The land of 10,000 traffic lights

And there you have it -- my pet name for the city of Atlanta.  I think there is a lesson to be learned here and plenty of time to ponder it as the light turns green, drive 25 feet and the next light turns red.  Repeat roughly 30-40 times for the next hour and a half and that pretty much sums up Atlanta traffic.

So 9 months in...what do we know?  We know that nobody is from Atlanta.    The midwest is well represented and so is Alabama.  People don't meet for coffee; they meet for lunch or dinner or drinks.  SEC football reigns supreme (GA. Tech who?) and a party in the fall is likely to find passionate fans from at least 7 of the SEC schools -- and God help us all if Georgia happens to have lost.

It would seem that Atlanta is in search of an identity.  There really isn't an identifiable landmark unless you count the Aquarium or Stone Mountain (a.k.a. "The Confederate Mount Rushmore"). It is constantly on the go and it would seem the prevaling attitude is "Work hard, Play hard"

I look at this new residence and I wonder now I got here and how long I'll be here.  I obviously know the circumstaces that brought me here but the question is undoubtedly a deeper one than that.  I was never excited about the city itself and I am still not overjoyed about the prospects of it as a long-term home.

However, the longer I am here, the more convinced I come that God brought me here.  There were certanly things I had to face and questions I had to answer.  Beyond that, there have been many other positive things about the move.  But even more, I get the feeling that God has placed me here for a very distinct purpose.  Perhaps it is the relationships I will form here or the organizations I will get involved with and perhaps it is just a matter of trust -- the ability to trust that God has a plan for me that is beyond anything I could imagine for myself.  My mind is constantly churning and the hope is that someday it will figure out how to make butter.

So all that to say that I have been having a great time and loving life.  I have many several friendships and found a consistent Church community.  The job has been teaching me incredible things and given me the opportunity to learn from one of the experts in my field.  I have maintained my usual heavy involvement with Church related activities but I am learning how to better manage my activities and my time so that I don't feel overloaded or spread too thin.  I often get the chance to work from a coffee shop at the Church which gives me the opportunity to pester the student ministry staff.  I have even found a little time to resume my tennis career and to expand my rec league softball prowess (I actually got a legit triple the other day!).  And lastly, I have seen my family more times in this past year than any point in the previous seven before that.

And with that, I leave you with one more thought:

Southern Lesson of the Night

I think most people are aware that "Y'all" is a Southern term.  However, I received a rather surprising education the other night.  Apparently "All Y'all" is a perfectly legitimate use of the term.  Now lets use that in a sentence:

"Are all y'all comin' for some chicken & waffles?"  (and no I did not make up that combination)