Sunday musings

We had a nice day. Got up and got the kids ready for church. Well... Matthew gets himself ready with prompts and reminders. Actually, I think we may get ready a little quicker when not waiting for Maia to do things in her time - lol! We made it to church with time to spare which is a rare thing for us. One of the things that we appreciate about SZ is that there are usually others pulling into the lot at the last minute, just like we are. :-)

It was a wonderful thing to be back at church. To be honest, I had a knot in my stomach as we parked. Crazy, right?? In thinking about it, the best way I can describe it is comparing this to after Bob died. There were all of those "firsts" that I had to experience. Today was one of the "firsts" after Maia's illness. It had nothing to do with the type of reception I expected. It has more to do with doing all of those things that we used to take for granted, things that were part of our routine, that didn't differ a whole lot. I was afraid that going back to church was going to be "different."

And in a way, it was. But really, it was more the same than different. To feel the welcome of our church family and be able to thank them for their prayers and support was great! God's presence is so tangible in our church, I don't know how to describe it. From the time that we first visited, I felt His peace and love surround me. That hasn't changed. Anyway... I'm getting off track. As soon as we walked into the building, I forgot any sense of tension. Really, the only thing that has changed is the technical details - going in a different entrance, Mark and Maia riding up the lift to the sanctuary, etc. We went up front for communion just like always, yes - we walked a little slower and Mark had to help Maia walk. But, we went up as a family. Oh, I'm not doing a very good job of explaining it but bottom line... it was good!

Had a pretty lazy afternoon. Mark took Matthew to see a little of the tractor pull at a nearby town's old time celebration. Maia and I stayed where it was cool and we all took a little nap. I managed to get a little bit of cleaning done. Still a LONG way to go, but I'm not quite so discouraged with how much of a mess the house is. ;-)

Enjoyed another wonderful dinner which we were blessed with by someone from our church. Mark and I are truly humbled by this outpouring of support from friends and family.

At church this morning, there were so many requests for prayer for people going through difficult times. It's hard to hear that so many people are struggling and suffering. The song that was sung during our special music time talked about how God is there during our day and our night, our mountain tops and valleys. And He IS. Even during the times when I can't feel His presence, I know and trust that He is with me. God is constant in the midst of the storms that go on around us. He is unchanging. And even though things don't always make sense in this world, in the heavenly realm, God's plan is perfect. He doesn't make mistakes. It is our human nature that does not allow us to see the big picture. But, he is putting all of the pieces together and one day (even if it isn't until we get to heaven), we will see His purpose in the things that happen in our lives. In the meantime, God is enough. He is enough.

Oops, almost forgot to leave you with a couple of pics.  And would you pray for us tomorrow - as I go back to work and Mark has to work on figuring out his new "norm" for the days?