Well, I’m off to training camp today! First I am going to a conference in Searcy, AR with my church group. Searcy is a hub of activity, with 3 Sonics AND a WalMart (please read my sarcasm). Even though Searcy is small and isn’t a hot spot that many flock to for vacations and adventure, it holds a special place in my heart. One, my dear friend Rachel is from there and I spent several Labor Day weekends with her family there. One particular weekend her dad took us (us being my friends Rachel, Kellyn, Rebecca, and Elise, and myself) to star gaze. The perks of a small town is that there are farm field close by and these fields have the perfect lighting for star gazing, meaning they don’t have any lighting at all, besides the stars. When we went out there the stars were so numerous that there was more star space than black space. I had never seen anything like it before. I was in awe of the beauty of it. We lay down in the field and tried to catch glimpses of shooting stars while talking. I don’t remember much about what we talked about but it was a wonderful conversation. I remember more the feelings I had during the conversation. It is one of my clearest memories of being completely at peace with where I was, what I was doing, and who I was with. That’s why I like coming to Searcy. I’ve never lived there but it always feels like home. Rachel’s family is always welcoming and their house has always been peaceful to me because it is where we went to distress from school. If you are reading this, thank you Hoffmann family for your hospitality and love. You all are the faces of Jesus.
It is funny to me how well this fits with the drive I’m on now because we just listened to a song by O’Chancey with a line that says “the stars don’t come out, people come out for them.” I perked up hearing this because I have never thought about that, but it is so true. We seek the stars, they don’t seek us. God created the stars and they are what they are whether we watch them or not. I wonder if God created them for us to enjoy. I think that is something that comes out of it, but I don’t think God created the stars just for us; He created them because he can. I wonder how he thought of stars. Does God even have thoughts or does he have something stronger than thoughts that humans aren’t capable of, or both? Either way, God is amazing and I thank him for the moments like these where I get to think about things like this, where I can enjoy a road trip with friends I love, for loving, hospitable people who bring joy to my life, for Searcy, and for stars.
