Reflecting on the forks in my road...

I'm not a big "what-if"er, but sometimes I do consider the choices in my life -

Now, let me say that I have always known that God was at the center of my life; guarding me, leading me, preparing me for His purpose - but I also know that I am a free agent to make my own decisions and choose my own paths.  So here are the top 4 path choices that I feel made my life what it is today.


This first one was not so much a choice, but just a circumstance.  My brother was about 6 years old, and my mama tells me that things were not going good in the Young household.  So "not good" that she and my dad separated, and were in the process of divorcing.  Literally two weeks before the divorce became final, they reconcilled.  I, evidently, am the result of that "reunion".  I truly could not be here if they had not decided to give their marriage a go a second time.  Talk about sobering...

My Junior year in High School, I had a summer romance with a college guy that came to Poteet to work with his uncle and live with his grandparents.  Let's just say that JP was not like anyone I had EVER known; he was fun, adventurous, daring, kind, and he made me feel very special.  Now, he was very up-front about the fact that he'd left his girl in Georgia - but we spent lots and lots of time together.  My heart was careful, but also smitten.  In the back of my mind, I always knew that he would return to both college and his girl when the summer ended.  Another school year passed, and one day, I learned that JP (and his now fiancee!) were back for a visit.  As plainly as I could, I told mama that I did NOT want to see him.  Even though I had nothing to be ashamed of, I just felt it would be a little wierd....  well, mama being mama, one afternoon as I sat in the swing under the cotton wood, she drives up with him in the front seat.  I don't know that I was ever madder at her up to that point.  We had a little visit, and then mama took him home.  Two days later, as I drove home from school, we met on the road as he headed back to his grandparents.  After we passed, we each pulled over, and he got out of his car.  I looked in the mirror, and drove off.  I never saw him again.  It is one of those moments that is frozen in my mind - and while I'm sure the entire course of my life would not have changed, I've always wondered how that meeting would have gone had I gotten out of my car.

But the most obvious fork in the road came on Sunday, Oct. 28, 1973.  Two days before, I'd gotten glass in my eye and had had to have it removed.  When Sunday came, I really didn't feel like going to church looking like a pirate with a big giant patch covering my eye.  But I went.  That is the day I met Andy.  Now, Steve tells us both that we'd met a few times before on campus, but neither of us remember that being the case.  (I guess we made really good impressions on each other those previous times!) But on that Sunday, in that place, with a big old patch on my eye - I saw him.  And he saw me.  A fork in the road that we both would never regret....

Just a couple more.

In 1987, Andy had been working for Shell Oil, and decided that it was time to get into Probation and use his degree.  He set up some interviews in our area, and unknown to either sets of our parents, he began interviewing.  One day, while he was at work, my mom called him to tell him of a position in Probation here in Atascosa County.  Now, we'd been in Poteet over Christmas, and someone had asked us when we'd be moving down here.  Andy - being a Houstonian - assured them that there was no way he was going to come here; no jobs available, and he did not want to drive into San Antonio to work.  So, here in February, the fork made itself known in a big way.  We decided to check into it, and we've been here ever since.  The girls grew up here, the church has nurtured and challenged us, and it is our home.  God had provided for us in a huge way, and we'd been smart enough to see His hand in the process.

And then, I guess, is this one.  When Erin hit about age 4, I got
"baby  fever" really badly. Andy was convinced that our family was fine just as it was,  and so it never happened.  But over the years, at certain times, I've calculated how old that baby would be, and what our lives would be like had Andy relented.  Would our family be 3 girls, or 2 girls and a boy?  Would we have been blessed with another healthy child, or would there have been difficulties to deal with? 

Now, as we approach our "retirement years" (odd, to think about that already being here!), I see another fork in our road coming at us.  Will we stay and live our years out here in Pleasanton, in our home that we built from the ground up?  Will be join many of our friends, who move to be near their kids and grandkids?  Will we travel?  Will we be healthy?  Will we?  Part of the adventure is to see what happens.  All of the adventure is to make the most of those choices. 

But we will do it together - Lord willing.