The way things sometimes go

It sometimes happens that almost by mistake you hit a spot you always needed to hit. Or, more so, you choose something mostly based on your own personal needs and it turns out to be a need shared by others, too. And something great starts from that.
Let me illustrate. About 4 months ago I became mrs P. Two wonderful busy bodies orchestrated our first encounter almost exactly a year and a half ago, and a year and a month later we got married. And we are very, very happy.
Now, getting married seemed like the thing to do and I really am excited to be mrs P. The wedding was evertyhing we had hoped for. Married life is wonderful. However, in all honesty I had NO idea what I was doing. Really. And this from a pastor who weds people as a part of her job! And there's even more: I changed my name! Yes, seriously! My quirky, impossible to spell name that nearly no one else in the world has (there is but one exception). All of a sudden I have a name that a couple of thousand others have, too. Yes, I know that in a global perspective that is very little, but, hey, I had always had just one unique thing to me and that was my last name. And so came a crisis. Not the world's or even my life's biggest crisis but a short crisis nonetheless. So, I talked with Husband (who - as always - was exceedingly patient), and family, and friends and more over suddenly came up with the idea that it'd be great to have a group for newly wed women in our congregation.
Four months later we finally got together this Monday. And this is the thing. It turns out that the issues of being newlywed are so shortlived that a group is not really needed. However, the thing we found out was that every one in the group needed a possibility to talk about the issues that inevitably are a part of the life in a different culture or with a spouse who comes from a different culture. Of course.
We have someone who lives in Finland with her spouse and both come from a different country, someone who comes from abroad and married a Finn and someone who is Finnish and married to someone from a different country. As it happens we have all options represented in this group. That is pretty amazing to me.
My spur of the moment suggestion for a group, which is what it really was in the very beginning, has resulted in something that I think will be a very big blessing for all involved. I'm both humbled and very grateful that this is how things sometimes go best. I choose to do something based on what I think I need. Not thinking about others, which is what I mostly try to do. And all of a sudden that turns out to be the very best thing I could have done not just for myself but for others, too. Isn't that pretty cool?
These wonderful women let me be a part of this group. I am not in charge but a lovely American friend who graciously agreed to take the post. Husband is as Finnish as I am but they joke that the fact that he is a farmer's son and I, a city girl, is culture shock enough :).
Be very blessed my friends!