Don't Ask Where This Post Was Tucked Away

Tuesday, April 05, 2011 (This should be before the one that follows it)


Today's Date: Parents' Anniversary

Today would mark the anniversary of my parents' wedding day, if they were both still alive. Daddy died after a very brief battle with leukemia in 1993, the same year that our youngest child graduated from high school, moved most of her belongings to a dorm on the Baylor campus, and was the foreshadowing of my husband's 5 way by-pass. It was a difficult time for me, when I look back upon it.

If I have done the math correctly, today would mark anniversary number 62 for my parents. There are so many couples here in the Village that make it that long and longer, that it doesn't seem as if it could be so hard, but the human body is susceptible to diseases and accidents, as well as the ability to get along with a spouse for that number of years. I am thankful that my parents enjoyed the 48 years that they did have together.

I have learned from numerous hard lessons that today is to enjoy, to celebrate, to give thanks and praise, because no matter how much we plan, organize, etc., ultimately, our time is not our own. Our lives can be snatched in the blink of an eye. That's what Erma Bombeck was trying to tell the world. Don't save things away for rainy days or holidays or special days. Use your china, your linens, your best because there may not ever come a time to enjoy it.

This last week was one of those long, wonderful, God-like experiences for me. It was, undoubtedly, one of the best visits that we have ever shared with our youngest child and her family. The children were ours to hold, hug, read to, listen to, play with, etc. It was just delightful! And while I potty-trained the two and a half year old and comforted the teething infant, my husband hauled sand, rocks, and pea gravel to make a patio, painted the entire back porch, and did landscaping. There was almost no television, little Internet (compared to my usual), and not much in the way of newspapers.... But it was life at its best!

Instead of starting off with my usual litany of wants and needs to today, I began my day with thanksgiving. Our God is so generous with us. He loves us so big and wide that it is mind-boggling. Thank you, God! Thank you for sun and rain, clouds and sky, night and day. Thank you for precious little ones to bring us back to reality. Thank you for infants who suffer with sore gums because we can give you praise that they have full tummys, safe havens in which to live, and good parents to look out after them.

It has been awhile since I have felt so blessed. If I were a kitten, I'd be purring. If I were an infant, I'd be smiling in my sleep. But I am a very blessed sister, wife, mother, Nana, and friend. I am so incredibly enriched by people in my life. Lent this year has brought me that realization. It is the people that matter, and I am richly blessed with people.

Blessings on you all, because if this lands in your hands, then you have given me the priceless gift of your friendship and support. And I am thinking of you.

Sandy