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Ben & 3 of the Darlings

Every Fall Ken & I say, "We should go north and see the colors."  Every Fall I say, "I gotta go to school."  Every Fall we miss going north and seeing the colors.  I told him this Fall I'd go.  We just needed to choose a weekend and head out.  We could leave as soon as school is out on Friday and stay gone until 7:20 am Tuesday, that's when I have to report for duty. Then my younger sister got married November 11 and I was invited to her reception on November 12; my youngest sister married on November 11 also and held a reception November 19.  Both of these girls live in Arkansas.  Elizabeth, Nov. 12 reception, lives near my son in Fayetteville.  That gave me four good reasons to head north:  I get to see my sister, her family & meet her new spouse, visit my son, daughter-in-law, and four darling grandchildren, my mother also wanted to go with me and we see the colors of Fall in Arkansas, AND then # 4 my youngest son, Joe, decided he'd ride with me! 

Ben, me & Joe

Wow!  Before we took the trip, I was walking around in my own yard talking on the phone to someone and that's when I noticed all the colors around me.  All the colors I hoped to see were in my own back yard.

Looking out my backdoor!

 Double Wow!  So that was off my list.  There is nothing as beautiful as HOME!  But I gotta say, I enjoyed the trip and the different views.  The colors in my life are really brought on by the people in my life and it is downright colorful.  In fact it's quite a masterpiece, put together for me by the Master!   My children and their families all came and spent Thanksgiving with us.  We start on Wednesday and celebrate all the way through Sunday.  We actually celebrate Christmas on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  This year, Stacy headed up my Christmas present.  They all went in together and hired a photographer to come and spend a couple of hours at our house taking pictures of all the different families, the big family and then all of us just kind of playing.

The Whole Clan!!!

  It was a delightful present and really shows the colorful life I lead.  Thank you Lord for all the colors of my life.  The journey is delightful.

A Friend's Passing

Ken lost a friend today.  Ben got up feeling like he had indigestion or gas, could get no relief.  He sat down in his chair, and there he died.  He was in his 50s.  Ken said he was my age, 54, but he's not real sure.  Losing a friend is hard, especially when you just saw them a couple of days before or maybe an hour before and you parted with, "See you later."  How much time is later?  We never know. 

When I was in my late thirties, I lost my best friend in a car wreck.  Her youngest son had had surgery in a town about an hour away that day.  Ken & I had been there with them and were about five minutes behind them.  She was dead when we drove up on them.  I left my friend on the side of the road; I picked up her baby and took him home.  I cried out to the Lord.  He gave my heart rest.

I've stood by young mothers and cried with them at the death of their infants.  I've listened and stood by the ancient as they've cried burying  sons, 60 and 70 years old, that no mama should bury their baby.

Some of my favorite family members have left this life, a brother-in-law, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and my Daddy.  This count does not even include people that I have loved that still make me smile.  I can still hear Mr. Larry say, "You are acting roguish."   Larry, I'm afraid I'm still a rogue.  I thank God for putting you in my life for a breif time...

One of my nieces had a baby a few days ago. She is a nurse and of course has studied a lot about "nursing" things. Being an expectant mother and a nurse she of course researched SIDS. She is quoted in their local paper in an article written about this and there is a beautiful picture of their little family that was sent to me. I pray, "Lord please bless this family." I've learned we can make all the best plans; we can follow all the best rules; we can scheme all the best schemes. But life and breath are in the hands of God, the Almighty. And for that I'm thankful. He has established my comings and my goings. He has set my perimeter and has numbered my days. I'm glad He is in control, for I'm not!   We are a flower quickly fading and the journey is swift.  May this day bring glory to His name.  The journey has been brighter because You were there.