The Irony of it All

As a kid, we would travel to Vandalia, MO to visit relatives. Though a small town that offered little to do compared to St. Charles County, we always had fun. I remember being taken out into the cornfields to snipe hunt. We were out there quite a while. I vividly recall some of us getting lost out in the fields too. We would spend time at Margie Jean & Marvin's. They had a playhouse we would all play in. I can see myself pushing my younger cousin, Danielle, on the swingset too. Over the years, our visits to Vandalia have become less & less. As I've gotten older, it seems I've had other plans & activities. In my youth (I guess when you begin to knock on 30, you can't be considered a youth anymore?), I was very active in church & spent much time with friends. Of my friends, I spent a great amount of time at the McGhee household. Though Gina & I were closer in age & were the best of pals, I was also friends with her older siblings, Ginger & Greg. We had many good times together. However, we couldn't stay young forever. Graduations came, some went to college, some took jobs & we didn't see each other nearly as much. Greg went into youth ministry after college. Having not really seen him in quite some time, I received an invite to his wedding. Greg & Roxanne have been married nearly 8 years & though we see one another rarely, our friendship is still as strong as ever--even better now that I get to call Roxanne friend too. One day, I heard that Greg & Roxanne had moved to a new area in which Greg was to be the youth pastor. That area? Vandalia, MO. For the past 7 years, Greg has been in ministry at the church that much of my extended family attends. He has been the youth pastor to several of my cousin's, one of which includes Danielle (the cousin I pushed oh so long ago on the swing!). This past Saturday, Danielle married the love of her life & Greg was the officiating minister for the ceremony. What a small world it is. As Greg told someone on Saturday, "We go way back." I've been able to share many old pictuers on facebook & Greg's youth have enjoyed them very much so. I could tell many stories too. Interesting how things work out. How ironic that one of my closest friends would live in the area that I spent so much time in as a child & that he would be ministering to much of my family?