When I was about fifteen I was at church and my Uncle Larry was filing in as our Sunday school teacher. I was there with my high school sweetheart and there were several other sets of boy friend and girl friends. So my uncle decided to dive into the creation story. He started asking us all kinds of questions about why God used a rib bone to make Eve instead of dust or another bone. We all tried to answer but when he explained his view it really stuck with me. God did not create Eve, mans life partner, out of dirt because she wasn't to come from under his feet. He didn't use a back bone because she isn't supposed to spend her life behind him. He didn't take a part of bone from the top of Adam's head because she isn't of higher importance than him. God chose the rib to remind Adam that his wife is to be by his side, an equal. So my Uncle Larry has me and beau stand up side by side to illustrate. This made a big impression on me, obviously if I'm still thinking about the lesson almost twenty years later.
I have had shoulders on my mind a lot lately. Another benign body part you never think of til you are missing one to stand by. I think the shoulder is highly under rated. It's my favorite place to curl up and sleep with my Sweetness. But yesterday I really missed some one else's shoulder. This moving and being new has many advantages. We get to have a new house every couple of years and pick what fits our family best at what ever stage the kids are at. We see more of the U.S. than most people I know. Our kids will have a network of friends spread far and wide and will learn what it takes to work to maintain friendships. But yesterday while I was standing in church I felt the sharp edge of lonely that comes with our gypsy life. I missed my Sister Wife's shoulder.
No, I'm not a polygamist. The other work wives and I started calling each other Sister Wives. It does take a village to raise kids and we all left our home villages. But through friendship and common situations we learned to rely on each other the way most people rely on their family. Why is going to a new church with just me and the kids so hard? My hat is off to all the single parents in the world. It's not hard to get up and get everyone dressed, we are way past that being the issue. It's hard to walk in to what I think of as a traditional family setting with out the corner stone of my family by my side.
In Macon we started going to a new church much like the one we've found here. But in Macon when I was new to Piedmont and so was my S.W. Ashlee. It didn't feel weird to walk in because I was not alone. We sat in the back, shoulder to shoulder and enjoyed many a Sunday worship. My other tall beautiful blond S.W. Jill was there a lot too. The few Sunday's that the husbands were not working were great, between the six of us we filled up a row and were the most mismatched looking group of friends, there were plenty of shoulders all pressed in together.
Growing up church never felt lonely or uncomfortable. I go back when I visit Louisiana and it still feels like home. My family is there, both the blood relations and my church family. Piedmont became my church family. Familiar faces, my kids' teachers and friends all made it feel normal. I'm missing a shoulder to stand beside here. I wish when jobs were staffed there was some way to take into consideration the families being moved. I understand that PCL is in the business of building power plants not families.
I am not taking shoulders or ribs for granted. I know first hand the damage a rib can do when a rib is removed. I know the empty space left when a shoulder is not right beside me. I know Sweetness won't work every Sunday morning, I will see my Sister Wives again some where down the road. Until then we will call, text, keep up with each other on Facebook. I think heaven for me would be having each one of my best friends all in one place. I know you would all get along because I only hang out with spectacular women. To have you all pulled in from Oklahoma, Louisiana, Georgia, Michigan, Utah, and North Carolina would be one incredible place. Our kids would get to hang out and play, and we would make up the most wonderful village to raise them in. A truly happy thought!
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