Summer Gratitude

We got back late last night from our whirlwind trip to Virginia. I sometimes use the word whirlwind to describe any trip that seems particularly busy and/or fast, but this one really was...we couldn't leave until dinner-time Friday evening and had to be back in time for D. to get to work this morning.

Actually the trip was an odd combination of fast and slow. It moved so swiftly when we were spending time with loved ones, but the travel in between destinations sometimes literally crawled. On Saturday, going from my mother-in-law's to my mother's, what should have been a two hour trip turned into well over four (with a stop in there for food, when we desperately needed such a stop). The traffic was bumper to bumper for much of the way, and moving slowly when it finally did getting moving. And this on a day when the heat and humidity were astonishingly high -- the heat index was around 105 -- and of course we have no air conditioner in our car. Despite having grown up in Virginia heat and humidity, I didn't bear it well, and ended up having to douse myself with ice from the cooler a couple of times (ice and cold water bottles on the neck help immeasurably!) when I started to feel sick.

The sweet girl traveled like a trooper for most of the way, except for a rough beginning on Friday evening for all of us (it suddenly occurred to us, amidst sharp and stressed words to one another before we managed a stop for dinner, that we had not prayed before starting out, which we always do). We remedied that and decided to do a sit-down meal in air-conditioned comfort, which got us to Grandma's even later than we expected -- we didn't pull in until about midnight -- but all of us felt better for it.

I had not realized just much I needed to see my parents until I actually saw them. Despite the detailed reports from all of my siblings on their recent visits (we've been spacing the visits out) and my mother's wonderful almost-daily "updates on her beloved" as she calls the emails she sends to family about Dad's well-being, the last time I saw my father he was still in the hospital. Though I knew he was home and doing as well as could be expected, I think I needed to see that with my own eyes. I am so glad I did!

"As well as can be expected" about sums up Dad's physical well-being right now. His heart is weak and he has very little stamina or energy, a frustrating thing for a man who loves to be active. The suddenness of the development of his heart problems, especially given his very good health history, is a mystery the doctors can't seem to solve. The shock of that has worn off a bit now, and my folks have settled into the daily, long-haul of doing what they can to make sure that whatever time my father has, be it short or long, is as good and rich and precious as they can make it.

Both my parents shared with me, together but also separately, how they feel they are doing emotionally and spiritually. And even though I was prepared to be impressed (given everything I've been hearing from them and from my siblings) I still wasn't quite prepared for the *depth* of their steadfast, faithful trust in Jesus and their peace. Gratitude has deep, deep roots in my parents' hearts, and it doesn't seem to be leaving any room for fear or anxiety. I am so utterly grateful to see that. My mother even told me, completely sincerely, that although this has been the hardest month of her life in so many ways, it's also been oddly exciting. They've learned new levels of trust, they've experienced a profound realization of how deep their faith is and how much they love each other, and their experiences have opened up countless doors for them to share their faith with other people, including some they've been keeping in prayer for quite some time.

It gives me pause, especially when I consider how easily I give into stress and anxiety about the small, daily things. Even when I sometimes legitimately feel I have reason to feel those things (and when I know the Lord patiently listens and loves me through it) I find myself wanting to walk more closely in my parents' footsteps. They are majoring in the big things and finding joy in the little things as they walk through this season of their lives. Make it so in my life too, Lord!

Getting to celebrate Father's Day with my dad was also such a privilege. I made a big tossed salad and we had lemon cake and orange sherbet (Dad really wanted that sherbet) and mostly just had a wonderful time being together, talking and laughing.

Our trip back was pretty tiring -- another hot day and no way to avoid traveling in the worst part of the heat -- but we had some good time with D's family yesterday morning and afternoon, so again that made it worth it.

We even got in some good reading time in the car. We finished By the Shores of Silver Lake and re-read All-of-a-Kind Family (one of the sweet girl's utter favorites) and Jenny and the Cat Club. Then home to our own beds, a good night's sleep, a rainstorm that cancelled the second day of Sports Camp (yesterday was the first, but S. missed it) but not indoor Arts Camp in the afternoon. D. is at a VBS planning meeting this evening and on a Misionero deadline, and I've begun my summer-time cleaning and organizing extravaganza. Our computer crashed last week (in a big way) but I'm provisionally set up with another one, so at least I can tackle some of the writing projects that have been on the back burner for months.

The sweet girl's 8th birthday is coming up this Sunday, which means shopping and baking later this week.

Definitely summer.