Looking back, Moving forward.

One of those rare events has just occurred....I'm sitting in a quiet house.

Yesterday, Seth and Micah (plus Dan Willis) set out for Vail, Colorado. As Micah's facebook status said: "I'm off for a grand adventure in Vail, Colorado!". No doubt it will be. The boys all lined up jobs at a ski resort out there for 6 months. I am going to miss them terribly. Even though I was at times frustrated at the mess the basement was in (I jokingly told people that I had "raccoons" living in my basement...and they would say, "REALLY?"). Nope. Just the boys - growing Lord knows what down there in that bathroom.
Moke is off to a friends for a sleepover, Danielle is out to a movie, and Michaela and Dan are watching "Star Wars" - so it's just me and Melee hanging out in the Living Room.

I don't know what to make of life these days. There have been some great tragedies recently:
*Jason Mansfield, age 22, went home to be with the Lord suddenly in a car accident. He was a friend of the boys, and had been over here a couple times. He left behind a shocked family and a broken hearted fiance'. His funeral was packed with people, and was one of the most sorrowful, yet hopeful things I have ever attended.
*Ginger's baby, Sophia, has been in the hospital. They are awaiting her blood count results to see if she may have leukemia. We are all believing that the Lord is going to heal her little body. Ginger and Adam's baby Faith, suddenly went home to be with the Lord at 6 weeks of age, about a year and a half ago.
Other really sad things, almost too many to list. Some are very private matters. Yet in each and every sadness, I see God's grace so evident in the lives of those that are in the middle of it.

Challenging things: Our married kids have had a few: You know, like a buying a new, used car (only to find that it immediately needs repairs), having to have "procedures" done on your body that are painful, working 70 hours in one week, only to have no sales or money for it, having an acquaintance at work die (due to his suicide, after killing his 7 year old daughter.) That event really was in the tragic catagory.
Our Co-Op had to close down suddenly until next year. My friends on the committee have been working for hours trying to bring a resolution to the situation. It's a tough one.

Good things too:
*All the boys jobs are going well. They are adapting, working hard and making ends meet. I pray for the day that Jen and Amy can cut back on their hours at their present joband begin doing the work they both prefer. Jen - Photography and Amy - Cosmotology.
*Dan was able to update his company car! He loves it. We drove to Cleveland for this black, two year old, six-speed beauty. I haven't driven it yet, but I will. It makes me so happy to see him take the kids for rides in it! I told him that I thought he deserved some "happiness".
*Church is going well - as well as our Bible Study in the Psalms. I've hit a bit of a "dry" time spiritually - so these things have really kept me going. I'm thankful the way the Lord always finds me, just where I am. Others have been so kind to us at Logos - I'm grateful for them.

Being 47 is cool. I do love looking back, as well as ahead. (I figure I'm somewhere past the middle now - which is interesting). I do look forward to seeing Jesus, more all the time. I also can appreciate looking back, and seeing all the God has accomplished in and through our lives.
While I have this quiet house, I'm going to go spend a little "quiet" time with Him.