Trying to capture events that happened weeks ago is hard1 I am learning that I need to stop and make the time to put these words on the page - when they are happening. For now, I am catching up!
Zeke turned 12 on May 15. That seems so hard to imagine. Especially difficult for me since I had no idea what I got him for his present! There was some computer "things" that he really needed since he is currently "building" a PC to use for gaming. I simply ordered what I was told to get (Thank goodness for online ordering! You don't have to go into a store and look foolish trying to get the correct items!) I didn't even have to wrap these since I had them delivered right to Gwen's house! Zeke asked me to please bring him "Chinese Chicken Nuggets" for his birthday. This is actually just Sweet and Sour Chicken from our favorite, hometown Chinese place that is also Gwen's favorite! I was happy to bring him this special treat.
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Jimmy's birthday was next. These two years have flown by. Every week he has some new skill or new words or new activity. They had a Dino themed party for him at a little play place that was perfect for two year olds. He ran and played and just had a wonderful time being the center of it all. 
Lia turned 17 the next day. It is hard to even write that number! It makes me feel so old! Given the busy life of a 17 year old (and Memorial Day Weekend) we settled for a lunch after church at Portillos to celebrate! 
Her gifts included a special backpack that she wanted for college - yep - college. She has already been taking some classes on line, but next fall she will be going in person. Again, just where did the time go? She also wanted these cute shorts and hoodie and modeled them for me! That's one proud daddy for sure!
On June 2nd, Gwen and Tim celebrated 22 years of marriage! Again - How did that happen? So Lia, Ellie, Zeke and Anna came to my house tor the day/night/day so that Gwen and Tim could actually have some time to celebrate. They opted to stay home, but went out to dinner and then also kayaked on their lake and went for a run together. Hopefully soon, they will plan a better trip away to celebrate their anniversary! Needless to say, the kids and I had a great time. Lia actually drove them to my house. That's a first! We went out to dinner and played mini golf. There was a zipline in the park near the mini golf and the kids had a great time pushing each other! The next morning we went out to breakfast and followed that up with a trip to Target! 
It was a busy 24 hours - but so much fun. I can't think of a better way to spend a couple of days.
These blogs are really like my journals. They help me keep track of everything that goes on in my life. So doing these catch up blogs may seem silly, but I love seeing pictures that help me remember exactly where the time went! And seeing Jimmy at 2 years old and Lia at 17 years old on the same page kind of takes my breath away. I cherish every picture of all of the grandkids together. It won't be long before it doesn't happen very often. Yes, time marches on.
Somewhere in this busy time frame, I passed by Ken's and my wedding anniversary. May 18th was our 49th anniversary. Next year would be 50. I remember having so many conversations with Ken about this milestone and we really thought we would get to celebrate that one together. Yet, here it is three years that he has been gone. These many events/pictures just remind me that we should never miss an opportunity to be with family and to celebrate even the small things. I am so incredibly grateful that I am able to be with each of my grandkids every week. It is a privilege to watch them grow and change. I can imagine how much more of an impact these birthdays would have for me, if I didn't see the kids all the time. Its all about having a relationship with them.
I have several friends that I have lost contact with over the last few years. I have been trying to reconnect with them, but schedules and illnesses and just general tasks have seemed to get in the way. I have been considering just how hard it is to maintain a relationship when you don't have contact with someone. This is a lesson that keeps coming back to me whenever I start to feel distant from Jesus and wonder if he is with me at all. And don't we all have times when that is the case? Often it is because I have fallen away from Bible study, gathering with other believers or even just listening to worship music. I haven't given up on getting together with these friends and will continue to try to make contact happen. And I know that getting back to that place of closeness with Jesus is a journal entry, a worship song or picking up my Bible time away. As I have been playing catch up with these blogs, it has been a good reminder for me about what is important!
Jesus, thank you for children and grandchildren and families. Holy Spirit remind us of all those who may not be related to us by blood but are still like "family" to us - the neighbors, the friends, the co-workers, the people that we see every week. Help us to make time for relationships that really matter. Holy Spirit, give us courage to let go of those relationships that are not important and remind us all to draw closer to you. Give us patience with ourselves when we fail to put you first Jesus. Give us grace to start again and determination to continue to learn and grow. Amen
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