Bienvenue a Louisiane

I travelled back to the Pelican State this past weekend for the first time since I moved to Texas in the summer of 2006. Upon seeing the sign greeting me as I crossed the Sabine River into Louisiana, I had such a bizarre sense of deja vu. I had made this trip, quite literally, in my sleep so many times before; yet, there was a sense that this was a completely different trip, unique and heretofore never experienced. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the road had been repaved (usually a sign that you have crossed from the Promised Land, a.k.a. Texas, into the Seventh Circle of Hell, a.k.a. Louisiana). Other than that, I felt like I was in a time warp, zipping through the time-space continuum in Bill and Ted's gnarly telephone booth.

I was excited and anxious about going on this trip. Excited to reunite with dear friends, sisters of the truest sort, and anxious about how I would react to being at FT Polk again. What would be the same? What minute differences would there be? Knowing what I know about this part of the country, the locals fight tooth and nail against any progression other than that of the pine trees, spanish moss, and underbrush. I braced myself for any myriad of emotions and experiences as I rolled into Vernon Parish.

As I should've known all along, any gathering which is centered on God and celebrating His gifts in your life is going to be just one step short of getting to peek behind the curtain of Heaven. We stayed first with J. and then barged into S.'s home. Let me pause here to say this much:

J. is truly a mirror in which you see the heart of Christ. When I was left all alone a week after Tom died to begin my life as a household of three, J. came and stayed with me. She listened as I just talked about him, cooked dinner for me, and truly loved and prayed me through every single day of my life since November 30, 2005. She is one of my sources of accountability, intercessory, and fellowship, and is one of the closest friends I've ever had.

S. is the Proverbs 31 woman, the wife and mother I long to be but feel I will either never have the chance or the ability to be. She, too, has come alongside me and cared what I was going through when most others kept me at arms' length. Teamed up with her sweet hubby, she has been consistent with her love and support and words of encouragement, and she, too, has lifted me in prayer more than I'll ever know.

I could give you the play-by-play for the entire five day excursion. But the bottomline was that the weather was cold, the homes were cozy, my friends were warm and inviting, and being back in town was like reuniting with an acquaintance that you didn't realize was actually your friend all along. God took the potential for emotional disaster and instead weaved it into a tapestry that captured all of the blessings that this place was for me during a chapter of my life. It was another important step into my future to retrace steps from my past.