Feeling thankful

So, before I can post about our trip to the peninsula, I have to fetch pictures from another computer--maybe tomorrow.

Tonight--I'm just feeling thankful....We got to visit for the afternoon with some old friends (old meaning for a long time--10 years!). The kids had a wonderful time and we moms laughed and cried and visited. See, this is a friend of mine who understands about having a sick kid. And while I am slowly moving past all we went through with Jennifer, she is still very much in the thick of things due to her son's long-term, ongoing condition. But, both of us know what it is to be "in the trenches" of waiting with an aching heart by the hospital bed of a sick child--praying desperately for healing, comfort, relief...release. This is the first friend I would call every time I was on my way to Children's Hospital Emergency room--because she knew precisely the emotions roiling inside me. This is the friend with whom I traded and refilled a Tully's card--because she knows how hard it is to keep vigil in the hospital while sporting a killer caffeine headache!

I'm thankful for where Jennifer is right now in her health journey...and I'm thankful for my friend whom God provided as a support for me when I really needed it.

Thankful is a good place to be....

Re-entry is bumpy

We just arrived back from a week-long vacation to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. While there were some nice highlights (future blogs with pics coming!), I have to admit, vacationing with 4 kids in tow is hard on a family! For me, there are moments it doesn't feel like a vacation at all--I'm still doing the same cooking, tidying, laundry, etc.--I just have to do it away from my comfortable environment! And then there's the return from vacation....

No matter how hard I try to prepare for re-entry, it's usually bumpy on a number of levels. This vacation was no different. We returned 3 days ago. I think in a couple more days, I'll feel somewhat recovered! I guess transitions aren't always easy.

I'm at the point in the year, too, where I am longing for the "school year" to end (although we usually do some school through the summer). I guess it's really the commitments that I'd like to be done with. I long for the weeks where several days in a row are free of "gotta go here" and "hafta be there." This is one transition which I think will feel like smooth sailing!