Saturday, March 15, 2008

It Happened on the Mound


Funny thing, LIFE.

As I spent the day in Kansas watching softball in 35 degree weather, maybe it was 40 but it was still cold. I wonder why I would do such a thing....drive 5 hours by myself to a rather, oh, dreary looking town from what I can see....to stay in a hotel that, well, let's just say isn't one I would have chosen myself, but then that is a whole new post. And then to sit outside for about 4 hours clothed in layers and wrapped from head to toe in a queen size very thick bedspread to watch what normal people would call a summer sport. The answer became very clear when I realized that I had watch the young woman on the mound grow up on the mound. I was astounded to realize what has happened to her over the years. Yes. She has grown up. So smart and so strong...both physically and spiritually, so full of and the desire to do the right things; wanting to grow up but knowing that means facing a lot of unknowns.

Funny thing, LIFE.

As I spent the day in Kansas watching softball in 35 degree weather, maybe it was 40 but it was still cold. I wonder why I would do such a thing....drive 5 hours by myself to a rather, oh, dreary looking town from what I can see....to stay in a hotel that, well, let's just say isn't one I would have chosen myself, but then that is a whole new post. And then to sit outside for about 4 hours clothed in layers and wrapped from head to toe. And in the same 24 hours I got a phone call from my first born as she and her fiancee were, if you can believe it, stealing hidden Easter eggs from an anticipated hunt...they were laughing and ribbing each other....it was the neatest thing to see her stepping into the next phase of her life with a young man that we could not have special ordered any better for her. (Not that I was necessarily proud of her for stealing Easter eggs....they did check out the hunt and it was for adults and they were going to pay the fee and join in legally.) In the same 24 hours I was praying for my son, who at 19 (well, he'll be 20 in a few weeks) was giving a message at our church service....WOW.


LIFE .

It seems to have passed so quickly. Not that it's over by any means. We still have college graduations and weddings and grandchildren to love if God wills it so. But I can't help but stop today and think about my life. The trials and the blessings. Hmmm...sometimes those have butted up next to each other.
I don't really know that I have any place to go with this. I'm sitting in dark hotel room. The tv is off. The air conditioner is on. Steph is asleep. Good friends are playing washers out in the atrium in front of my room. And oh, I just signed up for Facebook and had a tutorial from Steph on how to maneuver things there. Why? I guess it's just LIFE. Will I spend much time on Facebook? I seriously doubt it. But it did give me an hour or so of undivided time with my daughter. It did give us cause to laugh. And I did get to "poke" Zachary. I'm pretty sure that gave him a laugh. I got to post pictures in an album labeled "My Fam-the people I love most" for all my friends to see.

Is that what living life to the fullest is? Is that part of the abundant life Jesus promised me? Facebook? Washers? Softball? Friends? Laughter? Sons? Daughters? Spouses? Tonight I think so.

My LIFE is good. The blessing are too numerous to count.

...there beneath the blue suburban skies...