It snowed most of the way of our 14 hour trip to Shipshe today. When we pulled in about 11 pm there was a gentle snow falling and the lights of this little town seemed to welcome us home! We do spend at least 2-3 weeks of our year here and have grown to love this place and it’s people! I wanted go to the back door of the Blue Gate Restaurant and see if security could get us a homemade pie or some of that great peanut butter dip for a midnight snack!
The minute we were out of the bus, Andrew was out shoveling the walk and all the way down the block, from corner to corner, for the neighbors. I put on my snow gear as fast as possible and took off for a long brisk walk around town looking at all the ice sculptures at each business.
As I was giving the sidewalk one last look I thought how thankful I am to be doing what I love with the people I love! I thought of Andrew’s servant heart, not just to scoop the walk, but to go the second mile. A strong work ethic doesn’t just happen. It’s taught and caught from the people around us. I whispered up a prayer of thanksgiving for the people in our lives who have demonstrated hard work and a servants heart for us. I thought of Mel and June who have worked so hard over the years building the Blue Gate Theater and Restaurant from the ground up and giving all the glory to Jesus. I gave thanks for Keith and his example of hard work on the farm and the opportunity for the kids to work side by side with him day by day. I thought back to the time our friend Mike, who is CEO of a huge national company, took time off to drive our bus all the way to Hiawatha Camp, help carry in all the equipment, and then clean up all the sand we had drug in. The women there commented that they had groups in all the time, but none had ever taken the time to actually help clean up all the sand.
It’s those godly examples in our day to day lives that inspire us, teach us character, and remind us to… “do what Jesus would do”!
Giving Thanks in Shipshe,
Shelly
