. I never thought about investments. I never thought about my children’s occupations or mates. I never thought about their salvation either. I never thought about the power in spiritual purity. I never thought about honesty and integrity. I never thought about the power of a kind word. I never thought about the power of influence. I never thought one girl could love me this long. I never thought about marriage being this sweet. And even though there are disappointments, heartaches, longings unfulfilled and an uncertainty about the future, I never thought about the satisfaction that comes from the longevity of following Christ. I never thought about my life being this good.