One of the things about growing up in a small town is that you know everybody.  Randy is my plumber.  Kelly is my appliance guy.  Dusty is my heat and air man.  Rodney takes care of the electrical.  The man who mows my lawn is a good friend.  All it takes is a phone call and they come.

I was sitting in the tub with the hot water running until the tub was full.  I reached to turn the water off, and nothing happened.  I jiggled the knobs, tried again.  And again.  Finally I realized that it wasn't going to stop running!!!  Luckily I had my cell phone on the edge of the tub, so I called the plumber and told him I had an emergency--that I was in the tub and the water wouldn't turn off.

"Calm down.  I'll be there in ten minutes," Randy said.  "Pull the drain plug and see if you can turn the water off to the house.  And you might want to put some clothes on."   And he started laughing.

I've known him for his whole life.  I graduated from high school with his mom.   He did what he said he would do and came immediately.  Fixed the problem and was still laughing when he left.

I will never have those kind of connections when I move.  Friendships here go back seventy years.  I hope I can find a church.  I hope I can make friends.  I hope I won't be too much trouble for my daughters.  I hope I can find something useful to do.

Proverbs 18: 24 " A man that has friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend (Jesus) that sticks closer than a brother."

I'm going to take that friend with me.