Tired But Thankful...

How can it be Sunday again? I know that I lived through the 24 hour periods which marked each of the seven days in this last week. My calendar, my phone, and my computer inform me that at least 168 hours have passed since last Sunday. Yet, it all passed so quickly that I feel like I’m looking back at all that transformed and this period of time feels almost unreal…almost like a DVD stuck on fast forward.

I finished three or four days’ worth of work on Monday and then hurriedly packed for a three day trip to Memphis, Tennessee. One by One Ministries has four churches in Memphis with trained mentors who are working with almost 20 families who are expecting a baby or just had a baby. For almost two years, we’ve been working with churches, pregnancy care centers, and other agencies in determining how One by One can be part of the solution to Memphis’ huge problem with teen pregnancy and infant mortality.

It was an amazing three days as our Executive Director, Camille, and I had five meetings on Wednesday and three on Thursday. We made outstanding connections with some of the brightest, godliest, and most diverse women. We found support for our ministry in very unlikely places such as the Valero Corporation. They recently gave us a $10,000 grant for our Memphis work. But praise the Lord, there is more. The young Valero executive who we just met, is a believer and wants to see One by One used in many churches to reach the inner city of Memphis where the problems of teen pregnancy and infant mortality are now legend. In a beautiful, single, young African-American business executive, we found a champion for our ministry. Then we met with a group of both men and women who represented some of the shakers and movers of the community. Each one pledged their support in getting One by One well established in the Memphis community. While the days were full to overflowing with meetings and appointments from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., we went back to our hotel rooms each evening absolutely ecstatic.

I don’t ever mean to doubt the Lord and what He is capable of achieving in our behalf. However, I had to wonder what we were doing just two years ago when one of our funders asked us to investigate the possibility of working with just one agency in Memphis. We are a young non-profit having just opened our Texas office in 2005. How could we reach out to another state? The bigger question to me seemed to be, should we do this? Why couldn’t Tennessee take care of its own? What I didn't realize back then was that God had a plan to bless Memphis and One by One Ministries at the same time. From the very first exploratory trip to Memphis, we found a city very aware of its problems and very ready to find solutions to its biggest challenges. Yes, Memphis is a city with a very hurtful past fueled by deep racial division. But it is also a city in the middle of a massive spiritual revival. One by One Ministries is right smack dab in the inner hub of the revival.

As big as getting the $10,000 is to us, there is more news that really tells the story of what God is doing in Memphis and with One by One. Lives are being changed as the transforming grace of Jesus is shared with expectant and new moms and their families. Just recently, two young mothers have become Christians. We found out while in Memphis last week, that one participant mother who had left the program in the spring because her two month baby had died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, re-entered the program this month. She’s pregnant again and specifically requested a One by One mentor. God is moving!!

I am still tired after all it took to make this last week possible; but my heart is about to burst with excitement and thanksgiving for all that the Lord is doing through One by One Ministries in both Texas and Memphis. We worship a great and awesome God! I keep being reminded that we really do not grasp how far and wide our Father’s love is, nor how fantastic His plans are. I hope that you are finding the same thing true in your own life. As you look ahead to Thursday and a day of Thanksgiving, I hope that you’ll also have a list of gigantic blessings for which you are grateful. We definitely should be grateful for all the little things the Lord does for us daily. And, we absolutely need to be anticipating His grace to come to us in mammoth proportions. Our grace-full lives are always bigger, deeper, fuller, and more wonderful than we ever imagined. God is good every day in every way!!

I Corinthians 2: 9…”What God has planned for people who love Him is more than eyes have seen or ears have heard. It has never even entered our minds!”

A Grab Bag of the Ordinary and Extraordinary

I've been home two weeks and boy have I enjoyed being here. Waking up in my own bed, putting my toes down on the floor and knowing that I'm home...these are marvelous things in my life. When I got home on November 1st, I looked at my calendar and realized again that in 7 1/2 weeks, I had only spent two nights at home. One night was right before leaving for my last Memphis trip that actually started our vacation. The other one was as our vacation was ending and we were on our way to spend a day or two in San Antonio at my apartment there.


So, every day I've taken great delight in the things that seem so ordinary to most folks, like bringing Russ his coffee in the morning and reading the Ft. Worth paper. I've even had a good time cleaning out my closet and getting caught up with the laundry. It doesn't take much to make me really happy when I'm home! I've continued to work at least 10 hours each day, but it's just different when I can walk just a few feet and be in my "office." Russ likes my being home and I love his several-times-a- day calls. Since we live across the street from the church where he works, he comes home for lunch. What a treat to sit across the table and share a sandwich with him. I don't mean to complain, but eating lots of meals by myself when I'm on the road or in San Antonio has no appeal. One of our daughters came to visit and yes, I baked a pie and cooked a roast as I mentioned I was going to do in my last post. I even did home-made mashed potatoes and deviled eggs for them.

Since I've been home, I've accomplished a number of things. I was the "ghost" writer of our major Christmas fundraiser letter for One by One. By the time we finished with this project, I was very proud of the piece that was mailed. Then, I "story-boarded" the training module I use to prepare our One by One mentors and coordinators. I was really out of my comfort zone, but I felt good about having this accomplished and turned in. I even did an Informational Meeting for our brain new One by One church in Georgetown. On the fun side, I completed a big part of my Christmas shopping--well, at least I've shopped for Lenzy, our four year old great granddaughter. That was pure fun and joy!

And, oh yes, I've harvested the fall crops. That's meant to be funny. We have four patio containers of tomato plants and these plants are just blooming their hearts out. Russ purchased these for two bucks a container because it was the end of the season. We are enjoying having tomatoes to slice and put in salads and on sandwiches. It fills my heart with agricultural pride when I see the little green orbs sitting on my window sill turning various shades of pink and then finally bright red. Then, the neighbor's pecan trees whose branches hang over our back yard, have been dropping a bountiful crop of pecans. In Texas, pecan season in the fall is big stuff. I got caught up in searching for and picking up these thin-shelled nuts. Every day when I take our dog, NIcholas, outside, I've taken a plastic bag outside with me to "harvest" the latest batch of pecans.

While the tomatoes are tasty and just grand, the pecans are a great disappointment. We had such a dry spring and fall here in Ft. Worth that the meat of the pecans is just not what it should be. I spent several hours, cracking and picking out pecans before I finally conceded that the nuts were just not very good this year and not worth my work and efforts. We went to Sam's Club and I bought a large bag of shelled pecans for a little less than $10.00 and they are perfect. All my hours of picking out pecans, ruining a couple of nails, and making a mess in the kitchen netted out a bag of mealy pecan pieces that will need to be roasted before they will taste good in cookies. Somehow with this fall crop, I got caught up in some false economy. At least for this year, it is cheaper to buy good pecans than gathering and processing the homegrown ones.

We bought a new comforter and bed linens back in early October. Russ has been waiting for me to be home to use the new finery. We finally got everything out of the container and onto the bed. There are two different sets of pillow shams and six throw pillows in the set. We had been looking for a long while for something attractive but a bit masculine. This set is teal and brown with stripes. Russ helped pick it out and likes it, though he complains about all the "decorations" as he calls the fru-fru pillows. I feel like I have a new bedroom. When I'm out of town, I promise you that those pillows will live their lives stacked in my closet!

At long last, I've been home long enough to put out a few fall things. I usually decorate in a big way the very first part of September and enjoy the floral arrangements, new shelf arrangements and door wreaths all the way through to Thanksgiving. I generally change out things all over the house, including getting out candles with a spicy, outdoorsy smell for this time of the year. We're just grateful to have the few things out that we do. They'll come down the week of Thanksgiving since we're going to our older daughter's house for Thanksgiving. I'll have Christmas unpacked and up before Thanksgiving. I'm going to San Antonio the weekend right after Thanksgiving so I know that I'll not get Christmas decorations put up until later in December. Hardly worth doing decorating if you don't do it early, right?

So my time at home goes flying by. Every day seems like a blessing, like a gift. The ordinary, everyday things are thrilling because God is in the details. The spectacular things of my life are even more delightful because God is in those things as well. When you weave all of this together, the resulting product is my life, plain and simple and wonderful beyond comprehension.

Lamentatons 3:21-24 "Then I remembered something that fills me with hope. the Lord's kindness never fails! If He had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed. The Lord can always be trusted to show mercy each morning. Deep in my heart I say, 'The Lord is all I need; I can depend on Him!' ''

TIME...My Enemy...My Friend

Russ and I collect clocks…all kinds of clocks as you can tell from the photos in this post. Our obsession with time devices began decades ago with one lovely and expensive mantel clock we purchased at an antique shop. We put this all wood, Westminster chiming clock in lay-away and faithfully made weekly payments until, at last, we happily wrote the final check. Then the beauty was finally ours to take home. I can still remember 30 years hence, the feeling of elation knowing that we owned such an exquisite piece. This clock is still the centerpiece of our collection and one of our most prized possessions. It is one of the things that gets unpacked and put into place first when we move. It would be a close call to say which I would grab in a fire, the family photo albums or this clock. Of course I’d grab the albums, but I would try with all my might to also pick up the mantel clock on my way out of the house!




Following fast behind the mantel clock in popularity with Russ and me is our large grandfather clock, carved out of oak and containing Westminster chimes. It stands tall with a set of attractive gold weights and a pendulum and is the show piece of any room in which it resides. This clock has a magnificent quarter hour chime that gives just a hint of the melodious sound that will erupt from it on the hour. My, oh my, but we love those two clocks. We have over 50 other clocks, classic mantel, wall hung, standing, and tabletop lovelies. Some are expensive, but most of them are relatively inexpensive knock-offs or reproductions. When placed in groupings, our clocks are lovely to behold and each one seems to have some sentimental value to us.

Friends and family have gifted us through the years with clocks that chime, sing, chirp, rock, and talk. At the top of each hour, you really don’t want to be on the phone in the hallway of our apartment. The sound of all the time pieces going off is quite impressive and LOUD. We personally love the top of the hour!

Some say that our collections reveal a lot about who we are and what we are like. I would have to say that this is true where the clocks are concerned. I especially am intrigued with time--how it’s calculated, managed, planned, and spent. My library of time management books is large and I’ve written and taught many conferences on the subject. My fascination with time is very much about how we schedule it and fill it up with things to do. You won’t be surprised that I own many different organizers/day planners. I have one on my desk at home in Ft. Worth, one on the table in my apartment in San Antonio, a thin-line one in my purse, and of course, one for my car.

With all this emphasis on time, you would think that I was a master at managing my own. Intrigue with or a passionate interest in a subject doesn’t necessarily translate into expertise. I AM a master at setting unreal expectations and goals for the use of my time and at filling as many of my waking hours as I can with stuff to do. Yet, as one who has lived six decades should already know, goal setting and time filling do not always make us the most productive, effective, or efficient person around.

Yesterday I worked at my computer with my One by One Ministries deadlines for almost 12 hours. At the end of the day, I still had unfinished chores and had not gotten to half of the things on the to-do list. I was so tired at the end of the day that I was almost depressed. I certainly wasn’t good company. My daughter and grandchildren, here for a quick two day visit, were left on their own for most of the day while I worked. Shame on me is all I can say. While I had had a wonderful quiet time yesterday morning, both reading the Word and spending time in prayer, I left the Lord’s leadership there and didn't take it with me into my day. I made my own plans for the day and look where they got me. Nowhere.

I am struck today by the truth of God’s Word.
Psalm 139: 16 “But with your eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do.”


My life has been laid out and strategized by the One who created me. How awesome a thought! How convicting an idea! When I put myself in a contest or race with every clanging, ringing, or chiming time-keeping instrument in my house to see how much I can push or shove into every moment, there is not much room left for the divine plans already made for me. My continual battle with time is mostly with arbitrary deadlines I’ve set or allowed others to set for me without any consultation with the Timeless, Eternal Rock of Ages. You would think I would learn this lesson and move on to the other things God has for me to learn. But, oh no, I’ve got to get clobbered again by my own inadequacies and my failures before I realize again the tremendous truth of the scriptures. My life is in the Father’s hands. I can do things His way and succeed at managing my time well and get accomplished the life goals He has set for me. Or, I can do things my way and dread the end of the day with unmet deadlines, unfinished goals, and unfulfilled potential and promise.

That seems like a no-brainer! So, today I'm consulting the Lord for His best plan for my schedule for this day. I’m slowing down the pace, enjoying my family, serving the Lord, and cooking a roast and baking a pie. And, of course, I’ll also get some One by One work done—but just the work the Lord gives me for today. That’s enough for anyone’s 24 hour day. Praise Him!

Psalm 90: 12—14 “Teach us to use wisely all the time we have. Help us, Lord! Don’t wait! Pity your servants. When morning comes, let your love satisfy all our needs. Then we can celebrate and be glad for what time we have left."

This and That and Whatever

Yes, I’m still alive and kicking. Though some time has passed between my last entry and this one, I’ve thought about those of you who send me comments to my personal email or call me and tell me you are reading the blog. I’m always surprised that someone doesn’t say, “Hang up or stop reading emails and go write a post!”

One of the blogs I read a lot is Coffee, Tea, Books, and Me. Brenda originates this friendly and chatty blog. I’ve been reading her blog almost daily for over a year. Though I don’t know her personally, I wrote to her and asked her about developing a readership for Graceful Lives. Brenda was kind enough to write back and tell me that writing consistently and often would help a great deal. Now, every night around midnight, I think, “Skip sleep and go write a post.” Lately, I’ve been so exhausted by midnight that there’s not much creativity left in me to use to put a few thoughts together.

You really should read Brenda’s blog and get pointers about deepening your food pantry and being prepared for anything. Brenda is a precious born-again sister who has been through many trials and still praises the Lord with all she has. I’m inspired by her all the time. You’ll find her at www.coffeeteabooksandme.blogspot.com. I want to feature her in an interview one day soon as one of my “Women of Grace.” She is certainly that.

I’m home! What a wonderful sound that has to it. I got back on Sunday evening and Russ literally bounded down our front stairs to see me. He told me later that he had been more excited to see me this time because he had missed me more this trip. I think our having vacation time together just convinced us both that we’re so much better when we’re together. It felt really great to be missed by my sweet fella.

There are still intentions to tell you about our anniversary which we celebrated while on vacation. I will do that later. I think it’s worth writing about because it is fantastic news that two people are crazy about each other after 43 years together. If there are more of you long time marrieds out there, write me and let me feature YOU. It takes a tremendous amount of work to stay committed to the same person for decade after decade. It takes even more grace to continue to be “in love” with the same person for a long, long time. I believe as well that steadfast, unshakeable love is an act of our will. Real love and dedication lies in our head as much as in our heart. Do you agree with me? I’d love to hear from you about this. Today, my good friend, Caron, celebrated 31 years with her cutie, Pat. They just had their first grandbaby and are about to marry off their last daughter to a wonderful young man. They have a lot for which to be grateful and they are. It’s exciting to see very good things happening to very good people!

Well, I’m going to close for now and write that anniversary post tomorrow. It’s almost 9:00 p.m. and we have company. My oldest daughter from Conroe, Texas, is visiting for a couple of days. While I’m really happy to see her, I’m even more overjoyed at seeing our great granddaughter, Lenzy, who lives with Laura and her husband. To have a four year old in our house for two days will be wonderful. Lenzy lived with us for over 18 months. Her Papa and I are devoted to this little one.

Psalm 118: 28-29 “The Lord is my God! I will praise Him and tell Him how thankful I am. Tell the Lord how thankful you are, because He is kind and always merciful.”

Post Script to Yesterday's Post

Today is an add-on to yesterday's post. You'll have to read that entry to totally understand why I'm posting today's entry. I was disappointed that I didn't have photos from the Fredericksburg and Kerrville leg of our vacation trip. After talking so much about our Kerrville years yesterday, I just thought someone might like to get just a glimpse of our life during this time of our family's life. I apologize for the quality of the photos. They are mounted in an old scrapbook of mine. Since I'm writing this blog at my San Antonio apartment, I don't have a scanner and have to rely on taking photos of the pages.

Below is the front of the foster home as it looked in the 80s. Russ painted the entire house and trim to please me. It was chocolate brown when we moved there in 1981. You can imagine how many coats of primer and paint it took to make the house white. You can't tell from the photo, but the house has two stories. There were four main bedrooms, three baths, living room, dining room, kitchen, office, and family room. In addition there was a two bedroom, one bath small apartment area in the back of the house for our daughters. We raised the flags daily and even had a neighbor to write and commend us for instilling patriotism in our children. Only our closest neighbors knew that our home was a foster home. We tried hard to make the house look like a normal house in the neighborhood.

Below is a photo of a scrapbook page which features the house in the center and pictures of some of the foster children surrounding it. We had both boys and girls living with us for the first four or five years and then switched to having just boys. Most of the children were from 10-16 years of age.

Below is another album page featuring more of our foster children. We had a high success rate with many of our children and their parents meeting prescribed goals and able to be reunited. Some of our children were long term placements and stayed with us for much longer periods of time. Many of our foster children came to know Christ as their personal Savior while they lived with us. Of course, not all our placements were successful ones. There were those children or teens who ran away or who continued to get into trouble. It always broke our hearts when we weren't able to reach one of the kids and they had to be placed elsewhere. Some of our kids had been taken away from their parents because the family was either abusive or was not an appropriate place for the child. While we were still at the foster home a wonderful thing began to happen. There was a bigger emphasis on getting older children and teens adopted and out of the foster care system. We saw three children find families who adopted them.

Finally, below, there's a photo of Russ and me and the girls, circa 1985 or 1986. Look at my handsome Russ! With my dark hair (at least it was dark back then!) I always was the odd one in this family of blondes. Notice Laura and Autumn's 80's big hair and shoulder pads. The silly bee on my jacket is a sticker that was supposed to go with the layout of this scrapbook page. Like my clothes, glasses, and hair, my scrapbooking style has certainly changed.

Yes, I know. In reality, we can't go back home again. Yet, I'm glad that we can recall memories and reminiscence about the past. I welcome the excuse to look at these old photos again. When I see them, I am reminded of all the grace-filled moments of this time of our lives. Not every experience was a good one. There were many nights of tears and even pleas for the Lord to let me let go of this ministry. In a field where the burn out and fall out rate is about nine months, we lasted almost 10 years. Today, I see again all that God accomplished in us, in our girls, and in the foster children. I am amazed at what He was gracious enough to do through us, even when I was kicking and screaming about how hard it was. When I think about the Kerrville days and 10 or 12 of us sitting at the dining room table eating, studying and praying together, I am humbled that God gave us this opportunity to serve Him. There's a nice glow to the last days of our vacation as I recall this trip down Memory Lane. God is good and His grace is abundant.

Psalm 9: 1-2 "I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart and tell about the wonders you have worked. God Most High, I will rejoice; I will celebrate and sing because of you."

Going Home Again

While Russ and I have been back to work for a while, I’m not able to leave the subject of our vacation yet. I think it’s because the Lord spoke to us so clearly along every leg of the vacation journey. The original plans we made for our two weeks of leisure seemed so wonderful and represented such a dream vacation time—one of those once in a lifetime ventures. When we realized that we needed to trim our plans down to be more financially reasonable, I have to admit I was sorely disappointed. Russ was probably more disappointed than I was since he was the trip planner who had launched the idea of the grand vacation in the first place. Yet, as we drove from our starting point in Memphis, traveled to Branson, Missouri, then through Arkansas and the Ouachita National Forest and Mountains, and then finally back into Texas, we were two very happy and contented people.

As we got back into Texas, we went by our home in Ft. Worth. I was VERY reluctant to do this since we arrived there on a Sunday. I just knew that Russ would get a phone call from church and have to go in and work. Gratefully, I was wrong. We washed several loads of laundry and repacked for the last leg of our journey. I had to pack my work files and things for my next work trip to San Antonio since our very last stopping place for the vacation would be San Antonio. It made me sad as I saw my big rolling briefcase go into the back of the Rodeo along with all the sundry boxes and bags that I usually take with me for my work sessions in the Alamo City. I realized with every bag that went into the car that our vacation was nearly over.

Russ would have none of my doldrums. With a marvelously merry attitude and spirit, he reminded me that we had several days to just relax and still have fun. We took an alternate, somewhat longer route out of Ft. Worth and towards San Antonio. Rather than go directly to San Antonio, we decided to take a side trip through part of the Texas Hill Country so familiar to us—Fredericksburg and Kerrville.

Fredericksburg is a small German town well known for its quaint village-like characteristics and the fantastic eclectic shops all along the historic downtown Main Street. My heart even now beats faster when just saying Fredericksburg because I love this little town so much. I know it well because it is just about 25 miles down the road from Kerrville where Russ and I lived with our girls from roughly 1981 through 1991…ten of the most important and influential and yes, wildly happy years of our lives.

I had been really good about not spending money during most of the vacation. In Fredericksburg, I tossed frugality out the window and had a very good time finding some unique Christmas gifts. The shopping was just as much fun as I remembered it to be! With our 43rd Anniversary just days away, Fredericksburg also provided an opportunity for Russ and me to treat ourselves to early anniversary gifts—James Avery silver wedding rings. I’ll write more about the anniversary in another post.

Needless to say, the walk down “old times” in my favorite little village town was a huge success. We arrived in Fredericksburg in the afternoon and only stayed through the next afternoon. As much as I enjoyed our special “shopportunity”, I’m really not that much into what some women call retail therapy. Once I had my gorgeous new ring, a new Christmas angel, and a few Christmas gifts for the family, I was finished with helping to restore the economy.

But, before we headed back to San Antonio, we decided to drive the 25 miles over to Kerrville to go by a couple of our favorite places—the large home in the center of town in which we lived for much of our time in Kerrville, the church we attended and then served on staff for a couple of years before moving, and the house out in the hills to which we moved during our last years in Kerrville.
Talk about a trip down Memory Lane! In the nearly 20 years since we moved from Kerrville, Russ and I have only been back together to visit maybe two times. I’ve been back a few other times since we have One by One Ministries work in several Kerrville churches. Yet, when I’m there to train or have meetings, I don’t go by the old “haunts.” I just usually go to wherever I have an appointment. When we drove into Kerrville from Fredericksburg, I was watching Russ’ reactions and caught his surprised gasp and shocked look when he saw all the new stores, buildings, and other developments. The empty lots which had always been there in the past were now occupied by motels, gas stations, restaurants, and shopping centers.

Of course we went by our big old house at 829 Earl Garrett first. We had moved to Kerrville in 1981 to serve as foster parents for the Medina River Baptist Association (back then a group of the 28 Baptist churches which included Fredericksburg, Comfort, Junction, Boerne, and Kerrville, all rather small Texas Hill Country towns) Group Foster Home. The house itself was owned by the Association and the work with foster children was sponsored by Buckner Baptist Benevolences, a large national child and family services agency. Back in the 80s, Buckner ran group foster homes in many areas of Texas. Working for Buckner and moving to Kerrville was a very deliberate and well thought out action on Russ and my part. After a hard stretch in our marriage, Russ and I had prayed and decided that we wanted to do something very different for the Lord, for ourselves, and for our children. The story behind this move and career change would make an entire book, so I’ll not go into everything here.

Just know that stopping by the old site of the foster home brought back a flood of memories. While we lived in this grand old 5,000+ square foot turn-of-the-century home, we had 50 children who lived with us for six months to five years at a time. Over a period of eight years we had stripped down and painted almost every inch of the house, inside and out. We had worked hard to make the house a safe haven and a comfortable home for the children and teens with whom we lived and worked. Suffice it to say, we were well invested in the career which we had so carefully chosen and in the children who were placed with us by Buckner, Child Protective Services, and sometimes the juvenile court systems of various cities and counties. I think the outward manifestation of our joy and satisfaction for most of those years was the glow and well kept exterior of the house. In those days, the house stood out on the block and even won awards at Christmas when we lined the long winding front sidewalk with glass jars holding candles.

On that day of our vacation, parked in front of the former foster home, Russ and I were so lost in our individual thoughts and memories that it took a few minutes before either of us spoke. While the structure of the house looked the same, its exterior sometime in the past 20 years had been repainted. Some features of the yard had been changed as well. Currently, it looked very tired and worn and in need of repairs and maintenance. We knew that the house had had a varied past and had changed from a foster home to a pregnancy care center to some other helping agency in recent years. On the day we were there, it looked empty, tired and forlorn.
We were so taken aback by seeing the house in its current state that we didn’t take photos. I think we both just wanted to remember this fine grand dame of a house as it was when we lived there. Once we drove away and got over our initial shock of what we had seen, Russ and I grew philosophical in our discussions. Of course, we shouldn’t have expected to find the home the same. Of course there are been changes. Russ and I had experienced change. We weren’t the same two starry-eyed people who had embraced small town life and loved having eight foster children at a time living with us.

We then drove around the corner to see First Baptist Church where we spent many happy days. This county seat church had welcomed us and loved us as we served at the foster home. Russ and I had also both served on staff at this church after we left the foster home and as we decided on the next part of our family’s future. As we drove past the church on our vacation day, it was obvious that it had also undergone big changes. There were new additions, new garden areas, and new playground areas. From the front of the church plant, nothing about the church’s exterior looked quite the same as it had. If we had seen a photo of the current building and church grounds, we may not have recognized it as First Baptist. Time certainly doesn’t wait for anyone.

If our vacation had already been about lessons the Lord was teaching us, this last leg of the journey was certainly filled to the brim with spiritual instructive moments. We drove from the foster home and First Baptist out to a rural subdivision where we stopped to see the house to which we moved after we completed our time with Buckner and the foster home. It also had been an important home in our life as we started a different time of our life with our marriage totally healed, our children graduating from high school and starting lives of their own. Our first two grandchildren had been born while we lived in this gray blue house. Some of our best Christmases were spent in this house on a hillside with a spectacular view of the surrounding hill country. Of course, in the years since we moved away from Kerrville and this house, changes had been made, the biggest of which was that a double-wide trailer had been moved in on the lot next to our former residence. Shock registered on both Russ’ face and mine. The subdivision had always included lovely homes on spacious, well-treed lots. There were wide scenic vistas from every angle. These things were still evident. However, as in a lot of rural subdivisions, there were few deed restrictions. Though there’s nothing wrong with a double-wide, we were shocked and dismayed that this development had occurred in this beautiful area and probably changed property values for our former neighbors. It was obvious that nothing of our previous life had stayed the same.

Our drive from Kerrville to San Antonio, only 70 miles down the road, began with a short silence as Russ and I tried to grasp what we had just witnessed. Then we both started talking about all our memories of Kerrville and about our reactions to what we had just witnessed. We both said the same thing, “Time never stands still and you really can’t go back home.”

In spite of the momentary sadness we felt after our visit to our past, this was a great way to wind down our vacation. As we talked on our drive into San Antonio, Russ and I reflected on the life we now have. While we have such tremendously good memories of our Kerrville years, we have moved on. We are as changed and different today as are our former residences and church. Kerrville represents a wonderful time of our family’s life. We will always be grateful to the Lord for the years of service with our foster children and the church. Someday I will write more about these years. However…and here’s an important however…we realized while we drove that we can’t and don’t even want to go back to our past. Though it’s complicated as can be, this phase of our life is wonderful and we love it. I think I can speak for Russ and say that we wouldn’t change a moment of it—except being with each other more. For everything there is a season…

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-7… “Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping, for killing and healing, destroying and building, for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing, for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting. There is a time for finding and losing, keeping and giving, for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking.”

Yes, There's More! The Vacation Continues...

I can’t remember the last time that Russ and I took off and “played” for two full weeks. I had my sweet man’s attention almost every moment of every day—and I loved that! Embarrassing our children aside, I have to confess that I flirted and made passes at my favorite guy at every opportunity.

In my last post I described Russ’ near catastrophic adventure with a deep, deep ravine. You would think that the fall would be enough to make one call it quits for the day. I would not have blamed Russ at all. However, being the brave soul that he is, Russ dusted himself off, or rather, scraped the mud off, cleaned his head cut and we were off again. It would be later that night that the true consequence of his fall would be apparent. But, for that afternoon on Magazine Mountain with a round of pain killers in his system, Russ continued to drive us down the other side of the mountain and through the Ouachita National Forest. I was ready to take over and drive, but there's just something about Texan men and their cars and driving.

The haze and rain stayed with us all the way down the mountain and beyond even as we stopped at a beautiful picnic/camping spot. We parked and got out for a while to take a few photos of what we’d call in Texas a gorgeous “waterin’ hole.” If it hadn’t been for the rain and the cool fall temperatures, I think Russ and I would have gotten into our swimsuits that were tucked neatly away in our suitcases and just jumped in. There definitely would have been NO photos of that event! Good sense (and good taste) prevailed. You know, you can only embarrass your offspring just so much.

Below are shots of the spring fed creek and water fall we found at the picnic/camping spot in Ouacita National Forest. There are also a couple of photos of a lovely wood bridge we walked over. Again, the autumnal scenery was colorfully and gracefully pleasing to the eye. If one was given to hyperbole, words like magnificently dressed for the season might come to mind. The fallen wet leaves covered most of the trails on which we walked, muffling the sound of our footsteps. With just light foot pads being the only other noise audible, it was easy to hear the rushing gurgling water in the background with better clarity and stereo orientation than a Bose CD player. I know that I’m in danger of sounding too much like Jane Austin or Emily Bronte; but, I have to comment that the forest around us had a elegant look about it and the surroundings felt magical. We would have happily stayed in this one spot and finished the vacation sleeping in the car just to enjoy the beauty around us. I’m not sure you could find such a moment at Sea World or the Washington Monument. Remember that you can click on the photo and see an enlarged version.

All too soon we were at the bottom of the mountain and back on a level road without the curves we had experienced going up and then again coming down the mountain. The scenery remained lovely for miles as we continued through the forest; but, that moment of magical natural splendor had passed. The real world of Seven/Elevens, gas stations, homes and lawns, and McDonald’s seemed to come crashing down on us as the road became straighter and flatter. Our vacation wasn’t over yet. Fortunately, we still had several days left to unwind and rest before going back to work. It’s just that with our leaving Missouri and now Arkansas, I felt like a child on December 30th of Christmas break. Our days had been everything we wanted them to be (even with my cold) and now we were facing driving back into Texas and getting closer again to the reality of jobs, deadlines, etc.

I shouldn’t have worried, however, because Russ had another plan or two to make our last couple of vacation days really special. I can’t believe it, but I’m going to get at least one or even two more posts out of the vacation!

Now, I know you’re waiting for the spiritual life lessons from this part of the vacation. Well, there are some that the Lord taught us well. I'll leave it to you to read between the lines and see the life applications.

1. It’s always grand to be in love with the person with whom you spend vacations! (O.K. while true, this idea is not as spiritual as the other thoughts which follow.)
2. Look well before you step, especially when your path is unfamiliar and is covered with wet leaves.
3. Stop and enjoy lovely sights and breath-taking moments wherever and whenever they appear.
4. Make every day, even ordinary ones, special and grace-filled. Don't wait for vacation to stop and smell the roses or the fall leaves.
5. Work may be in the valley and vacation on the mountain, yet we need to remember that valleys lie between two mountains.
6. Forgetting yourself and remembering only God and His wonder are parts of vacation type living that can go on and on no matter the surroundings or circumstances.
7. Rest, refreshment, renewal, and restoration are God’s Graceful Life-Savers.

The following verses from Psalm 90 just seem perfect to end this post:

Psalm 90: 12-14…”Teach us to use wisely all the time that we have. Help us, Lord! Don’t wait! Pity your servants. When morning comes, let your love satisfy all our needs. Then we can celebrate and be glad for what time we have left.”