What a Summer!

It was a good summer, but a hot summer. Bill and I have both said, It didn't used to be this hot when we were kids! Geez, we sound as old as we are. We didn't even have air conditioning at home or at school. So you little munchkins get outside and play. After 10 minutes they are at the door begging for drink and to please come inside and take a nap. A nap, they haven't had a nap in at least 4 years and besides I wouldn't let those sweaty little bodies lie on anything but an old sheet on the playroom floor. Sandy sweaty socks go flying, shirts and shorts are tossed around the room. I have little half naked children laying all over the family room floor. Can we take a bath is the next question that comes, right after I need some coke. I relent to calm the troops and coke is poured and cool water is run in the tub. Bubbles are added and for thirty minutes all is good with the world. When the bath is over I come sliding across the bathroom floor where water and suds are at least an inch deep. I find some dirty towels and soak up the dirty water and grab the clean towels to dry off the sweet faces of my grandchildren. It is amazing how much patience I have with them. I wish that I had half as much when I was raising their parents. I would have had a coniption fit if they had emptied buckets of sudsey water on the floor. I now know what is important and water on the floor just doesn't get me that excited these days. After everyone is dry it is time for a snack and more coke and a movie. It really doesn't matter if they have seen the movie a multitude of times they are ready to chill and take a break and so am I. We have spent time at the beach, we went to the mountains, but we mostly just hung around town with the family and these times are precious. We ended the summer with Bill's surgery and it has been a rough couple of weeks and he has to have a melanoma removed tomorrow. He has been through a lot. We are blessed with fine doctors and good friends who have lifted us up in prayer. But these little sweaty, loud and messy children with all their complaining and playing and EATING they have made it all more bearable. God is so good he knows what we need. He has given us so much and with love you can walk through the fire, with faith, family and friends you want walk it alone. What a summer.....I can hardly wait for that first cool morning when Bill and I can go for a walk out here on the farm. Then I will be writing about how we got here, God carried us, thats how, God carried us and now we are on the other side of the fire. We are walking with the wind at our back and God at our side.

What a Summer!