I Know I Was Prayed For

Whew! I survived my first Father's Day. I honestly think the anticipation and dread of it were much worse than the day itself. I have to say, I am so thankful for those of you who prayed for me yesterday. It means more than you will ever know.

I just want to praise my Heavenly Father for providing a peace that I know comes only from Him. Last week I was really struggling. It seemed that months of grief I thought I had already dealt with came crashing down on me. The truth is that for me, Father's Day was going to be the ultimate reminder of what is missing in my life. All holidays and birthdays will probably be difficult for awhile. But, Father's Day is the only day that seems to scream "YOU DON'T HAVE A DAD ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!" I was terrified I wouldn't make it through 2 minutes of church. But you know what? I did.

I shared that my heart's greatest longing was to just spend the day in bed. Or hanging out on the couch. But, the Spirit just wouldn't let me. Because as severe as my grief may have been, life is still going on and I feel a greater urgency than ever before to not miss a minute of it. I had filled the dining room table with Josh's presents the night before and got up that morning to fix some eggs, bacon and biscuits. I wanted to share some pics I got from that time. They crack me up.

Josh had to open his presents first so we could clear off the table, but I had all of the plates fixed and waiting. Kate literally threw herself across the table screaming "BACON! BACON!" I understand babygirl, sometimes bacon just makes you act a fool!

Josh had picked out a car model he wanted. He was actually at Hobby Lobby with me the day I bought it. I'm so glad. He pointed out the various knives, paint and glue he would also need. This is him warning the kids against messing with said objects. Don't you love Kate's look. She is SOOO paying attention, isn't she??? :)

After breakfast I sent everyone to get church clothes. This is what Kate came up with.....

I was a little nervous that I would become an emotional mess at church. Well, right as I came out of my Sunday School class one of my sweet girls from my VBS class was waiting at the door. One of our church members brings her occasionally and this was the first time she had been since VBS. She came looking for me! "Teacher! Teacher!" she called. My heart melted. When I got to the sanctuary three of the other little girls from my class were waiting and came to hug me as soon as they saw me. I went around the sanctuary making my usual Sunday morning rounds. When I returned to my seat the girls were motioning for me. They wanted me to sit with them in our pew we sat in during VBS opening assembly! This may not seem like a big deal to any of you, but it was chicken soup for my soul that morning. They will never know how much God used them.

We didn't have evening service so we had planned to head to Panama City to grab some lunch and go see Toy Story 3. I, of course, had to get a picture of Josh with the kids. Then we needed one of the two of us. Since Sarah got to take a picture, Eli needed to take one. It turned into an impromptu photo shoot at our front door and if I had dressed everybody and paid somebody big money and chosen a location nicer than our door, my kids would have never cooperated. Oh well. We had fun.

Josh took this one. Isn't it a keeper? I was falling and Kate was having a meltdown in the background. It's always good to have one to remember what was REALLY going down. :)

Before we left town, Josh wanted to stop by a fishing store to grab a shirt for his Dad that he hadn't had a chance to pick up yet. It's a store next to our Piggly Wiggly and I always assumed it was just for men. You know fishing stuff, boat stuff, camo stuff and stuff like that. I learned that they also have really cute swimsuits and sundresses and adorable jewelry. I got so excited. I don't think Josh is going to ever let me go to the Pig by myself again. The store also has this great pirate out front. So, we continued our photo shoot....

After we grabbed some lunch and stopped by to visit with Dandy (Josh's Dad) and T for a few minutes we made it to the movie theater.

Have you ever seen 3 kids look so cool in 3D glasses? I didn't think so...

As we were walking into the movie I ran into a boy (okay, he's a man now) that I have known forever. He was in the same 5th grade class with me and Josh. It's been at least 10 years since I've seen him and it was great to see him and his family. It also gave me a good Daddy memory. One time my Dad had come to eat lunch with me at school and George had been at the table with us. I didn't get a word in edge wise. They had talked about fishing the whole time. My Dad talked for weeks afterward about what a nice boy he was and how much fun they had talking. I was thankful for that memory.

The movie was SOO good. And so was the popcorn. And the chocolate covered almonds. And my kids. Wow, they have come such a long way! It's fun to watch movies with a toddler audience. At one point we heard a little voice from the back say, "That was funny!" Yep, it was funny. And sweet. And sappy. And a precious time for our family. (As I write that I am totally blocking out the moment when Kate lost her glasses and went wandering through the empty row in front of us. She then laid flat on her stomach in the aisle. And she had somehow ended up barefoot. Yep, I'm just blocking that right out.)

After a visit with my Mom and brother we made our way back home. The kids were wored out and went straight to bed after eating supper. I got to see a new episode of Drop Dead Diva (I heart that show!) while Josh worked on his new model. Man I'm glad he cleans up his own toys!!!!!!!

I am thankful for God's grace. I am thankful I didn't spend my day in the bed. I'm thankful for memories. The old ones and now, the new ones.