A Great Visit

Two weeks since I was last on here. But I had good reason: Garry got home late last Friday and his Dad and Doris came to visit this week. We had a great time with them, just being together and showing them our lives and regular places here in Spokane as well as finding a few new places.

One evening Doris and I joined an If:Pray meeting, a great time with other women who are passionate about knowing and loving Jesus. I hadn't met most of the women there, so it was fun to hear some of their stories as well as pray together. God is at work and using His people all over the place.

We enjoyed showing Dad and Doris around Moody Aviation and sharing what God is doing here and the ways we get to be a part of it. I think Dad was most impressed with the Kodiak, which is a good airplane to be impressed with.

One day we decided to go for a hike at a small park, and missed our turn. We were looking for a place to turn around and ended up in a parking lot. Bear Country Carvings is a great little place, and we got to chat with the owner and hear a bit about this history and learn some about chainsaw carving. It is really quite an art, and apparently there is a more of it on the coast. It was a nice detour on the way to the park, which was also a good time as we walked around the lake.

Meals around our table, exploring local coffee shops, and walks in the neighborhood quickly filled the few days Dad & Doris had here. It was just good to be together.

I got to do a lot of things with Dad & Doris while Garry was busy at work. These days he is focused on better defining roles in the Safety Department as well as setting priorities for the next few months. Too many opportunities is a good problem to have, because it makes us think through which ones are ours to take. 

Value

Some things feel valuable and others just feel useless. A long soak in the tub feels useless to me, for some reason. A cup of coffee while staring into space feels like a waste of time. This week we were reminded that these things are often key. They allow us to keep creating, thinking, and producing. And I think they remind us that the world does not, in fact, depend on us. That we but a small part in a big production: our part matters, but it has its time and place. And sometimes what that place demands is that we slow down and savor the moment and drink from the well of God, whether that is through the beauty he created, the activities He gives to enjoy, or the solitude that He inhabits.

We had a busy week, really. Work and decisions and company. Places to be and people to see. The normal things that make up life. And to end the work week, we went cycling at Beacon Hill. Now, Kaleb can really take advantage of much of what Beacon offers: the rest of us less so, with me at the bottom of the riding scale. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy being surrounded by beauty and away from work and home with my three men. It was both fun and refreshing.

After we went home and cleaned up, I began problem solving in new ways. I was reminded of the gift of simply being alive. I was challenged to enjoy simply being. I was extra thankful for Garry and our sons. I was ready to tackle something new. I was ready to engage in life again. I fell asleep with those thoughts and woke up thinking the same ones.

Not that this never happens, maybe it's just been a bit too long since the last time. Or maybe I was just in a better place to simply enjoy the moment and the process. Whatever the cause, I'm simply thankful.