CurlyShavings

Today's Cleveland weather is predicted to be almost Houston-like (OK, as close as we can get in Cleveland) with highs in the 80's, high humidity and thunderstorms. So I pulled out a red-striped, short-sleeved shirt to wear that I received as a gift way back in 1992 when I was expected to move to Houston for my first job out of college.

I had originally been offered a position with Interleaf (now Broadvision) in their Houston, Texas office. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but by the time I got around to accepting it, the job was in Chicago. They flew me up there for a day and I was given a tour of the office, a nice lunch and a flight back. What I remember the most was the huge pile of rotting snow (this would have been April, 1992) that was still sitting in the parking lot of the office in Oakbrook Terrace.

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So I ended up in Chicago. And found a orthodox, reformed Presbyterian church (hard to come by these days) at which my faith was salvaged. And met a wonderful, godly woman (almost as rare these days?) with whom I later married and had four children. I could go on and on with the life-changing details that came into play after I took the Chicago job instead of the Houston one. Including the move to Cleveland.

Same job, really, just a completely different city and result. Yes, you could argue that I might have ended up the same had I moved to Houston. But I didn't. And I'm glad.

And so today I'll wear a red-striped, short-sleeved dress shirt that was given to me as a way to handle the heat and humidity of Houston, not the general clammy dampness of Cleveland. And if you see me, ask me what I think of God's Providence.