Compounded Blessings

Often times we are blessed in small ways by the Lord and many times the blessings are so subtle that you don't really even notice. Other times we are blessed in not-so-subtle ways that you can't help but notice. Then there's what happened to us last night.

We were on our way back to Monticello from Conway driving through Little Rock on I-30. We were discussing the present state of our spiritual life and how we're in as good, if not better, a place than we've been in our entire married life. We were talking about what it is that we need to be doing to even be better in our walk. A car pulled up to pass us in the left hand lane (as is the custom in most North American countries) and we heard a boom and the car slams into the left side concrete barrier separating East bound traffic from west bound traffic. At this point their car is a half a car-length ahead of us. They then take a hard right and turn and pass so close to the from of our car that there was no reflection from our headlights off of their car and neither Regina or I remember seeing our hood ornament but the cars never made contact with one another. The other car then, at about 65 miles per hour, slammed head-on into the concrete exit barrier and the back end of the car popped into the air. Now, physics dictates that there is no way the two cars should have avoided each other. The other car was, as I said, a half a car length ahead of ours when all this happened. At the very least they should have hit us after ricocheting off of the median wall. But that didn't happen. They turned at very nearly a right angle and both cars were travelling at approximately 60-65 MPH. They had to have been within 3 inches of the front of our car travelling perpendicular to our car skidding up I-30 at an equal speed to us and then they lurched forward and drove headfirst into the exit ramp wall.

Now, this was what I have come to call a compounded blessing. First of all, nobody in our car was hurt and we're assuming the other driver was alright as well. If we had been 1 second earlier we would have been t-boned by them and probably driven off the interstate by them. If we had been one lane to the right we would have t-boned them and probably flipped them. When they passed in front of them we were even with their gas tank. If we had hit them it would have been a fiery explosion probably killing all involved. Cadence was sitting in the back seat later talking about the experience and talking about the car that hit and got broken. Then she was talking about the man sitting next to her in the back seat and the man outside the window. Hmmmmmm. Anyway, I'm going to go count some more blessings and consider what it is that God has planned for me now. Go do the same.

Birthdays

Funny thing about birthdays. Everyone always calls and writes telling you to have a happy birthday. People make a big deal about birthdays. People will even go so far as to purchase funny looking hats, noise makers, fireworks, pastries, and the like to celebrate someone else's birthday but the one actually havingthe birthday rarely gets to enjoy it! They spend all day hosting people and having to keep up activity for the whole day, not getting to relax. :)

On a different side...whenever people wish me a happy birthday I always wish them one as well, to which the response is usually "but it's not my birthday!" But what good are birthdays if you can't share them with others? So to all those who choose to wish a hapy birthday, happy birthday to you as well!

The first of many

ALRIGHT! So we've finally moved into the 21st century and we have a blog! I worry about this because now there's a venue for all of my dirty laundry to be aired out in cyperspace but at the same time it's a great way to keep those of you who actually care apprised as to the happenings for la familia Vaughn.

ANYWAY...We went down to South Texas to visit family for a few days just before Christmas and it was pretty cool. However, for the first time for me, specifically, it didn't feel like home anymore. I'm not really sure why that is, but that's the way of it and that's the way it is and that's the way the cookie crumbles and that's the way uh-huh uh-huh I like it uh-huh uh-huh.

Then, after a 12-hour drive, most of which was in freezing rain, back to Monticello we rested for the night then made a 9-hour excursion to Northeastern Mississippi to visit Regina's family. It is enjoyable as always but neither does this feel like home. However, I'm not really sure what home feels like anymore because WE'RE NEVER THERE!!!!! In any event, I'm ready to go home. Home doesn't feel like home either but it's closer than anything we have right now so I'll take it.

I'm so ready to move on to the next, and hopefully last, step in the whole self-definition thing. Regina just graduated a couple weeks ago and I have about 3 semesters left...then we're off to grad school. But to study what? Who knows? I just know that I want to do either instrumental conducting or composition and Regina wants to do either Music History or performance. Real decisive huh? Oh well.

I'm excited over where we are spiritually but aggravated because I know we could be doing so much better than we are. The nice thing is that I have hit that place where I no longer have the desire to commit sin. Sounds kind of lame and very elementary for some but it's a big deal for me. I think Regina lives there which makes it so much easier for me. And of course the children stay there...:) Ah to be pure like a child.

Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and wrap this up but we'll add to it before too long.

Pieces out!