Small town happenings......

I love living in a small town.  While it is a "suburb", it still has much of the same feel of a small town that it had when we moved here 38 years ago.  It was a wonderful place for our kids to grow up and we have really been very happy living here.

Today we went "downtown" (I use that term very loosely, there is really no "downtown" in this town) so that Ken could get some photos of the many firetrucks that were on display to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Fire Protection District.  When we moved into town it was an all volunteer fire department.  We did get a discount on our homeowners insurance because we lived within a mile of one of the 2 stations in town.  Ken and I were a bit surprised, not that long ago, when we discovered that fire station 2 (the one closest to our house) was closed and FOR SALE!  Somehow we missed the memo that they were closing that station.  In truth, that small station was really not necessary since the remodel and build of the new station that is only slightly further away from us.  And many years ago, we gained full time paid firefighters and paramedics. So this event was exactly what you would expect.  There were lots of fire trucks, lots of people and vendors selling food.  And there were also "water fights".

I snapped this picture of Ken taking a picture of the Warrenville Team #1 winning a round against Lisle/Woodridge Team.  The kids were having a great time.  They were running and playing everywhere that the spray was going.  They had also assembled a "pool" from a large tarp that was about 2 feet deep and most of the kids were soaking wet from head to toe.  Yes, this was a kid friendly event.

I was thinking about that saying that you always hear... "it takes a village to raise a child".  In so many ways, this town has been a blessing to our family.  I never had to leave town to find daycare for my kids.  They were always cared for in our neighborhood, in the homes of their friends.  They went to schools that were really state of the art.  Their elementary school had a "computer lab" when Doug was in Kindergarten and Gwen was in 3rd grade. (This was thanks to Bell Labs being in our back yard and they provided a donation of computers for the school)  Thanks to that keyboarding training, both of my kids could type 50 words a minute before they entered middle school.  For the most part, we were happy with the schools, the teachers, and the education provided to our kids.  And, of course, it is the people who make up the village.  We have had some really wonderful neighbors.  Our favorites, Mr. and Mrs. Sweemer, lived next door for more than 15 years.  This wonderful retired couple really were a bit like having a grandma and grandpa living next door.  Things have changed in our neighborhood.  There are not as many kids as there used to be.  We have more renters around us.  And there have been some divorces among our neighbors. But it stills makes me smile to stand on the sidewalk and look up the street.  Yes, its a nice place to live.  This town was certainly part of that "village" that provided a foundation for Gwen and Doug.

I think it is good to look around and appreciate all that you have, where ever you live.  I know that I am not the only one who can find many, many good things about the town, village, or city that you live in that bless your family.  I love that Jesus planned for Ken and I to live in this town.  It was part of the design he had for us.  Some people might look at my small town and miss all of the positive things.  It seems that it is always easier to see the negative rather than the positive.  Today, I was reminded to see the GOOD through this wonderful celebration.

Jesus, thank you for bringing us to this town.  Thank you for all of the men and women that serve our community as Firefighters and Paramedics.  Guard and protect them as they carry out their duties in our town.  Holy Spirit, help all of us to see the positive benefits of our home towns.  Change our perspective to in all things to respond to the good rather than the bad and to appreciate all that we have.  Amen