We ought to work for the state of Colorado, for the visitors bureau, or maybe for the Chamber of Commerce. We are really good at convincing friends of ours to move here, or at least come visit, sometimes often. My daughter has had the most success getting friends of hers to get a little taste of Colorado, just long enough for Chief Niwot's curse to take hold, and they find themselves moving here because they are overwhelmingly compelled to come back and stay. I recently cajoled and begged an old friend of mine to come here. He had a good job where he was, but he felt like there was something missing, that it wasn't exactly the right fit. When he mentioned that he was starting to look elsewhere, I waved the banner for Colorado as enthusiastically as I could. He said there was an opening in his field, which happens to be the ministry, in the mountains near here, and I never wavered in my belief that he would land that job. He considered callings in a few other states, but in my mind, as soon as I heard this one was available, I was just sure he would be here. He was one of 90 candidates who applied for the position, one of a dozen who made the cut for a Skype interview, and one of a small handful who were invited to come preach at a neutral location for the selection committee to evaluate. And while we were packing up the Park and moving out here, he announced that they chose him, exactly as I knew they would.
He had a whirlwind move, much as we did, stressing about getting his house ready for sale (taking a beating on the price, unfortunately), and finding a place in the competitive Colorado housing market. He and his wife arrived last week, and their household goods only made it two days ago, yet today he stood in front of his new congregation, and preached to all of them for the first time. I made the drive up into the mountains to be there for his first day, and I am so glad I did. It was so good to see him and hear his voice for the first time in about five years. It was also the first time I have met his wife in person, and she was every bit as wonderful as I imagined she would be. I was a little surprised and utterly charmed to hear her southern accent, and I hope she hangs on to it up here. It's like a little piece of home for me. As I stood next to both of them after the service, while the congregation filed past and shook their hands in introduction, several people looked at me and asked whether I was part of the family. I didn't have the heart to tell them the whole story, that we were actually old Friday afternoon drinking buddies, back when Mr S-P and I lived in North Dakota, in the same place as our friend the Padre. I will save that until I know better the people in his new church. It was close enough, maybe a 45 minute drive, that I will be going up there fairly often. I've already convinced them to be my new mah jongg buddies. Once we are all moved in to our respective homes, the games will begin.
When they came up earlier in the summer (before we arrived), and preached and interviewed, they learned quickly to love Colorado. The neutral location turned out to be the Presbyterian church in the town where I'm now living, so they've had a chance to tour my stomping grounds as well as their own. They are up near Rocky Mountain National Park, and the tourist town where they moved is someplace I have visited often and adore. I have great memories of trips up there. I'm excited to know that there will be more. I walked around just a little bit to take pictures before I drove back down, and was awestruck with the natural beauty all around, even from the parking lot of the church. There are mountain views in all directions, and the church sits just above the lake which is beautiful in its own right. We considered finding a house up there, during that period where we thought we were walking away from this house. I love my house, but I still think it might have been fun to live up there. I may change my mind, however, when it isn't a peaceful summer day like today.
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