Today we continue with my list starting with
#6.........God closes a door
I don't have any pictures for this one but it gets a mention because of the effect it had on our family. Handiman took a job over a year ago with a long-standing company in Nashville. He was hired as the sales manager and was brought in to help the company get out of the slump it was experiencing thanks to the economy and condition of the building industry. Problem was, the owner was very resistant to change. He wanted to keep doing things the same way but with better results, a tough, albeit impossible situation for Handiman. He had begun to implement a few changes when the owner suddenly decided it was over and abruptly announced he had decided to close the business. Nashville Sash & Door was no more and suddenly at the beginning of November, Handiman was out of a job. We solicited prayers from friends and family and had some scary and uncertain weeks when all of a sudden God opened a window.
Handiman was given the chance to go back to doing what he loves, building homes. He was offered a job with a guy who used to attend our church. He wanted to grow his business and needed somebody to partner with that had contacts in the custom building industry in Nashville. Handiman had pretty much given up on ever being a builder again so the prospect of doing what he loves without the burden of being the boss was too good to pass up. He started his new job at the beginning of this month and we feel so blessed at the way God provided. He closed a door & window business just so He could open a door we thought had been bolted shut. Pretty cool.
#5..........The Ocho on a mission
Our church has become incredibly mission-minded over the past 5 years and it has radically changed the mindset of our congregation, trickling down to the youngest among us. For the past few years, TSC has offered the chance for 5th & 6th graders to travel to an impoverished area of Kentucky called Big Creek. The Ocho signed up to go and was so excited for her first mission trip, but I was a little worried that she didn't fully get the idea of what would be expected of her. She leads a pretty sheltered life with very few inconveniences so I was curious to see how she'd react to all the manual labor and responsibilities she'd be given.
When she returned, the first thing she said to me was "I can't wait to go back!" Then she talked without taking a breath about the people she'd met, the work she'd done, including cleaning a home, and how blessed she was to live in such a nice house. Her favorite part was visiting with some mentally handicapped people. I know that her years of playing with her cousin Alex, teaching her to read and helping her with things she doesn't understand have given her a real confidence and ease with people who have special needs and I have no doubt God will use that gift in the future. I think this trip opened her eyes to that as well.
I'm so grateful our church gives kids the chance to serve in this way. And this trip changed her life in more ways than one, but I'll save that story for later in the countdown.
#4...........Reality TV becomes reality
If you've ever heard Handiman relay a story from his misspent youth, chances are it began with "Once me and my cousin Mike.......". Handiman & Mike lived alot of life together when they were younger. They were as close as brothers and have both grown up to be outstanding Christian men with wonderful families and beautiful, long-suffering wives. : ) They don't get to spend as much time together as they used to but they've always stayed in touch and kept each other up to date on their lives. We've always known that their kids Colton & Schyler were musical. In fact, I can remember visiting them a few years ago and Mike forcing Colton to sit down at the piano and play a song he'd written for us. We knew he was talented so we weren't surprised when Mike called to let us know that Colton & Schyler had auditioned for American Idol. And we weren't surprised when he hinted that they both might be spending a couple of weeks in Hollywood. But when he called to say that Colton had made the top 20, we were a little surprised and very excited to see somebody we knew on a show we'd watched for so long. It was also pretty stressful. I'd never felt the obligation to vote for the full two hours before. It was exhausting. All along the way, we were invited to do things that none of us, especially The Ocho, will ever forget. We attended an AI viewing party early in the season
(She initially didn't want to ask him for a picture but I told her she'd regret it if he made the top 10 and she had nothing to show her friends. I was right and she was grateful. It hung in her locker the rest of the year.)
We attended his homecoming celebration after the show was over. That one was really fun because got to sit with family in the VIP section, and his mom led us past the hundreds of people lined up for his autograph so The Ocho could get a pic with him.
When the AI tour came to Nashville we bought tickets on our own but were so excited when Mike called to say he was giving us backstage passes. That was the night we saw this family do exactly what I would expect of them. After the show, we were standing with Mike and a few other friends waiting to go to the backstage meet and greet when a father approached Mike with his teenage daughter. She looked very shy and nervous. Her dad simply told Mike how much they appreciated his son's integrity and how much she liked him. Right then, Mike took her arm, told her to grab her camera and "Come on!". He snuck her right past the guards and took her back to meet Colton and get a picture with him. When she came back she was crying and I could tell she had a story for the ages to tell her friends at school the next day. It was so generous and I know Mike & Colton gave that girl a moment she'll never forget.
Of course, our daughter, after getting yet another pic with Colton that night wasn't as excited. Not until Mike snuck her past a guard to get THIS pic.
She got pics and autographs from almost all of the Top 12 that night and she too had a story for her friends at school the next day. It's true what they say. It's all about who you know, and we are blessed in more than one way to know this incredible family.
Tomorrow I'll conclude my list with the top 3 moments of the year. There will be losing, moving and a moment more precious than any other.
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