~and we almost missed it~

~as life goes on~

It's been an eventful first full year of life in Newkirk, Oklahoma.  Things didn't seem to work out exactly as we had planned them to in many different ways, but for better or worse Mike and I are here to stay.

I'll never forget that first day we were here trying to get our moving truck unpacked and things carted inside the house.  We knew absolutely no one, save for a couple of people we had met at the closing of the purchase of our house.  Mike and I were the new people in town, and it wouldn't take long for word to get out that we had arrived.  That first day of unloading, a steady stream of folks walked by and stopped to talk to us.  They introduced themselves and made us feel to home, like we were welcomed.  We must have had a dozen invites to church or Bible study that very first afternoon.  By the time that first day of life here was completed, both of us knew we had made the right decision to settle ourselves down into life in Kay County, Oklahoma.

Newkirk, Oklahoma~
Here we are.

Newkirk is slightly larger than my hometown of Haven, Kansas yet in so many ways, those two small rural communities share plenty of similarities.  Perhaps that is what ultimately inspired us to move here.  I have be honest with you about something though.  Newkirk wasn't even on the radar as a choice and as a matter of fact, the first time we drove through town both of us looked at each and said the same thing.

"Nah, this isn't the town we want to live in."

Our search went on for a few weeks more as we looked at homes in neighboring Arkansas City, Kansas as well as where I was going to teach in Ponca City.  Absolutely nothing appealed to us and I was beginning to wonder where in the world God would have us to go.  On a whim and with the help of the best realtor Kay County has within it, we gave looking at Newkirk one more chance.  It was then that Mike and I found the house that we wanted and with our eyes wide open, we began to see the beauty and the real character of Newkirk come alive.

I can't believe we almost missed it.

Just like Haven was, Newkirk is filled with folks who try hard every day to make the world a better place.  They check in on one another and see if any one has a need for something.  If one of the regulars at the coffee shop/bakery doesn't show up one morning, you can bet that someone out there will be checking on that person's well being.  Expect to be greeted by your first name at the local bank or one of the town's eateries.  As you walk for exercise along the city's sidewalks, plan on coming across at least a couple of people who greet you, whether you are known to them or not.

Haven and Newkirk share a sense of community, something that is quite important for Mike and I at this point in our lives.  There is pride here and that virtue shows in many different ways.  Just like my hometown in Kansas, there are problems from time to time.  When a couple of thousand people come together, you can expect that every once in a while. Just imagine what it is like for a couple of hundred thousand people to come together.  Decisions have to be made that aren't always popular ones, yet community members still have to learn to get along and coexist with one another.  If you want to thrive and survive, there's no other way to get around it.

It breaks my heart to witness what is happening in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul right now. We who do not live there cannot possibly fathom what it has been like.  Each day it grows more troubling.  As we go about our lives today in our different communities, maybe we should all pause a moment and give thanks for the places in which we live.
 I don't know of one perfect place on earth that is trouble free right now.  But I do give thanks that God directed us here to Newkirk.

Here we are now and here we shall stay.

Haven, Kansas

~the community that helped to raise me up~

Newkirk, Oklahoma

~where we shall grow old together~