Gatherings

Last Friday on the 4th my dear friend sent me a text, "I'm remembering our gathering last year and I miss you!" Ahhh, me too. . .

I've been thinking how we mark time by celebrations and gatherings; for more than a decade, at least since our children have grown older,  John and I have waved the red, white, and blue on July 4th, delighting in diverse gatherings, never in the same place or with the same folks. I love it and wish I'd kept a journal of the people and memories.

And since a blog is a bit like a journal, I'm remembering and recording this year's gathering in Tennessee with family, including 5 sweet grandchildren, cousins, all with eyes like dark chocolate.
It was a first for John and me to spread a blanket on the bank of the mighty Mississippi, under huge Cottonwood trees, awaiting the fireorks display, watching our little granddaughters chase cotton fluff from fallen pods over an expansive green. (I forgot the camera for that part.)

It was a July 4th to remember- who knows where and with whom we'll gather next year?
But I'll probably call or send a text, "I'm thinking about our gathering last year and I miss you all."

old and new

I love the way windows in a house invite the outside in.  There's a lovely picture window in Noah and Jamey's new home in Arkansas.

We've been helping our family move to a new state and I keep thinking how moving means upheaval and a bit of chaos.  It's like camping but you're not on vacation.

And always there are sad goodbyes. Monday morning friends in the old neighborhood waved us off, "This is hard but better than waving goodbye to an empty house." commented my sweet daughter-in-law.

Then there's the stuff that gets boxed and hauled, dropped and bent- just stuff but it's our stuff and we're attached. Small distractions seem unending- like the coffee maker but no carafe, beds but no sheets, the first week box still in hiding. . .

But the little pink bike came off the moving truck,  there's a new park around the corner, new neighbors on the doorstep with cookies and a new home with a picture window. Around a makeshift table with paper plates, plastic spoons and dinner in the crockpot- Noah prayed, "God you are faithful and kind."
Indeed

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever and his faithfulness to all generations