Just Life (and Enjoying It)

It's been a VERY busy week. I feel like I'm going to have a moment to come up for air later today and then plunge into an even busier week. Kendra has been home this week and we have done many things. In addition to garage saleing and going out for lunch and dinner a few times, we bowled three games one morning. I felt the results of bowling exercise for several days. Actually, today is the first time I got out of my car without making sound effects. You know the kind, "ugh" "Ohhhhhhh" "OOoooooo". I was even talking to myself yesterday while we went to about 25 or 30 garage sales. After I heard my own noises, I'd say, "You have to stop that, it sounds so old". Today, I am a new woman, at least where the muscles affected by bowling are concerned.

(My biggest treasure attained yesterday is a William Roger's silver plate silverware, a 12 place setting. I picked it up for twenty dollars and spent an hour polishing it yesterday afternoon. It is a beautiful set and I enjoy just lifting the lid of the case and viewing the sparkles. Can't wait to use it when guests arrive)

The worship team I lead was on the schedule for today. It was children's ministry day so we sang songs children have sung over the years. It was great fun and by the sounds of the congregation singing, the people enjoyed it and lifted their voices in joyful praise. We sang "The Tree Song" which was written by the blind musician, Ken Medema. How a blind man can write the words to that song is beyond my understanding. The song draws a comparison of a healthy tall tree to a person with deep roots in God's Word and Way. I love the song. "I have roots growing down to the water, I have leaves growing up to the sunshine, and the fruit that I bear is a sign of the life in me. I am shade for the hot summer sundown; I am nest for the birds of the heaven, I'm becoming what the Lord of trees has meant me to be, a strong young tree." These chorus words have such deep meaning for the children's ministry of the church. We strive to teach kids how to grow roots and leaves and bear fruit in and for the kingdom of God. I believe we accomplished something significant toward that end today in our worship service. The focus was on kid's relationship with God and I think they felt His love today. Would that they could feel the love of Jesus in every service. Sometimes we adults think real church is for us. Jesus sets us straight on that in Matthew 19 where he rebukes the disciples for making kids feel that Jesus was too busy for them. Funny how quickly we forget the truths of those Bible stories. They were meant for deeper meanings than just a nice story.

We had eleven around our dinner table this noon. The menu included a beef roast, mashed potatoes, corn, watermelon, jello with mandarin oranges (family favorite), and sour creamed cucumbers (delicious). Lauri brought a big bowl of homemade tomato salsa and chips. Most everything was eaten up and we all enjoyed bantering around the table. Great moments in the life of a family.

Tomorrow we will go to Flint Michigan to visit a couple who are very dear to us. They were our neighbors in town when our second child and first son, John, was born. I remember walking over with my beautiful baby boy in a white sweater outfit bursting with pride. Over the few years we shared the same boundary line, we became deep friends. Leroy Jolly was an English teacher at the high school I went to but didn't arrive there until I graduated. His wife, Wilma, taught grade school in a town some miles away. Leroy was Baptist minister first and an English teacher second. We shared faith often and through our sharing developed a mutual love. It grieves us that Wilma continues to experience intense pain from her back. She has gone through a great deal of physical turmoil the last few years. I promised her last January that when February was over, we would come to visit. Wellllll, it is past February and we still haven't found a good weekend to go BUT, we will go tomorrow and come back on Wednesday just in time to go to Midway and gather up our dear children.

Jay and his son Austin are coming in about 7:40 p.m. and Sherri and Don and their two children, Whitney and Aidan are coming in around eleven. They will spend the rest of the week with us. John and Kim and their family are coming on Saturday so we will be big in number and there will be much jovial fun and family frolic. We look forward to our fellowship during both visits, first with our elderly friends and then with our kids and their's.

I'm going to take a nap. I think I need it. Smile.