I’m still alive!  My family and I are on vacation in Seattle for a multi-purposed visit.  We went to our dear friends’ son’s wedding on Sunday and then spent Monday, Tuesday and this morning with my side of the family at a cabin in a little tiny town outside of Cle Elum (called Ronald) to celebrate my parents’ 50th anniversary.  We are back in Seattle now to spend time with friends and family for the next couple of days and then Mark will run a half marathon on Saturday morning that ends in the downtown area.  Our 27th anniversary is tomorrow, so we will going out to dinner with our friends Mark and Ann tonight, who are celebrating their 30th anniversary.  On Sunday morning we will be heading south to the town I grew up in, Olympia, (and where both of our parents live) to spend the day with Mark’s parents before heading to the airport to come home Sunday evening.  Oh, and in that mix we also have three birthdays in the family.  Whew!  Talk about a whirlwind week!

It has been an amazing week so far, of reconnecting with friends and family, meeting new friends, and just enjoying traveling as the four of us with all our family inside jokes and funny family and friends stories from the past.  And even though its been busy, there is this underlying sense of relaxation and pure fun and enjoyment of those around us.  Only wish that my two other daughters and my son-in-law (who live in Arizona) could have been part of the whole experience.  Hopefully, next year….

I have missed having the opportunity (and the internet) to be able to write in the past few days.  Somehow it truly feels like it connects me to you, my reader.  So when I can’t write, I feel like we haven’t talked or been able to “catch up” like we normally do.

But I’m still here, and God is still doing His thing.  Speaking to my heart, working on it, changing it, softening it.  He is still showing me things in myself that need transformation.  The parts of my life that retain selfishness that need to be sanded down.  Hurts that are continuing to heal.  He reminds me that times of rest like this are essential to continue doing what He’s asking me to do.  A renewal of sorts for my heart and soul.   A time away from the normal view of responsibilities and obligations.  A chance for a new and refreshed set of eyes.

Good to talk with you again.  I’ve missed it.  Thanks for being there….