Earthworms: One Good Memory and One Not So Good Memory

I saw two earthworms in the parking lot at work today. Those two earthworms brought to mind two very different memories.

I'll start with the Not So Good memory:

During my time at North Greenville, I learned that a lot of rain equalled a lot of earthworms. I was walking across campus one evening during a particularly rainy period of time. It was REALLY rainy, so that meant there were a TON of earthworms! There were so many earthworms that I had to jump all over the place so my feet had somewhere to step that there wasn't an earthworm! GROSS! I almost cried! It was a horrible experience, but I'm sure I experienced personal growth from it somehow ... I'll get back to you on that one. :O)

Now the Good memory:

When Joel, Shana, and I were growing up (well, I was pretty close to grown up at this point), there was a Sega in our house. One of the games we enjoyed playing was Earthworm Jim. It was awesome! I miss that game! Throughout the game, Earthworm Jim would yell, "HAM!" We thought that was great! So we would yell "HAM!" from time to time. It was awesome! Then one day, we realized he wasn't saying "HAM!"

Bittersweet Moments

About 9-10 months ago, I made the difficult decision to leave my last church. That church had been my home for almost 4 years, so it certainly wasn't easy leaving. While I have a total peace about my decision, and I'm very grateful that God has led me to a new church home, I have experienced several bittersweet moments of remembrance lately.

Valentine's Day brought about the first wave of bittersweet moments. Every year, the kids of the church and I would make Valentine's Day cards to give to children in the hospital. I loved doing that with them. I really missed doing that this year.

The onslaught of Easter propaganda brought about the next wave of bittersweet moments. Every year, the kids of the church and I put together Easter baskets to donate to the United Way. I loved doing that with them. I really missed doing that this year.

Yes, I miss a lot of things - a lot of people. But that doesn't change anything. All of the reasons I left still stand. So, during the bittersweet moments, I smile a little and keep going. God has a lot in store for me. I know it. He is sovereign, wise, loving, and kind. He has a plan for my life, and He will use all of the experiences of my past to enhance my future. My future rocks, because it's in the hands of Almighty God. So I'm thankful for the bittersweet moments. They remind me Who I serve.