Weekend With The Girls

That little princess making the face at me, is Liv.Liv was enjoying the piano music by DINO at Rock Springs Church tonight as much as the rest of us.  It was a really great evening with lots of praise and worship going on.  DINO is really a great pianist and we all enjoyed the music he chose tonight.  There were old hymns and new ones, and fast ones and slow ones.  There was a great time of worship for all who attended.

It has been a busy weekend, beginning with meeting the girls to go see the movie Chimpanzee.  We met them outside a pizza store where this little character was standing on he sidewalk.  Now, the funny thing about this little slice of pizza is that when you walk up to the sidewalk, it just looks like a blown up balloon.  I walked over to touch it, however, and it moved!  I nearly jumped out of my skin!  There was actually a person inside the blow up costume.  I went inside and watched for a while as other people came by and were also surprised by the little character.  It was hysterical, like something you would see on a television gag show.  What fun. 

There really is nothing quite as good as spending time with grandchildren.  The boys and their family were in Pensacola this weekend for one of Eric's soccer tournaments.  They won by a large margin, and it was fun messaging back and forth and getting the scores.  I am proud of those boys from Warner Robins, they are really a great bunch of kids and great soccer players. 

I am counting down the days until moving day on Friday.  Thursday I am having a small gathering of neighbors to say goodbye and introduce them to the couple who bought our place.  This is a small community, and it is important that everyone stays  in contact with others here.  They all help to lift each other up in prayer and help out when someone is in need. It is what community really means.
I will miss my little home here in some ways, but I am sure that it is finally time after ten years to move on.  I am sure it is part of God's plan for me.  We will be moving into an apartment in North Macon for now as we move toward retirement in our new condo in Ft. Walton Beach.  I will enjoy visiting there for now whenever I get a chance.  Everything seems to be moving right along, and I am so excited to know I will finally be able to say I am really an "Okaloosa Girl," living on the beach where I am so at home.  For now, I will keep enjoying the grandchildren and taking them to the beach whenever I can. 

Tonight I feel relaxed and blessed.  It was a wonderful evening.

 

Relfections on Birthdays Past

My oldest Son will be 44 years old tomorrow! Now if you don't think this blog applies to you, listen up. Before you know it that little baby you are holding in your arms will be 40 in the blink of an eye. It seems like only yesterday that Cliff was riding on that old red tractor with Harold (who passed away some years back after battling Parkinsons) and his sister Wendy. I don't know where all those years went, but now Cliff has two boys of his own (one of whom is already 15, the other is 8) and I am a great grandmother of two!

I am saying all of this to remind you to take each day as it comes, and enjoy every minute of it. Not all of the days will be easy, but some of them will be spectacular. Like the time when Cliff was just a little guy playing Little League in Berlin, Maryland. He wanted a pair of cleats (they were expensive) and I told him on the way to his game that day that I would buy him a pair of cleats when he hit his first home run. Well, I didn't get to wait long, as that day at the end of the game the kid not only hit a home run, but hit the winning home run. I laughed, cried and sighed and was so proud all at the same time. That was nearly forty years ago, and I still remember it so clearly.

Now, we go to the boys soccer games and root them on and cheer when they are successful and comfort them when the game goes the other way. I am so proud of them. They are growing up to be great kids who will soon be great adults, and I enjoy the time I have to spend with them. I have four children and seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. I can remember when someone used to say something happened twenty years ago, and how long a time that seemed. Now I realize how easily that time slips away.

Don't rush it. Enjoy each and every day and whatever it brings. Tell your family how much you love them every chance you get. Be generous with hugs (in spite of the fact that the boys sometimes seem a little embarrassed by them)and with praise. Share joy, recipes, memories and just plain old fashioned fun. Time is short!