Where do I start? So many major events have come and gone and I have not recorded them for posterity...
Easter...
Some say that Christmas is the best holiday in a Christian's life...however, if you have accepted Christ as your rescuer from this world, you know that it is Easter that holds such a dear place in the heart and life of a Christian. This year was no exception. As I looked around at the blessing that is my life I was humbled by what the King of Kings decided to do for me. The realization that He would still have done it if I was the only one He had to save will never cease to put my life into perspective.
May...
The month of May was ridiculously busy. It was the month of "Grace". She had Spring soccer, dance recital and ran a 5k with Girls on the Run. Of course all of this crashed like a wave onto the same week! Being the mother of one so active is a blessing and also a source of great exhaustion! But the blessing far outweighs the fatigue!
We are now on the last day of June! This is such a special and happy month for us as a family. Father's Day is a wonderful time to recognize the men in our life. This usually consists of putting some kind of meat on the grill and sitting on the back deck just soaking in the summer and the fellowship of family. However, this year due to illnesses and a lack of free date abundance, we had to forgo the usual and take off on our free trip to Kalahari. But I got my Daddy fix in first. Sunday, Father's day morning I went to Mom and Dad's and fixed Dad an omelette, bacon and toast. he thouroughly enjoyed it and that was the point! Our time, food and conversation were the best gift I could give him and myself! Then it was off to Kalahari! We had a blast there. And the one night stay and waterpark passes we won at Gracie's auction made it all possible. We had the perfect mix of family time as well as time with each kid alone. Gracie enjoyed father's day evening with Chip at the water park and Max and I strolled through the resort and ended up at the sweet shoppe. We found a cozy little table for two and ate our candy and chatted. It was seriously a perfect trip! Before Father's Day we celebrated the wedding of Niki my friend Krissi's little sister. It was also a great family evening.
Then came the birthdays. I tried to organize getting together with Brad for his birthday on the 22nd, but the Barritt family chose to go to Northridge for their "New Life" service. This is a service where a lot of people get baptized. The worship experience is supposed to be awesome. How can you begrudge a man for wanting to experience that on his birthday?
Ian's birthday was next. On Friday, June 24th, his actual birthday, I picked him up after work and we went shopping for polo style shirts. Seriously...the boy is 10 now and he wants clothes...where did my baby nephew go? it was really great to spend time just me and Ian. Then we headed to our house to hang out with our family before meeting Ian's family at CPK for dinner. It was a wonderful evening. The next day was his birthday party at the rec center which was enjoyable as well.
Tuesday, was Mom's birthday. On that day I found out that she has decided not to take her medications. So, as of today she is in the hospital because of the repercussions of that decision. Selfishly, that leaves us with no one to take care of Max and Gracie next week... It also, puts Dad in an even tougher position than he is already in. That is stressful on so many levels...
Had an issue at work and we all know that puts stress and pressure on you at work and at home. You bring that anxiety and stress ball that resides in your stomach, home with you...it's hard to let go of. But it is also a little hint of a possible change in direction for me. I will continue to pray and seek God's will on that. So that is how we round out June.
July starts tomorrow and I am so looking forward to the abundance of blessings that God is waiting to shower on us. Neil is coming for the fourth of July, Max will be turning three, we have two weddings to attend, and I am starting my women's Bible study here at the house. I am really looking forward to all of those things.
I will let you know how it goes. In the meantime, I wonder how all of this will alter my quilt.
Love, hugs and prayers,
Shaheen
