Good morning…
For years we have heard stories about the hometown of our good friends who grew up in Circleville, Ohio. Rural. Midwest. Duplexes. Trailer parks. Picking up road kill for a summer job. Using a choke hold to settle an argument. Walking or biking everywhere. Penny candy store. Drive in movie theatre. Community swimming pool. Public basketball court. Family members appearing on the Jerry Springer show. Both from Circleville, our friends share fun and funky memories of growing up. Since 1903, their town’s claim to fame is the annual Circleville Pumpkin Show.
This year the four of us planned a road trip to experience for ourselves their beloved hometown, to enjoy the Pumkin Show, and to take in the Ohio State vs. Penn State football game, a battle of two undefeated teams. So, after work on Friday, we hopped in the car to enjoy together the nine hour drive, a long drive filled with talking, laughing, sleeping, listening to podcasts and discussing our random thoughts. After briefly sleeping at their old friend’s home, at 7:00 am on Saturday, we went to the pre-game tailgate with their extended family. Block after block, happy people welcomed happy people. Texting tons of pictures to our family from Ohio and our kids back in Georgia, our loved ones also joined us vicariously, witnessing an amazing win for the OSU Buckeyes.
After the electric game, we drove to the famous pumpkin show for the night. What an experience! Pumpkin chili. Pumpkin burgers. Pumpkin waffles. Pumpkin donuts. Pumpkin ice cream. Pumpkin everything. We were amazed by the first prize winning pumpkin, weighing in at 2,388.5 lbs!
We ended the night watching the hour long parade, enjoying queens of all sorts, high school marching bands, and award winning floats. With infants and kids, teens and young lovers, adults of all ages and wheelchair bound older people, this was small town excitement at its very finest. Returning to the home of the friend of our friends, we fell into bed after recording over 1800 steps. By 7:00 am Sunday morning, we were back in the car for our nine hour drive home, talking, laughing, sleeping, listening to podcasts and discussing everything that came to mind.
Why do I tell you about our whirlwind weekend?
Because, amid the trauma of war and turmoil throughout our world, between a friend’s husband passing away in hospice care on Thursday and another friend’s mom going to heaven yesterday, I am learning to fully feel everything, moment by moment. In authentic relationship, pain is gradually healed and joy is magically multiplied.
Don’t imagine, dear friends, that God’s timetable is the same as ours; as the psalm says, for with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day (2 Peter 3:8, VOICE).
This whirlwind weekend with our friends felt like a thousand years.
…Sue…
