September 4, 2007 - Tuesday
Things Change
Current mood: contemplative

So, this past labor day weekend, we went to Arkansas. I hadn't been there in over 5 years. I went back to OBU and checked out Arkadelphia. We also spent time in Glenwood and Hot Springs. We caught up with some friends and just had a relaxing weekend.
I have a lot of memories connected to those places. Good and bad times, but altogether, times that have shaped who I am. I noticed that even in 5 years, some things changed. Some were good, like finding my name engraved in the sidewalk at OBU under the year I graduated and BEAUTIFUL add-on to the end of Lile....Hickingbotham's School of Business, I think. Some were sad, like Honeycomb and Malone's diner closed. Some were just different - the back Piggly Wiggle is now a USave (or something like that). And there's a big Walgreens where the OLD Piggly Wiggly once stood. You have to pay to get into Lake Degray now. Hot Springs actually looks about the same except for the new roads that are in use. It extended a bit down 70 towards Glenwood, but it still has its small mall (which is actually nice to see), the 2 movie theatres are still tiny and the springs are still hot! You can still drive up the mountain to overlook the city. Hwy 7 and Hwy 8 are still lovely, curvy drives. And Caddo Valley is still Caddo Valley!
Reminiscing got me to thinking about change. So many times we fight it. We think things are best as they are now. But things would not be as they are now had there not been some change along the way. I was thinking about how sometimes we think that someone can't do such-and-such job because they would do it differently. Or how moving is such a chore because it just won't be the same. But even if we fight it, inevitably things WILL change. That's the nature of life....experience brings change, change beings learning, learning brings maturity and maturity brings life.
It's nice to see old things that are the same, but it's better to see change. Remember when I talked about living in the past? (see previous blog) It's all connected....if we live in the past, without change, we will never become who we are meant to be.
One other lesson I learned through this trip....no matter what changes, good or bad, may come - those who belong to the L-rd are always His. We can wander away for a time, but He brings us back into His glory...and the change is nice!