Birthday Girl

On the 17th we celebrated my son's birthday and today we are celebrating my mom's birthday. Mom is the planner of details; I believe I get that from her. :D She wants everyone to be happy and she'll do all she can to be sure that we are. She'll make us whatever dessert we want for our birthday, which is a definite plus!

Mom likes to keep up with the whereabouts of dad, her kids and grandkids. Last year my 13 year old and I added Life 360 to our phones so we could track each other. Dad wanted in on it, but mom said no because she didn't want us to know where she was. Within a week, she kept grabbing Daddy's phone to locate us. I looked at her saying, you know, we could add you to our little group. She finally agreed and now she can track all 3 of us. :D

I'm teasing, but it's nice to know that someone cares so much about you that they'll make your favorite dessert and keep an eye out for your safety. 

Psalm 31: 25-29 Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her; "Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all."

Birthday Boy

This week we celebrated my son's 19th birthday. I always think of the week of his birth as the time when summer turns to fall, the leaves change colors and baseball playoffs are in full swing. That's what I remember most about entering the hospital back in 2000. It was warm and sunny, then upon leaving it was as if I had been locked away while the season changed. 

Thankfully my son was able to come home from UGA for a few hours to have dinner and cake. We made the most of our time together. I think I'll recall the laughter more than anything. It was just joyous occasion and I hated for it to end.

One of my gifts to him was a small Bible with a snap to close it. I've had it for many years and used it mostly at church, so he was very familiar with it. I handed it to him and he started to give it back, saying he had a Bible. It was then that I told him that I had transferred all of my notes from my main Bible to that one. He opened it and looked around. I was so happy when he closed it up, put it with his stuff and said "Thank you."

Proverbs 9:9-10 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

The Gateway Arch

I skipped my blog last Sunday because I was en route to St. Louis for a conference. I had never visited that area and it was a great trip. We arrived mid-afternoon, rode a commuter train to a hotel, dumped our luggage with the concierge desk and high-tailed it across the street to enjoy the end of the Braves vs. Cardinals post-season Game 3. Somehow we got to see the Braves win a playoff game in another city. That's one for a bucket list!

The next afternoon we visited the Gateway Arch. It was majestic, rising 630 ft from the edge of the Mississippi River. It had been recently renovated to include a new entry and a fabulous museum. It was quite the adventure! I was in awe of the architecture of an inverted catenary curve, with equilateral-triangle-shaped sections of 54 feet at the base, tapering to 17 feet at the top. I even returned another day just to walk around the outside and gawk at the design. 

As breathtaking as the Gateway Arch is today, I imagine it will pale in comparison to His gates. 

Psalm 100:4a Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. 

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