My wife, Lily, is always looking for things the two of us can do in our city. This past weekend we had some visitors staying with us and, to be helpful, she checked to see what special events were happening in case they needed something to do.

Honestly, I think she was researching what was happening in the city to come up with plan for the two of us to do together. And, you guessed it, she found an event that was happening downtown all Sunday afternoon.

Usually I like to watch a little NFL football through my eyelids on Sunday afternoons, but this time I felt the need to give in to her scheme.

We headed downtown right after lunch. It couldn’t have been a better day for an outside activity – warm and the sun was shining.

The event was called “Streets Alive”, put on by the City of Kingston. You would figure that the city would have all the resources to put on a top-notch event.

In this case something must have gone seriously wrong. Not one person, but a whole team of people, must have missed their assignments to create this flop!

They had blocked off a city street for about one kilometre, turning it into a huge sidewalk. However, when Lily and I were strolling down the middle of the street we were pretty much the only ones on the road.

We had puzzled looks on our faces for most of the walk. At intersections there were officials to ensure no cars came onto the street. We asked one guy what was supposed to be happening and he admitted he didn’t really know much. He was just manning the barricade.

The street ended at a park with a sign at the entrance posting a long list of booths spread throughout the park. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see more than a few.

There were four food vending trucks which was one more than the number of booths that we saw.

We turned around and walked back … passing a few other people walking the street with similar puzzled looks on their faces.

The event was called “Streets Alive” but from what I could tell, it was more like “Streets Dead”.

I think I have an idea of what they were trying to do. Every year in the fall the city produces a magazine that lists all the various community opportunities, clubs and classes one can take part in. I think they were trying to do a live version of that magazine.

The only problem was the clubs, classes and organizations didn’t get the memo to set up booths, and most people would rather open a magazine rather than walk down a deserted street to a park with a fries truck and a fortune telling booth.

It wasn’t all bad, however. Lily’s scheme got us out of the house, doing something together, and I got some raspberry gelato. I think next year though we’ll pass on the “Streets Alive.”

Here’s the thing: Often we put the onus on the organizers of an event, thinking they better put on a great event or we’ll be let down and have a right to complain. We do that with church, too. Sometimes we don’t like the music or feel the sermon wasn’t good. But I believe if you are seeking to connect with God at church, He will draw you into any worship music and He doesn’t need a straight stick to strike your heart.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you make the most of a bad thing? Leave your comment below.