Daddy, the children are coming!

Dear Husband, Dad, Grandfather Ted,

Jeff and Carla are leaving Granite Bay about now and will be rolling in around 4 o'clock this afternoon.  The first loaf of  "Jeff bread" is baking. If he walked in this house and the fragrance of baking bread didn't greet him, he would think he was in the wrong house. ...and for Carla, as long as I have a brimming bowl of fruit on the counter, she feels smothered in my love. Their Lainey is working and their Lauren is in a summer music institute in Winona Lake, Indiana, so the grandkid count drops to four.

Doug, your three children will be with us tonight and tomorrow. Dee is cooking the Big Dinner for everybody tonight so we will be hanging out on her deck.  Daddy, tomorrow we will be at our house. Jeff, the sentimentalist, does not want me to sell this big ol' house, but wants to keep it in the family. How many times have six grandchildren raced up and down all the stairs, laughing and screaming as they played "Ghosts in the Graveyard"? ...and now those six grandchildren love each other and will take care of each other after I join you there with Jesus. When Jeff comes today, he will say, "Mom, it's so good to be here", and I will reply as always, "You have no idea how GOOD it is to have you here!"

Daddy, when you greeted Doug at the Gate just over a year ago, is that what you said to him, "Oh, Son, it's so good to have you here! ...and we are together to meet the rest of the family as they come Home, one by one, OR, maybe they will all come at once when the Trumpet blows!"  ..but Honey, I may be here awhile longer.  Recall that Blair, my brother is 94 years old.  I surely don't want to hang around and be a burden to our kids and grandkids. You were never a pain during your many surgeries, then cancer. Doug, you left so quickly, the remaining family is still reeling from shock. We will miss you both this weekend, but all of us think about Heaven in ways we never did before. We talk about what you may be doing, but suspect that we are not even close to knowing what is really going on with the two of you.  ...but then, in all truth, I never DID know what was going on with the two of you. You had a special relationship that excluded me, and I was never jealous of that.  Well, maybe a little.

On Sunday morning, Dee and Brent's Lexi and Doug, yours and Robin's Maddy Jane will go to a Hume Lake Christian Conference for teenagers.  Thank you, Lord,  for the solid Christian foundation you are providing for all of our grandchildren. You are so good to us.

As I write, Dee is  fetching yours and my Ridgeline Honda from Scott's Auto Repair. I don't know if you heard that Mrs. Doe Deer bounded off the side of a mountain in front of me  and rearranged the front end of our  truck. I couldn't have missed her, Honey. She was travelin'! Somethin' was chasing her. We have lots of "somethings" up here, as you know. I haven't seen any elk this year, but they're around. ...no bear or mountain lions around our place. ...coyotes in the night that cause Pussn'Boots to snuggle closer. ...no rattle snakes...yet. ...but Dee and Brent had one on their property last  week. I haven't moved my air mattress out on the deck yet, so will have Jeff do that for me this weekend. You know how I love to sleep under the stars and wake up to several crows dive bombing me and cawing, "GET UP, WOMAN!"

Wednesday night as I played fabulous music with our Symphony in celebration of our nation's independence, I looked out over the vast crowd on the football field, half expecting to see you smiling at me, for you never missed a concert even when you were wheelchair bound. Thank you for always being my cheerleader.

You know how I obsess until I get whatever I am working on exactly right. Between yours and Ray Stedman's messages on I Corinthians 14, I just may be about ready to write next weeks lesson for the eager Bible students He graciouly brings me. I skipped teaching this week because I was stewing about meanings and needed to have lots of time to hear just His voice. Man, the messages you and Ray could teach now since Jesus has cleared up all the mysteries.  Some of yours and my buddies are divided right now over doctrines, and truthfully, Honey, I am sick of the whole business. It seems to me that Paul was fed up too at the end of the 12th chapter of I Corinthians so he simply cut to the chase and wrote the most beautiful words in all of scripture: "Would ya' just LOVE each other? None of your human arguments are going to convince one lost Jew OR Gentile that I love them with an everlasting love that will never let them go!"

I must check on Jeff's bread, then I think I will snatch a nap on the deck in the sun. I do get more tired than I used to.

Love, Your wife, Jo

Oh, yes, ... one of your favorite closing worship songs: His Name is Wonderful

His Name is Wonderful; His Name is Wonderful;
His Name is Wonderful; Jesus, my Lord
He is the Mighty King; Master of everything.
His Name is Wonderful; Jesus my Lord.
He's the Great Shepherd; the Rock of all ages
Almighty God is He!
Bow down before Him; love and adore Him
His Name is Wonderful. Jesus, my Lord.