When growing up in the Madison/Ridgeland area, it was much more of a 'small town' than it is now. While it's certainly not a metropolis, it's more of a suburb that continues to grow in residential and retail markets. Most of the city is new along with its residents. There is not a large population of people who actually grew up in that area from birth to retirement.
So moving to G'ville has shown me a different type of 'small town'. Most of the families here in the Delta have grown up here and so have their parents, grandparents and extended family alike. There are some like us that have transplanted here for either a season or for the rest of their life. A transplant can find it hard to fit in, to find a place in this traditionally rich farming community. Those that have been here all their lives have their place, their friends and their purpose here. And to no one's fault, transplants can feel left out. I, fortunately, haven't struggled with this, partly because I expected it before I came and partly because I've made friends here that are like me..not from here which helps gives some sort of mutual understanding of where the other is coming from, literally.
Well, the other night I experienced a small town blessing at its best. These haven't happened often but God knows just when to send them and through whom to send them.
The boys and I have been battling bronchitis, colds and allergies for the past few weeks. It seems we've been a cesspool of coughing, sneezing, runny noses, sore throats and wheezing. The other night BB had a 'coughing' spell to the point that he couldn't catch his breath and would gag or vomit every time he would cough. I had already given him some left over prescription cough medicine that just wasn't helping. JB had run to the grocery store for milk and a few other necessities. I had tried all I knew to calm his cough...I took him outside hoping the cool air would calm his coughing to no avail. We tried drinking something to no avail.
So I resorted to calling a dear friend that lives down the street. But in God's providence, I've known this dear friend and her husband since MS College and my days at The Baptist Children's Village. Also in God's providence, she is a nurse at the medical clinic we use for our minor medical issues. I called her asking if she could give me someone on call at the clinic since we don't have a pediatrician here. She could hear BB coughing in the background and knew exactly why I needed some medical attention. She came over with her nebulizer and meds to help out. When setting up the nebulizer, we realized that the mask was broken and she didn't have another. I started looking for ours that had yet to be unpacked. I knew I had an extra mask but couldn't find it. (JB is still at the grocery store without his cell phone).
While I'm looking in 4 different storage rooms, BB is still coughing and my dear friend started calling people I didn't even know if they had an extra mask. I had no idea she had walked across the street to ask a fellow neighbor if they had an extra mask. They did not but they, too, ended up playing a vital role in this whole situation. I had no idea how God was gonna provide during this situation. At this time, I was a little nervous but trying not to show it. I was missing home and needed my pediatrician. All I could think about was when BB had his croup attack 3 years ago that sent us to the children's ER in an ambulance; only then I had family to help out and an actual children's ER. My dear friend came and found me outside and told me it was all being taken of... "your neighbor, Lynwood, is going to the ER to get a mask for you." I was like, what, how did he know about this. When he couldn't help by giving me one of their masks...he and my dear friend did some calling and was able to get approved for him to pick up a mask at the ER..all this while I'm out in the storage room in tears asking God to help me find my masks.
I just broke down. I hugged my dear friend and just bawled saying, "it's times like this I miss home, I miss my doctors, my family". And God spoke to me through her, she said with the sweetest most sincere disposition "there are times when it's a blessing to live in a small town." You see, she too, is not from here so she knew exactly how I felt.
I thank God for allowing this situation to happen and for her. No, it wasn't the most urgent medical situation that could be, it wasn't the worst event that has ever happened to me...but it's times like this God reveals himself in some of the biggest ways, through friends who were calling others and those "others" who didn't even know me but worked together for the good of my child that, in turn, showed me a small town blessing.
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