Family time and new things!

Today was, indeed, a day of celebration!   We spent the day together as a family.  All of the kids and grandkids (but only 2 of the 3 "granddogs").  Yes, it was a sunny, warm and wonderful day.   And I am in the "celebration" mode!  We ate, talked, laughed and played with the kids.  Anna mostly slept.  We watched a little bit of a baseball game (since Zeke is always saying he wants "baseball" when you ask what he wants for his birthday).  However after a bit of watching the Cubs, (losing, of course), he decided that he doesn't like baseball very much.  

Yesterday my niece Susan, posted on Facebook that it was her 16th Wedding Anniversary.   I had forgotten that she got married in April.  But I remember the weekend of that wedding for lots of reasons.   First is this picture............

My sister Karen had suggested that we have this picture taken when we were all in Kansas City for Susan's wedding.  So, early on Saturday morning, we went to a studio and had this picture taken.   I am so grateful for this picture!   Not a typical "professional" picture since we were all sitting on the floor.  But I just love the casual nature of this picture.   And we spent a lot of time laughing as the photographer tried to get us all "arranged" for this shot.   It was memorable, to say the least.  But this is one of the few really good pictures I have of all of my siblings and my mom.   Hard to believe that it was 16 years ago.  And that my mom and my sister are both gone now. This picture is up in my bedroom and I look at it every day. 

The second really powerful memory I have of this weekend, 16 years ago, was the actual trip............the driving to Kansas City.  And the reason that my memory is so strong is that Doug was in High School and Gwen was in College.   Imagine that back seat.   Neither one of them really wanted to be in a car, making a very long drive.   And then there was the hotel.  Yes, we had a bigger "suite" hotel room, but they still ended up not very happy.   This was, in fact, the LAST time we ever went anywhere, in one car, on any kind of a trip.   So the memory marked the end of an era for our family.  

I just love that these two memories are framed, today, with the wonderful family time that we had.  I just love seeing Gwen and Doug as adults that seem to really like being around each other.   And I couldn't be more sure that it was God ordained that Tim and Susie are part of our family.  Seeing those  sweet little grandchildren certainly helps to change my perspective on being so disconnected from my own siblings.   So even when one "era" of my family seemed to end - car trips and vacations, there was this time today, another wonderful era for us.  And even though my mom and sister are no longer with us, that picture reminds me daily, of all that Jesus has done in my family. 

Don't you just love that even when it seems like things are ending, it really just means that there is some new thing just around the corner?   It can sure change the way you view things.  I was thinking about it today.  And I will add this wisdom into my memory bank so that the next time an "era" seems to be ending, my perspective will be in the right place.  

Thank you Jesus, for helping me to continue to celebrate the month of April.   Thank you for the reminder from Susan that brought me to these wonderful memories.  Mostly today, thank you for my family and all that you are doing in each person.   Holy Spirit, help us all to look beyond the endings to the new beginnings that you have planned and purposed for us.  And thank you for the very spring-like weather and the sunshine today!   Amen