Bittersweet Days

Ok...I admit it. Watching her pack up her things and getting prepared to leave our home was a bit harder than I thought.

Now I know how my mom must have felt watching me, at age 19, pack up all my earthly posessions and prepare to get married and move halfway across the country!!

Bittersweet Days!!

The BIG Day

So Saturday is the big day...moving day. Amy will officially be out on her own!

To be honest, it won't be too different around our house. The last several weeks she's been staying with a friend who has cancer and is undergoing chemo. But, this seems a little more permanent. I mean, she'll have her OWN address!! She's ready to spread her wings. I don't blame her. I was excited when it was my turn and oh boy, the life lessons she's gonna learn!!

She doesn't have a whole lot to set up house with. Some of my friends have been so kind and generous to her. But that's all part of the excitement of setting up house.

So here we go...and to think I thought they changed so much when they were little!!!!!!!

A Jewel In Worship

My job has many aspects...meaning, I fill several pairs of shoes. My main job, however, is preparing for our Sunday morning service and then making sure it all runs as smoothly and effectively as possible. Concerning Sunday morning, our main objective is to reveal Christ...pure and simple. We do this in various ways but the main staple is music.

Working on the worship team is probably one of the most rewarding and bittersweet things I do. It's bittersweet because when you are facing the audience, its sometimes not an easy thing to not notice the disinterest or apathy. I know there are some people who just do not like to sing but there's a difference between that and someone who is obviously waiting for the singing to be over. In our church, for the most part, the people are very supportive and encouraging to our worship team....which is so appreciated. And every now and then, God sends me a little "jewel" that blesses me almost more than I can express. Such was the case this morning. We were well into our first song, when I looked up from the keyboard and saw an elderly woman...she had to be somewhere between her late 70's to early 80's and there she stood singing, her hands raised in worship, and on her face was the countance of a woman who was in the presence of God. I'm moved to tears even now as I descibe this scene. She was absolutely pure, innocent, unashamed, and beautiful in her worship. She profoundly blessed me today and she doesn't even know it! (Which is a whole other lesson in itself!)

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of music and the wonder of worship!!

Tying Ties and Other Brotherly Stuff

Last summer was tough. This year I feel so blessed to be surrounded by my four treasures....my kids, who, as quick as a blink, have turned into 4 adults!

My two sons, who are 7 years apart, have found a new friendship as adults. I think its so cool how they have connected. As Jacob was getting ready to go to his week-long music camp, one of the things he had to bring was a tie. Up until this point, Cliff has tied a tie for Jacob on the very few occasions he's had to wear one. This time, Cliff wasn't home. I had been out and when I walked into my livingroom, I saw Joshua giving Jacob a lesson in tie tying. I thought it was about the coolest thing ever!

Today, they rode together in my car and Josh was coaching Jacob in his driving skills. My two boys are as different as night and day. But they have found a common bond in brotherhood!!

Slowing Down?

It generally takes me the first week of summer vacation to recouperate from all the busyness of the end of the school year. This year is no exception! There hasn't been much time to rest but today I finally feel as though I'm catching up.

• Josh decided to spend the summer at home this year. He's figuring it will be his last opportunity to spend this amount of time with us again as he graduates next year. We are glad to have him. In spite of his mother's green thumb and disinterest in yard work, he has become quite a good gardener. My yard has been transformed in one week! Things are getting dug up, cleaned up, raked up, mowed, planted, and cared for. It's looking good!
• Amy has decided its time to spread her wings. One of her friends was looking for a room-mate so she will officially be moving out in another week.
• Jacob won a scholarship for a week-long vocal camp at Kansas State University. Cliff and I took him over there yesterday. It's going to be an unusually quiet week around the house without him. When he gets back, he's going to work for some friends of ours on their farm.
• Emily is working for her mother this summer. We are going to clean and paint and wallpaper. She's so good at this kind of work!
• Cliff will continue to spend his summer evenings driving the highways of the midwest. He enjoys it!

BUSY DAYS

It happens every year. As we come to the final days of school, things get hectic with final choir concerts, track meets, etc.

On top of our busy family schedule, We had a big 30th anniversary celebration at church in which I played a major role in the planning plus I put together 5 videos. We also had a wedding this past weekend which I had to work for.

Right after church on Sunday, we drove the 3 hrs. to Newton for Josh's final "Open Road" concert.

And, in the middle of all this busyness, I TURNED 45!!!!!

Mother's Day

It took me several years to figure out that the best gift I could give my mom on Mother's Day and my Dad on Father's Day is an invitation to dinner at my home. TIME!!

I think I finally came to this conclusion because I now have adult children and I think there's no greater gift they can give to me than their time and ATTENTION

So, in honor of Mother's Day this past Sunday, I had my parents over and cooked my mom one of her favorite meals. Lasagne. It was really good too (if I say so myself)

And Cliff and I and our kids had an amazing evening with them around the dinner table.

These are things I no longer take for granted. Time is moving way too quickly.