Thursday, October 20, 2022 When Children Live Far Away

After visiting one set of the family progeny, we prepared to head northward to spend some time with the others who have settled out West. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone, especially to my little exercising buddy who also sat by me on the couch every day singing Bible songs with me. I did my best to kiss an extra layer of skin off of the faces of our grandchildren before leaving, and to keep the tears out of my eyes. We drove away but left part of our hearts behind.

North we went through steep valleys with mountains hovering over us for a long time, alongside a stream that was a times a brook, at other times a full-fledged river. There are rumors of salmons in those parts, but we never saw any. Eventually we left most of that behind, coming into the beautiful rolling hills of the Palouse and to the town nestled in the midst of those hills where the rest of our Western children live (we still have one son and his wife living in our town in Minnesota). It’s been a few years now since we’ve had to arrange for paid lodging. We have children in both Western locations who roll out the red carpet for us, letting us use a room in their homes. This is an extra heap of blessing for us on many levels.

The week filled up quickly. Our daughter and son-in-law hosted family meals at their home – much good conversation and laughter ensued. Kris got involved in re-upholstering their kitchen table chairs. This was a project that none of us had even the slightest experience doing, but by the end of the week, all four of us had invested some sweat equity in finishing them. I love how they turned out!

I have failed to mention the presence of Fred and Velma at our daughter’s home. You may be thinking of Scooby Doo, and you wouldn’t be far off, since the names probably came from that cartoon. These are the Large Cats in Residence. I call Fred, “Fatty Freddy.” It doesn’t bother him one bit, nor should it bother you. Picking Freddy up is a wonderful experience – his girth fills your arms and it’s like hugging a big cuddly pillow. Velma is a little smaller but very personable. When we came out of our room every morning, Fatty…er Freddy was always lounging just outside the door, ready for some attention.

I also got to try using some Virtual Reality (VR) equipment for the first time at my oldest son’s place (the newlyweds!). It’s a unique, mind-bending experience, like being in a 3-D theater that wraps around your mind. Later on, a few of our other kids got to try it for the first time as well.

On Sunday, we all gathered at the church to worship. I love being back in church with our children (in both locations!) speaking the liturgy, singing psalms and hymns, and taking communion together. Ah, how sweet it is.

Not unto us, LORD, no, not us,
But to your name above,
Bring glory for Your faithfulness
And for Your steadfast love.

One last gathering for a Chinese food supper, one group photo, and the next round of goodbyes began. “Goodbye! Goodbye! Have a good trip! It was good seeing you!” And in the morning, the last goodbye to our wonderful hosts. I choked off a swelling of emotion as we turned our faces toward the Midwest and set off for home.

That’s the rest of the story.

Good night. I’ll most likely delete this in the morning.