Billy's ordination service was a very blessed time; it's very humbling to know you have so many individuals that are willing to invest their time praying for your ministry. We had many family members there, and that alone means so much to Billy & I. It's a big relief when you know they are going to support you in whatever path God chooses for you.
He also had the opportunity to speak at the BSU on the Joplin campus this past Thursday at their weekly service; we got to witness a 'Peeps-eating-contest'. You know...peeps...those marshmallow candy things they sell at Easter. There are 9 to a box, and 5 students volunteered to see how many they could eat in 3 minutes. One of the girls ate 5 boxes. I thought she was going to hurl on stage. It was fun. And it also snowed that evening. Yep...we had snow in April. It didn't stick to anything, but was fun to watch. It's been very cold here; we've kind of wondered if Spring will ever get here to stay!
I think sometimes we take time for granted; we go about our daily routines, and all of a sudden, it's a week, month, year later!
I think about time whenever our kids' birthdays roll around. Our son turned 17 today. And I always look back and think "Where did the time go?". I guess our parents always tell us to enjoy them 'while they're young' because you'll never get those years back.
But I think as we get older we don't reflect as much on our 'younger years' as we used to. Whenever my birthday rolls around, I don't think "Geez; seems like only yesterday I was learning how to ride a bike!".
Why am I rambling about 'time'? Because we DO take it for granted. We are given each day as a gift from God to 'live like there's no tomorrow' because we really DON'T know if there will be a tomorrow for us! I look ahead at all the things we have planned: appointments, trips, dates with husbands and friends, Holidays, etc. We plan them like we KNOW we're going to be here.
Billy & I are getting ready to embark on a trip to Central Asia in just over a week. We've been planning it for months, yet until I'm actually in that country, I can't believe I will actually be there. Sound weird? It's just that we can never be sure of tomorrow, so it's best not to concern ourselves with future events to the extent we forget why we were given this day in the first place. For example, we tried to plan a similar trip in June of 2005, however, God had a different plan for us. It was in the form of a beautiful granddaughter. So 'delays' aren't always bad!
The next year at my job will be bringing some definite changes. Some will be good, and some possibly bad. (I'm hoping more "good"!) But I take one day at a time. And that's not always easy. It's too easy for me now to start worrying about the 'bad' stuff that MIGHT happen. I should just be concerned about the now and let God take care of the "might happen" stuff.
Easter was today; we got to spend time with with family which is always fun. Our son-in-law's father and one of his brothers were in town as well. And we celebrated another year in Christopher's life. (The picture on the right is of Danny's father with Sydney.)
I am looking forward to what the next year might or might NOT bring. But I suppose that's up to God, isn't it??
I'll leave you with another picture of our beautiful granddaughter; until next time, I hope you've all had a wonderful Easter!!
