Just a tad under 60 miles from Dothan, there is lies the little town of Bainbridge, Georgia.  It is such a lovely little town, very old, with brick paved streets, a town square right out of a Hallmark movie, delicious restaurants, and some fabulous shopping!

How do I know this?  My friend Tina and I set off early yesterday morning and our other bestie, Shirl, set off from her home in Moultrie, Ga.  We are about the same distance away from our destination for the day.  And oh, my! the Lord gave us the most glorious day.  Just a hint of coolness and plenty of sunshine!

Bainbridge has done an excellent job of using their downtown area to entice shoppers and browsers to visit.  There are plenty of tables set up in the square and we saw quite a few people taking their lunch breaks under these grand old trees.  We ‘borrowed’ one of them to snap this picture!

There is a wide variety of shopping venues here.  My sister, Joy, had brought me over here several years ago to visit a neat little gift shop.  It was amazing, but I had no idea all the other places that were here.  Shirl and Tina had been before, so they kinda knew the ‘lay of the land’.  To me…it was a treasure hunt!

We had lunch at a well know restaurant on the square, The American.  Delicious!

After a yummy meal and a heart to heart catch up that only the best kind of friends can have, we set out to explore more of the goodies just waiting to be found!  And we are ‘mighty hunters’…yes, we are!

Shirl and Tina found these great ponchos in a little boutique.  Yes there were three of them…however, due to my lack of height, I looked like a hobbit!  So, a ‘no’ for me…but they were perfect for them!  Aren’t the colors just perfect for jeans and boots?

After finding a few sweets to restore our strength, we browsed a little more,,,found a few more treasures…and decided to call it a day!  We wanted to get home before dark.  We split up the packages, exchanged our personal gifts to one another, and set our sights toward home.  Tina and I one direction, Shirl, the other.

We all have our definitions of what a friend really is.  And, each friend plays different roles in our lives.  God put these two ladies in my life so many years ago because He knew they were going to be with me through thick and thin.  He knew I need their guidance, their prayers, their acceptance and love.  I am forever grateful for this gift that  makes me a better person.

Not to be flippant or glib, but yesterday, I was rescued.  Not a big thing in world happenings, for sure.

But, in my own little world, it was a biggie!

Due to Covid, my health, my son’s health, I try to combine as many things I need to do when I leave my house!  And, this was my plan yesterday.  However,  it was not meant to go that way.  I left home in time to be at Hobby Lobby when they opened at 9.  Then I had things to purchase at Eagle Eye, then to Belk if I moved quick enough…a fast lunch in the car and I was leading a  craft project for Levi’s fifth grade class at Providence at 1:00.  That would end my day and Levi was coming home with me for a few hours after school.  A pretty good use of my time, I thought.

First of all, Levi came for breakfast…which he does two or three mornings a week,  Then we take him to school.  Don is the one who does the cooking while I am free to interact with the grandson.  Yesterday morning, Don was really tired and just needed some more sleep.  No problem.  Even I…with my poor repertoire of culinary talent…could easily manage 2 eggs, bacon, 2 slices of whole wheat toast and a glass of milk.  So I fixed breakfast while the young man searched diligently under the Christmas tree for any and all presents with his name… comparing the numbers and sizes with others found there.  It is disturbing him most greatly to know that the biggest present under the tree is not even labeled with a name at all!  It is just sitting there, filled with all sorts of wonder and nobody…NOBODY…know who it belongs to.  It is a puzzlement!

Back to the story…After breakfast, I took Levi, in my car, up the road less than a mile to school…went through the car line…got my “I love you, Lulu” and off he went.  And, I came home.  Thinking again of the schedule I had laid out for my self, I hurried to the shower.  Got ready, dressed, changed purses, gathered my necessities, and back to the car.  Don was still sleeping.  (Which was good…I, for sure, did not want him shopping with me…I learned early in my marriage that we would never, ever need to plan that activity as a chore to do together if we wanted said marriage t0 continue!

In my car, back down my lane to the main road.  When I drove onto the main road, 3 of my tires did their thing…one did not!  I knew immediately what it was.  But I had to get off that road…bad to be stuck on the road there.  I turned around quickly and got back to my little lane and stopped.  I got out and looked around the car…my assessment was correct.  I called Don.

Now this little glimpse into my life is all due to what transpired after he answered the phone.  Don, I have a flat tire.   A FLAT TIRE?  ARE YOU SURE?  Yes  WHAT DID YOU RUN OVER?  No idea.  OK. I’LL GET DRESSED AND BE RIGHT THERE.

And he did.  He drove up in about 15 minutes and asked me again what I had run over.  (I mean, isn’t that the dumbest question ever? Our cars roll over miles  of pavement and rocks and goo all day long.  Do you know what you run over?)  He told me to turn on my flashers and to get into his car.  He took me home and came back and removed the tire and took it to the tire store and had to replace it because it was ruined.  probably because I got off that dangerous road to safety.  New tire…$$$.  He brought it back to the car and put it on the car and came to the house to pick me up and take me to my car which was now ready to roll on all 4 tires!  It was past 12:30 and my appointment at the school was at 1:oo.  I made it with ten minutes to spare!

So, this is just a shout out to my knight in the black pick-up.  He did it all without complaining…without making me feel like I had messed up  ( except for that asinine question)  and got me to where I needed to be.  He did the hard work of fixing the situation, I just sat at home and read my new novel while I waited….(I mean I wasn’t dressed to do housework!).  He knew what to do…where to go…and that I had to be on time.  So Kudos to my hubby.  You probably score another present under the tree for your kind handling of all that!

You are my protector and fixer of things that go wrong in my life.  You try daily to smooth the path in front of me, even though I tend to follow another path entirely.  But, I appreciate and love you!  Always.