At the moment I am listening to the weather report of our area and south of us is a large storm system with possible tornadoes heading through Lewis County. It appears to be north of where our daughters live and south of us, but never the less, the danger and anxious waiting is going on here in New York.
We had a heavy downpour about an hour ago and right now it is calm so I took the chance of turning on the computer to write to you. The best part of storms is that my piano is readily available for me to hide in “til the storm passes by.” In the meantime, I will write.
Last Thursday my friend Judi and I went to lunch at the Hometown Cafe. This was to use a coupon I had given her for her birthday back in March. Both of our lives ended up getting busy and this was a convenient day for us and we kept our booth occupied for over two hours. It was a lovely lunch and a lovely visit. That evening Dick and I went Errin Bruce his 43rd birthday balloon. I still marvel that forty-three years have gone by since that beautiful August day he was born. Little did I know his time on earth would be so short and so we think of him and like to imagine one day we’ll see him surrounded by balloons. If not, we’ll never know the difference once we get to heaven because of the joy of seeing the loved ones who’ve gone on before us. That will overshadow any sorrow or questions we may have had. Happy “heaven” Birthday to Errin Bruce.
Family weekend
Friday evening our daughter Karen and husband Jami with their three little ones came for the weekend. They had visited Jami’s two sets of grandparents before arriving for their visit at our place. Garrett and Grandpa immediately embarked on building a wriggly track for a new train set we had gotten for when the grandchildren come to visit. It had a great bridge structure, too. Then on Saturday Grandpa and Heidi gave her little stuffed lambie a bath in the sink making it sing and giggle with delight to be getting clean. Her Mommy knew better than to put lambie in the washing machine and dryer, so Papa offered to clean her by hand. We had given Heidi this lamb when she was born and it seems to have become a special friend to her. And as you know, Papa loves stuffed animals so he was delighted to help.
Her schedule was making me tired
Karen had childhood friends stop by to visit with her on Saturday including Rachel and her husband and new baby, and Bernadette and her husband (my nephew) and two of their children. Karen entertained them up on the hilltop so the children could play on “Mr. Baker’s swing.” That evening Karen and Jami took the grandchildren and went over to Karen’s brother Eric and family for supper. Her schedule was making me tired.
While she visited I prepared food for a Sunday after church picnic at Norwood Beach with her and Eric’s families. The cousins went swimming and played on the playground while the parents visited and relaxed. It was a lovely day a well as a lovely time. Jami and Karen then left for home from the beach and now the house seems so quiet and empty. I just hope that Garrett, Heidi, and Elsa might have fond memories of coming to Grandma’s and Papa’s house in Norwood.
Family picnic
Before going to the picnic we had bought a second balloon to tell the grandchildren about their mommy having an older brother she never got to meet and explain why we send up a balloon on this date. I showed them the only picture I have of Errin, they asked a couple of questions, and then helped me hold the string while I cut the ribbon so the balloon could float upward into the clouds. Garrett and Heidi watched with us until we could not see it anymore. What a picture of our souls flying away one day! Now that string has joined the other strings from over the years as a visual reminder that “heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace. I want to see my Savior’s face for heaven is a wonderful place. I wanna go there.” Funny, I haven’ thought of that little children’s song in a long long time. Maybe I will teach it to the grandchildren the next time they come.
We had a cricket singing in the house over the weekend which baffled and frightened Heidi. We could only hear it the first night in the dining room, but it came out into the living room the second night and I was able to use a paper cup and piece of paper to capture it and put it back outside. I’m sure he was saying “thank you” as he jumped across the lawn.
Well, the air is still quiet but I think I’ll sign off for today and shut this wonderful old computer down. Stay safe and stay calm “till the storm passes by.” Love, Sharon