Lessons learned living vicariously

So, as I mentioned, one half of our familial unit was in The Big Apple last week.  Yup, my husband and my Amazing Boy visited The City So Nice They Named It Twice.  The City That Never Sleeps.  The Empire City.  Gotham.
Also known as New York.

The only time I was in New York, I was about twelve, I think, so I don't remember much.  So I loved following their trip.  We chatted every day, and texted frequently, and every day my sweetie sent pictures, and I really enjoyed living vicariously through them.

And as I lived vicariously, I also learned vicariously.  So I thought I'd share some of his/my lessons.

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1.  They went to visit Ground Zero, the 9/11 memorial at the site of the World Trade Center.  I was looking at the brochure this morning, and there was a diagram that illustrated how the names of the victims were arranged in the granite.  For instance, those who were on Flight 77 are in this place, First Responders' names are over here, etc.  And there was an interesting and beautiful explanation as to the placement of the names.  It says: "The arrangement of names is based on layers of "meaningful adjacencies" that reflect where the victims where on 9/11 and relationships they shared with others who were lost that day, honoring requests from victims' families for specific names to be next to one another."

I just love that term "meaningful adjacencies".  It meant something very unique on September 11, 2001.  The first responders were not just co-workers on that day.  It became much more than that.  And the passengers on Flight 93 were not just fellow travelers.  Their actions united them forever in the hearts of Americans.

We have friends, and relatives, and co-workers and acquaintances, but there are other relationships, too.  Sometimes brief, sometimes barely noticeable, lives are affected.  Never underestimate the impact you can have on others.

"You are the light of the world."

Matthew 5:14

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2.  The Apple of my Eye learned the hard way that shower gel is not the same thing as mouthwash.

~ ick ~

It was in a small, clear bottle, and to be fair, it's exactly the same color as Scope.  And it was on the bathroom counter, as opposed to being near the shower, where there shampoo was, and where one would expect to find the shower gel.  

Still...

I feel pretty confident in saying that it's not a mistake he'll make again.

"Test all things; hold fast to the good."

1 Thessalonians 5:21

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3.  As we looked through their pictures, I saw a picture of that ice skating rink at the base of Rockefeller Center.  The one you constantly see on TV and in movies?  And my hubby said to me, "It's smaller than I thought it would be."  I kinda think this lesson falls under the heading "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."  Just a reminder that what you think might be, might not be.  Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that you shouldn't be going, just watch your expectations.

"Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness...

Make Your way straight before my face"

Psalm 5:8

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4.  One of the things my son was looking forward to the most was the Central Park Zoo.  I guess I'm not a big fan of zoos, so my kids have only been once in their whole lives, and that was to a pretty small zoo.  So he talked, the week before their trip, about the polar bear, puffins and snow leopard that he expected to see.   And as he expected, he loved the experience.

Except for the snow leopard that never showed up.  Just hid somewhere in his cage.

And the polar bear was not terrifically interested in cooperating, either.

Bummer. 

The lesson?  The promises of the world cannot be relied on.  But God will always keep His promises.

"There has not failed one word of all His good promise"

1 Kings 8:56

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5.  The Yankees/Dodgers games they went to see were as a doubleheader, due to a rainout the night before.  The Yankees won the first game, the Dodgers the second game.  And that second game was all Dodgers.  Final score 6-0.  So it would have been understandable if Yankees fans were a little cranky about that.  But towards the end of the game, when a Dodger hit a home run for that sixth run, my family was all cheering, and a Yankee fan in front of them turned around and high-fived my husband.

A Yankee fan congratulating the "enemy"?  That doesn't jive with anything I've ever heard about Yankee fans.  And it reminded me to not judge people by their reputation.

"Love always looks for the best"

1 Corinthians 13:7

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6.  My boys went to New York for baseball.  Two Dodger/Yankee games, plus a minor-league game in Brooklyn.  And of course the Empire State Building, the USS Intrepid, authentic New York pizza, Coney Island... they saw and experienced a lot.  But my favorite thing they did?  Playing catch in Central Park.

It's become a tradition for them.  They've played catch in places like Mark Twain's hometown of Hannibal, Missouri, and in the shadow of the Gateway Arch in St Louis.  And it's a sweet reminder that even in the middle of our biggest adventures, we can't take for granted the simple blessings God has given us. 

"A faithful man will abound with blessings"

Proverbs 28:20

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