Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 (NASB)
I’m still not unpacked from my week at Dad’s house. I periodically pull something out I need, stare at whichever bag I took it from, and contemplate, “Unpack now…or later?” So far, the latter continues to rule. It’s not that I have been doing much of anything else except for enjoying the quiet before a busy June, loaded with guests and trips. It’s my body, you see. It shuts down after a stressful time and while nothing out-of-the-ordinary occurred while I was staying with Dad, I felt like I was on high alert, out of my norm. I am still shocked and perplexed when my body just shuts down, I lose energy, ache all over, and can’t focus on a darn thing. Fibromyalgia and I are old friends, sadly. I’ve had a good few days to read, catch up on social media, and crochet. Also finally met the new next-door neighbors who are only part-time. A couple in their thirties with three boys. We also met Emily’s sister, husband, three children, and mom. We spent some time with them on their back deck, but I felt we were together all weekend. Russell and I sat on our back porch, eavesdropping on the laughter and joyful screaming of the children. Emily couldn’t believe her family’s loudness when she came over for a minute and sat with us on our porch. We have been blessed with young people and their kids living next door to us before. People and children who became family and I can tell you already that Emily & Mike and their three boys will soon do the same.
After being away for a few weekends, it was good to get back to our church yesterday. It was a misty, chilly, overcast morning, but our two services were full, as usual. As I stood greeting and chatting, my heart overflowed with the blessing that it is to see so many people gathering together to worship and fellowship. It is not just our church that is growing, contrary to what we may hear or believe from the news. Our youngest child’s church is growing and is opening a new campus in the fall. I believe it will be their sixth campus. Brett and Rachel are helping get that campus going and will attend and serve there beginning in September. They will miss the big Yorktown campus and Senior Pastor preaching (as will I when we visit), but they are already friends with their new Pastor and his wife and are looking forward to the new campus opening.
It’s been a quiet Memorial Day Weekend. None of the kids traveled to the lake for the Holiday, but we will see them all, multiple times, in June, as well as long-time family friends from NoVA and Colorado.
Thankful for those who gave their lives for this country. And, because I am a proud Army Brat, below are a few quotes that stuck with me this Memorial Day Weekend, in addition to the Bible verse above.
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy
“Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.”- Franklin D. Roosevelt
“No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”- General Douglas MacArthur
“Home of the free, because of the brave.” – Unknown
“It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.”- Norman Schwarzkopf
“Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.” – Unknown
“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.”- G.K. Chesterton
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