LIVE A LIFE OF NO REGRETS!!: Vacation 2012

Quote from "Stepping Heavenward" by Mrs. E. Prentiss

"She says I shall now have one mouth more to fill and two feet the more to shoe, more disturbed nights, more laborious days, and less leisure or visiting, reading, music and drawing.

Well! This is one side of the story, to be sure, but I look at the other.

Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God; and the body in which dwells is worthy of all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ's name, I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation my other dear darlings had left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her lifelong prayers! Oh, how rich I am, how truly, wondrously blest!"

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Vacation 2012

This year has been such a year of new things. Besides all the changes that cancer brings to your life, this is our first year of vacation without two of our children. I always joke with my children "why do you have to grow up so fast!" and I really felt it this year with our beach picture missing 2 adult children.

I haven't written as much the last few weeks. I have been busy! Spent a full week recovering from chemo treatment. Then I helped at the 5th and 6th grade retreat that my 6th grader went to along with two of my teenagers who also volunteered. Follow up doctor visits, dentist appointments, late birthday movie with my 11 year old and his friends, and preparing for the beach trip filled up the next week. It's always a lot of preparation to leave with a crowd. We like to leave the house "company" clean so we come home to a fresh home. We plan our meals ahead of time so we don't spend a lot of money on food. We don't even like to leave the beach the entire week. It's a total week of games, relaxation, waves, and sand.

The older I get the more I want to hold on to each moment with my children. When my eldest was 15 and I had 5 more children 8 years of age and under, time was a blur of diapers, laundry, school, meals, etc. It was a wonderful, busy time that went much faster than I would've ever imagined. Now to have a baby already three years of age, the oldest 26, and two grand babies I have a more realistic perspective of how time flies. I want to redeem this time and try to make every moment count for eternity with my family. I want to be more thankful than ever for the opportunities to train them. I feel overwhelmingly blessed to be given the priviledge to train these arrows, but also feel the weight of the seriousness of this responsibility.

But this week, I am just relishing in the time we have together as a family with my sister, two of her children, and the time we get to spend with a nearly life long friend. I really miss my oldest two, but am enjoying the time we are having. We met our family's friend in Germany when we were very young and she allows us to stay in her home each year. We are blessed by her generosity and enjoy her company so very much. My children think of her as an aunt, and I as a younger sister.

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days;

let me know how fleeting I am!

Psalm 39:4

I will spend my birthday on the beach this year, and not even think about my next treatment due when I return. Life is good....because God is good. Therefore, I am going to rest in Him and purpose to enjoy every minute of this week that has been given to us. Until next time, Michelle