A few years ago, I got a funny card for my birthday. On the front was a picture of George Custer talking to another soldier as they looked out on a large mass of Sioux. One of the Indians had a buffalo skin hat on. The caption said "Get a load of that stupid hat!" and at the bottom of the card it said, "Famous last words." Bwahaha...maybe you non Natives don't find it funny but I do! Anyway, let's talk about famous last words. In my life there have been a few times when I said or thought something that could be put into the category of famous last words. Let me share a few.
When I was in high school, we lived in L.A. (Lower Arkansas-like really lower. Like 3 miles from the Louisiana state line) Because we lived so close to Louisiana, we would fairly often drive to Monroe to shop. (And if you've never been in the area, the correct pronunciation is "Mun-ro"-just take my word for it.) And although south Arkansans and north Louisianans have more in common than they might like to admit, there was always seemed to be a little difference when we crossed the state line. (No offense my Louisiana friends-keep reading.) I don't know how to describe it but it felt real. Maybe it was the whole Parish instead of county thing...I don't know. Anyway, I remember saying, "I don't ever want to live in Louisiana." Well, turns out, God has a sense of humor. A few years later, as a college freshman, I went on a spring break mission trip to New Orleans and guess what? I fell in love with the place. I spent the next summer working at the same mission center from the spring break trip. And when I graduated from college in 1993, I moved to New Orleans to work there again. Then I went home to Oklahoma (originally from OK but Mom's folks transplanted to AR along the way so that's our AR connection and we moved closer to them after Dad retired from the Air Force.) I was in Oklahoma for about a year and a half and then I went to seminary in... you guessed-Louisiana. So in reference to the statement, "I'm never living in Louisiana", I imagine God probably chuckled as he said, "Famous last words." Then that parlays into another set of famous last words.
After the back and forth of living in and leaving New Orleans, I returned in January of 1996 to start seminary. One of the first nights there, I was walking around campus and thinking about living in New Orleans again and I prayed, "God, can this be the last time I live in New Orleans?!" (As much as I love Nola, it's just so stinkin far from home,) Again, I bet God chuckled because here it is18 years later and except for 11 months in Atlanta because of a little heifer named Katrina, I still have a Louisiana zip code. Famous last words....
Another set of famous last words that I often share are related to my long legs and my husband. See, being a 5'12 1/2 inch girl makes for interest date prospects if you don't want to literally look down on your date. I would often say, "I'm not marrying a preacher or anyone shorter than me." (The preacher part came from meeting some "interesting" folks at seminary but that's another blog post for another day...) Anyway, hahaha God got the last laugh on that one too. Norris, my godly, awesome husband is tiny bit shorter than me (unless I am bared footed and he's in shoes) AND he's a minister. (Double whammy) Good one, God. Seriously, good one. See, when I ran my mouth and spoke my famous last words, I had no idea how short sighted I was being. My husband who is a smidgen shorter than me physically, is a giant in the faith. His love for Jesus is absolutely the foundation for his life and ours. His drive for excellence is always to honor God. Boy, what I would have missed out on if God had let my prediction come true. And the Louisiana thing-although I've joked about coming here to minister to the heathens, the truth is some pretty monumental life-changing things and people have shaped my life here. I met Norris, my Hotty Totty husband (and yes, that was on purpose as he is a life long Ole Miss fan); we dated here and after an Oklahoma wedding, we lived here two years until the first of 3 amazing and beautiful daughters entered our world. All three are New Orleans babies. They may not know what icicles are, but they can weave through a Mardi Gras crowd like a beast and come up with the "good" throws (not all bead are created equal.) And I have made some amazing friends here in Louisiana and I wouldn't trade all my wonderful Louisiana memories for anything. So again, God-good one. Thanks for making my famous last words the blessing that they are and getting the last laugh on me.
When I was in high school, we lived in L.A. (Lower Arkansas-like really lower. Like 3 miles from the Louisiana state line) Because we lived so close to Louisiana, we would fairly often drive to Monroe to shop. (And if you've never been in the area, the correct pronunciation is "Mun-ro"-just take my word for it.) And although south Arkansans and north Louisianans have more in common than they might like to admit, there was always seemed to be a little difference when we crossed the state line. (No offense my Louisiana friends-keep reading.) I don't know how to describe it but it felt real. Maybe it was the whole Parish instead of county thing...I don't know. Anyway, I remember saying, "I don't ever want to live in Louisiana." Well, turns out, God has a sense of humor. A few years later, as a college freshman, I went on a spring break mission trip to New Orleans and guess what? I fell in love with the place. I spent the next summer working at the same mission center from the spring break trip. And when I graduated from college in 1993, I moved to New Orleans to work there again. Then I went home to Oklahoma (originally from OK but Mom's folks transplanted to AR along the way so that's our AR connection and we moved closer to them after Dad retired from the Air Force.) I was in Oklahoma for about a year and a half and then I went to seminary in... you guessed-Louisiana. So in reference to the statement, "I'm never living in Louisiana", I imagine God probably chuckled as he said, "Famous last words." Then that parlays into another set of famous last words.
After the back and forth of living in and leaving New Orleans, I returned in January of 1996 to start seminary. One of the first nights there, I was walking around campus and thinking about living in New Orleans again and I prayed, "God, can this be the last time I live in New Orleans?!" (As much as I love Nola, it's just so stinkin far from home,) Again, I bet God chuckled because here it is18 years later and except for 11 months in Atlanta because of a little heifer named Katrina, I still have a Louisiana zip code. Famous last words....
Another set of famous last words that I often share are related to my long legs and my husband. See, being a 5'12 1/2 inch girl makes for interest date prospects if you don't want to literally look down on your date. I would often say, "I'm not marrying a preacher or anyone shorter than me." (The preacher part came from meeting some "interesting" folks at seminary but that's another blog post for another day...) Anyway, hahaha God got the last laugh on that one too. Norris, my godly, awesome husband is tiny bit shorter than me (unless I am bared footed and he's in shoes) AND he's a minister. (Double whammy) Good one, God. Seriously, good one. See, when I ran my mouth and spoke my famous last words, I had no idea how short sighted I was being. My husband who is a smidgen shorter than me physically, is a giant in the faith. His love for Jesus is absolutely the foundation for his life and ours. His drive for excellence is always to honor God. Boy, what I would have missed out on if God had let my prediction come true. And the Louisiana thing-although I've joked about coming here to minister to the heathens, the truth is some pretty monumental life-changing things and people have shaped my life here. I met Norris, my Hotty Totty husband (and yes, that was on purpose as he is a life long Ole Miss fan); we dated here and after an Oklahoma wedding, we lived here two years until the first of 3 amazing and beautiful daughters entered our world. All three are New Orleans babies. They may not know what icicles are, but they can weave through a Mardi Gras crowd like a beast and come up with the "good" throws (not all bead are created equal.) And I have made some amazing friends here in Louisiana and I wouldn't trade all my wonderful Louisiana memories for anything. So again, God-good one. Thanks for making my famous last words the blessing that they are and getting the last laugh on me.