Years and years and years ago, my friend's husband and his little sister had come up with this really cool project to help raise money for the youngest sibling's college fund. Somewhere a large pile of old cabinet fronts was found, then a big can of chalkboard paint was purchased, and a small, family-run enterprise was born. Ok, not really, but they made a ton of chalkboards and did sell some. I had always wanted to buy one but could figure out where I would put it, or what size I would need, or if I would actually ever use it because of all the chalk dust... so, I never did anything about it.
Years have passed, enough for my friend's youngest sister-in-law to complete college and be out in "the real world" for a couple more too. And I am still thinking about those chalkboards... yes, really, still. So, I sheepishly ask if she has any. I probably would have never asked, but she posted a picture of her shed on her blog with comments about clearing stuff out. And she had some. And she wanted to get rid of them. I was giddy! So we picked a day for the pick-up.
Between us, we have 9 children. So, the inevitable happened and our scheduled pick-up date was rescheduled due to the busyness of life, and childhood communicable diseases. In fact, I think we had exchanged a number of texts about it, coming to no real arrangement. Then, last week as I was driving to the hospital to hang out with my new-baby-having-friend, I realized I would be driving right past my chalkboard-friend's house on my way back home later and asked if I could stop in.
Me: Just curious... are you going to be home this afternoon?
Friend: Yes. Do you want to peek at the chalkboards? FYI - pink eye is moving through the kids
Me: (long pause and deep breaths, reminding myself of God's Sovereignty over bacteria) Chalkboards - yes! And since I am kid-free the pink eye doesn't scare me as badly. :)
When I left the hospital, I sent a note that I was on my way. I expected a short stop, so I let the kids (and my mother-in-law) know I was headed home. Imagine my surprise when I knocked on the door and was greeted by friends who are missionaries in Mexico City (they are related to my chalkboard-friend)! My friend is saying, "I just love surprises!" while I reeled in shock and tried to catch up on two years in under 10 minutes. They had made an impromptu trip to town for some legal paperwork and from landing to leaving were here for a total of like 36 hours. Upon hearing this, I began thanking the Lord for keeping me from overreacting about the pink eye and missing such a sweet time!
You see, both these friends inspire me to live for Jesus right where I am... their photography inspires me to not forget to capture the moments and not just the portraits... I love listening to them as they transparently shares joys and struggles... these are friends who can make you feel like you are the only person in the room...
So, after a whirlwind catch-up, I get back down to business about gathering the chalkboards. As we traverse through the shed, we soon come to realize that most of the chalkboards that are left were used when one of the sisters in this awesome family got married a couple of years ago. I was suddenly inspired to make my missionary friends pose with their sign before I got it home and erased a small piece of their family history.
A little more fellowship, a coffee made to go, and I was on my way. The whole time we were visiting my missionary friend was snapping photos of life as it happened all around. I tend to avoid being captured on film, but made an impulsive decision to not let this little moment slip away undocumented just because I have never lost that 40lbs. So, a few quick shots just to remember the day and goodbyes...
So, starting my drive home after my surprise delay, I get a call from my husband who is almost home. Apparently, everyone at home was growing concerned that I had not yet reached home. I looked at the clock and couldn't believe all that had passed in only 30 minutes. I apologized for not letting them know of the delay and promised they would be happy with the reason. And they were as they passed around my phone to see the photos. :)
For a week the chalkboards sat...
Until today. Now all I need is chalk...
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