Jesus O' Lanterns

Here in Korea, I continue to meet Americans whose paths would not ordinarily cross mine at home.
The latest example is my Thanksgiving experience. My new friend Barb, is from Montana and invited me to Thanksgiving dinner at her church, the International Lutheran congregation.

OK, we conceivably might have met during one of my visits to the Levine/Kruus house in Montana. But it would have been highly unlikely, as she's from Bozeman and we were in Kalispell. Keep in mind that Montana is several times the size of the Korean peninsula. Her husband's an engineer currentl working on a project for the US military and his previous jobs have taken them to Kenya and Hawaii, among other places.

Anyway, I enjoyed Thanksgiving among the Lutherans a lot (even as I kept thinking of Garrison Keillor). But, what will stay in my memory is the image of pumpkins with "JESUS" carved into their sides as centerpieces.

Also in the "it's a small world" category...Barb introduced me to her friend Miriam, a Korean-American who grew up in Fargo, North Dakota. When I told her that my friend Meg, from NY, had moved to Fargo several years ago because her husband is teaching at Concordia College there, Miriam told me her father teaches. at Concordia as well.

What are the odds we'd be having this conversation in Seoul, amide the Jesus pumpkins?