We recently traveled to our former home, partially to meet with family and friends, but also to get an idea about the differences one of our characters from Wyoming would encounter for the first time in the Missouri Ozarks. Since the story we’re working on is about a wild horse this character tamed and transferred to Missouri, one of those differences would be, perhaps, a lack of wild horses in Missouri. The pair above is a stallion and his mare who would only let us get close enough for a telephoto lens. Love those horses.

There are plenty of lakes in Missouri, but I think there’s one hill that could legally be called a mountain. The picture above is of a mountain lake. All of Wyoming is higher in elevation than the highest point in Missouri. If we had a character from Wyoming wandering around Missouri, he would notice right away–for instance, if he had hit his head and lost his memory–that there were no mountains where he was wandering.

Another thing he might notice would be the Missouri River, wide and powerful. Wyoming has quite a few rivers, but there’s nothing in Wyoming as wide as the ol’ Missouri.

One of the first things he would notice in the atmosphere would be the humid air. I think there’s about ten percent humidity right now in our hometown in Wyoming. Missouri keeps a higher humidity because of the higher volume of rain.

All these are differences mean something to me–God created our world to be interesting and amazing and different. Wyoming has tons of snow every year, whereas Missouri has much more rain.

People are God’s crowning creation. The apple of His eye. Each person has been created specifically to be different from very other person. Even identical twins have unique differences from one another. I have been making more of an effort to keep that truth in mind when I interact with others. God loves the other person as much as He loves me. As I love others, therefore, I am loving God.

I mentioned last week that I was attending a girls’s class reunion this past weekend. We had 9 altogether. How we’ve changed over the years! And how dear each of my friends has become to me in that time. Two friends, Doris and Deb, are quilters. They bring what they’ve been working on to show us. I love quilt time! Each has her own unique skill, and you would know right away who did which quilt. Another friend, Tess, is my banker. She knows the ins and outs of the banking world, and keeps me  informed about my debt. Another friend, Linda, is an ultra extravert who meets people and helped me–the introvert–through high school. Each of the others has a special place in my heart, and they  all make me laugh and make me happy.

What a blessing we’ve been given by God–in one another! Yes, there are differences, but we are here to celebrate them. May you celebrate those differences in your friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers. Life is filled with mystery and excitement, and learning these differences in one another is yet another blessing–with the right attitude.