there's no place like home

She's home, she's home, she's home! Safe and sound, and happy. I knew Laura wouldn't really be ready to come home. She didn't even call us until her last night in Texas, just a text from her last Friday saying "I'm having so much fun!" She could've stayed, and they would've kept her... but if you want to go back, you have to come home first, so here she is. Home. With lots of stories... and a few new experiences. I am thankful that I was brave enough to let her go... I am thankful that she was brave enough to want to go- and brave enough to follow through. I don't mind my children going here and there... but it is a full, complete feeling when we are all together in the same room once again.

sweet revenge

I think we played eight or nine hands of UNO yesterday- Cam, Gramma & I. What a game! I love a game that stands the test of time- one that I loved as a kid, and that my kids love now. Over the years, there have been countless versions of the game- they keep trying to make it better or more fun. Uno Attack is pretty fun, but Barbie UNO? It's just cruel with that "trade hands" card! Regular old UNO is just fine with us... because I think a game is just a game- it's the fun YOU add to it that makes it fun to play time after time after time! And I think my family sure knows how to add the fun. It's the game where you are allowed to be mean to each other, in a playful way, and get away with it. "Draw Two!" No, I mean "Draw Four!" Ha, ha "Skip" you! Oh, I don't think you have enough cards, "Draw Two" more!Well, you don't get away with it for long though- before you know it, someone throws down a "reverse card" and the table is turned- revenge is sweet! We played UNO a lot growing up... but the most memorable, to me, is when we were up in Vermont at Thanksgiving and we'd play with a table of nine. There was so much laughter. And last summer, Laura & I started an ongoing UNO game while we were camping at Stone Mountain. I hope they never stop making UNO cards... it's so much fun... and even if you lose almost every hand out of nine, and your Gramma beats the pants off of you, you walk away smiling- not because it's fun to lose, but just because it's fun to play.

splashes of grace

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Heb 1:1

One of my biggest blessings is that God has given me the gift of faith. It is just in me to believe... in Him... in Jesus... in His promises... without seeing. I don't need tangible proof to know that I am never alone, it has been planted in my heart, my soul. I am so thankful for this gift. I would not be "me" without it. That being said, I love to sit back in nature and take it all in- the beauty created by His hands alone- and thank God for this beautiful earth. And sometimes, I am lucky enough to hear a soft "you're welcome." It is the cool breeze on my shoulders... the warmth of the sunshine on my face... or maybe even a dolphin gracefully gliding by. There is something about a dolphin in the wild that makes my heart feel so full and wonderfully special- as if splashed by grace. It almost feels magic. While we were on vacation, I was standing on the balcony of the hotel when we spotted four dolphins playing in the surf. They were just riding the waves... like we had been the day before. I took pictures, but how can you capture that magic? I think you just need to stop and experience it. I had another chance today... we were at my Mom's house, chatting in the kitchen, when all of a sudden Cam yelled, "dolphin!" We raced outside to the dock, and were finally able to see it just playing and swimming and splashing in the canal. I ran to get my camera- and I did get a couple of pictures as it was gliding through the water, just feet from us. But my camera did not capture my heart... or the feelings... it just couldn't fit the fullness of my heart into the frame. I think next time I'll just skip the camera, and sit back, and just enjoy. Moments like this remind me to live. To just be thankful in the moment, and know that my heart will carry my memory... that moments like this are too precious and too few to be racing for the camera. I do not need reassurance to know that He is near... but when He whispers to me in a moment like this, I am abundantly thankful... and my faith is once again refreshed and new.

praying for wings

Yesterday I let go more than I ever have... I am not a worrier... I am not a Mom who hovers... and yesterday morning was tougher than I ever thought it would be. Laura flew to Dallas... on her own. Was she nervous? Nope. Not her. Sometimes I think she never gets nervous, but how can that be? She was just excited to be able to go and visit her cousin, and I was happy that she was having the chance. We said goodbye, and the flight attendant whisked her off onto the plane. I almost cried, but I didn't. I just started praying. Praying for her... the plane... the pilots... the engines... and most of all, that God would just hold His mighty hands around the plane until it rested safely on the ground once again. I do believe that if God chooses to bring you Home, it's inevitable. You can't do anything to change it. But I do think about something happening on the plane, and my girl being alone, and not having a hand to hold, or someone to wrap their arms around her and comfort and protect her. I shared this with a friend at church Sunday, and she gently reminded me, we are never alone. I did hold on to that thought as I stood and watched the plane- because it hit home. No matter where we go, God is there... to hold our hand... to wrap His loving arms around us... to comfort and protect us. Laura made it to Texas safe and sound, happy as could be... and the whole way, I was wrapped in His loving arms... His hand gripped mine in comfort, and my fears were pushed aside.