My husband and I recently learned that we’ll be Grandparents next April!! But, then I was thinking, actually we are already! Little Munchkin (as we all call him or her) is already a person so we are Grandparents already!! It’s funny and interesting some of the comments we’ve received: (My thoughts in response are in parenthesis.)
Already?! They just got married! (Well, you’re right, but God gives His gifts even on honeymoons!)
You’re too young to be Grandparents! (Why, thank-you.)
When is the baby due? (Well, most babies are born at around the 9 month mark!)
Being Grandparents is easier than being Parents. (Who said I want the easy way in life?)
on and on…….
How thankful I was (and my husband) to receive the following note from very good friends yesterday:
“Good times!
Congratulations!
Best Wishes!
Congratulations! We are so happy for you and your family. There is a whole new world waiting for the two of you. God is truly great and His blessings beyond compare. Wishing you both all the best as you anticipate the first child of a new generation….Love.”
Then, tucked into a little pocket was this passage from the Bible: “But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with THEIR CHILDREN’s CHILDREN – with those that keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts. Psalm 103:17-18”
How refreshing it was to get that special card!! Children truly are a gift from God!!
We attended OPC Family Camp again. There are Bible Studies for youth and a guest speaker for the adults. Families each take a turn in the kitchen preparing one of the meals. What is it that makes us want to return? The teaching, the focused time we have to talk with other Christians, the opportunities to enjoy God’s creation by canoeing, watching the night sky, swimming, taking walks. While the middle schoolers were discussing the armour of God and memorizing verses from Ephesians, the adults were studying about heaven. In the evenings, we had a hymnsing, progressive campfires, a variety show and a powerpoint of pictures take throughout the week.
A Proverbs 31 woman does not stay home and eat chips and dip all day. In fact, rarely. If ever! She is serving others: her family, friends, people the Lord brings across her path. This week our family is able to host 2 German musicians here on a Blue Lake exchange tour. They are in an orchestra.
We are thankful for such opportunities where we can open our home ( which actually is the Lord’s home!) and share the love of Christ. We provide food, shelter, and opportunities to see what an American family lives like. One of the keys to offering hospitality is to be prepared (with food, a plan, etc.) yet, to be flexible. Since the students arrived last night, already some planned events were canceled (due to instruments still being left behind in Germany) and new events have been lined up. Flexibility is key!
Today, my youngest child and I will play some fiddling tunes at our friend’s 90th birthday! He is a wood carver who has a zest for life! We have friends of all ages. This friend and his wife have reminded us to be thankful for each day the Lord gives, to live life to the fullest, and to keep learning new things. Recently, this friend was given an aquarium with fish to take care of. Also, he and his wife take regular “field trips” (aka outings….and not just to the doctor’s office).
When I wrote the blog entry about swimming, my 11 yr. old asked what that had to do with being a Proverbs 31 woman.
Well, the Proverbs 31 woman girds her loins with strength, she takes care of her health by eating well, exercising, and taking care of herself. “Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.” A Proverbs 31 woman is a woman who fears the Lord; she keeps everything in balance.
This Spring and Summer has been full of weddings! Is it love that makes the world go round or is it Someone Else? Yes, it is the Triune God who is in control. Yes, yes. Anywhoooo, back to weddings. In May, I, a middle aged faun, was a bridesmaid in a wedding. The couple met online and it wasn’t too long before they were engaged then married. They met on a reformed internet info. group. The Lord was glorified as these servants covenanted together to be husband and wife and to serve the Lord together. They even sang a beautiful duet together during the service. There was congegational singing of a psalm, also. My family was able to assist with the congregational singing by playing stringed instruments: guitar, cello, viola, violin. There was a pianist, too.
After that wedding, is was time to prepare for my son’s wedding to his sweetheart. Their courtship lasted 16 months and it was God – glorifying. As mother of the groom, my responsibilities were quite different than being a bridesmaid. And, I did some special things to bond with my daughter in law. Once the engagement happened and was announced (March 30, 2006), I began a special keepsake journal – letters to my (then future) daughter in law. I wrote what my responses were to the engagement, the unfolding wedding plans, the details, the bridesmaids, the colors of the wedding, etc. By writing these letters I was able to process what was happening! My son was getting MARRIED! Wow!
God had blessed him with a godly woman and he was going to become the head of a new covenant home! My husband and I had prayed about the provision of a godly spouse since before his birth. Seeing the answered prayer come to fruition was truly a blessing, a gift from God. (By the way, in case you wondered, the wedding colors were lilac and silver, there were 8 bridesmaids (one being a junior bridesmaid), a flower girl, a ring bearer, 4 musicians playing piano, guitar, flute and violin, Scripture passages were read from Ephesians 5, a fantastic message was given, ……) Oh my!! The message made it clear that the couple not only leaves mother and father and cleaves to eachother, they also become a new entity, a new family.
Planning a rehearsal dinner 11 hours away from where the wedding occurred was not as hard as it sounds. The young couple made an initial list of possible venues. I made several calls to narrow the options to 3. Then, we discovered their first choice venue was going to be closed that night so we went to the next option. We received menus in the mail, chose 3 entrees (a chicken, a fish, and a beef option), planned a program for the rehearsal dinner and made a seating plan. We also had considered preparing food in the church kitchen for the dinner, but it did not seem practical, coming from a distance. So, all in all, the rehearsal dinner went very well.