Summertime

This summer has been a time of ups and downs:
I have not seen Tiffany since March, and that has been very hard. I miss being with them and watching Karabeth grow. I am so blessed that we have the technology to talk as often as we do. I am also so blessed by her faithful blogging that gives me a glimpse into the ordinary, but so miraculous daily happenings in their lives. We are praising God for bringing Bill and Tiffany through the last 16 months of unsteady employment and his new job! I pray that God will bless the company and Bill with much success!
Christina has been in Maryland (and PA) since May and while I miss her so much, I am also thrilled that she is spreading her wings, learning from a Godly friend and experiencing so many new things away from home. I'm so grateful she has had time with Heather, Bryce and Bryce Eric. When your babies are far from home, there is comfort in knowing they are together.
Heather and Bryce are incredible as parents and as a couple. It is refreshing to see them grow together and closer to God. I have had the chance to see them a few times this summer and Bryce Eric is such a blessing! I love getting my daily pictures on the phone and watching him grow!
Ashlee has been gone more than home this summer. She, too, has had some new experiences, made new friends, faced some trials and hopefully learned from them and come through stronger and more reliant on God.
Rebecca is blossoming into a self-sufficient young lady-wearing make-up, making new friends, growing and learning. She is not a little girl any more!
I have had more time this summer to be still and hear God speak than I've had in a long time. I can't say I've always enjoyed being by myself, but it helped knowing that God was with me through it all. It has been very challenging trying to get everything done without my helpers and realizing how much I will miss them when they are all grown and gone. Time truly does fly! I had to continuously give my children back to God, and ask him to lead, guide and protect them as I can't. He has been faithful to do just that! I have spent every third weekend in St. Louis with my Mom as she undergoes chemotherapy for cancer. She is getting tired of the chemo and accompanying fatigue and lack of quality of life. It's so hard to see her go through this and not be able to do anything but pray and love her! I can't make the hard decisions for her. I just wish she wasn't so far away.

*That seems to be the theme of my summer~ far away from loved ones, but closer to my Lord!*

On a lighter note~ The weather here in KY has been incredible!! My air conditioner has a freon leak so each season we spend a couple of miserable, extreme temperature days waiting for the man to come and recharge it. The last time was the end of June. It was 96 degrees in the house by evening and I felt sick I was so hot! The next day we had a storm and the heat broke and we have had record cool temps ever since. Our days are in the high 70's-low 80's. The nights are in the 50's-60's! Our windows have been open all month and we haven't even had to use fans much. But I do need to deal with the problem as I realize this won't continue forever. We have two systems-each 20 years old. I think I might need to replace them with one efficient unit that will keep us comfortable. It will be exciting to see how God works that one out!

In 7 days, Christina, Bryce, Heather and Bryce Eric will be here!!! Bryce's sister Lyndsae is getting married August 1, 2009. Bryce will return to PA, but Heather, Christina and the baby will stay with me that next week and drive to FL with me on Aug. 8th. Bryce will fly in on the 11th! We are all going to Disney World on Aug. 12th!! I can't wait! I am hoping to stay in Fl until the end of the month, if I can get some cleaning jobs and make a little money. I am so excited about this vacation!! I love being with my children and grandchildren!

So this summer has been a stretching, growing time that has changed us hopefully for the better and drawn us closer to the Lord! Where would I be without Him? I don't want to know!
What surprises does Autumn hold? I don't need to worry about tomorrow. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow!