I think for the first 20 years of my marriage, I had a great deal of resentment towards my father-in-law. He was by all measures a wonderful man, but I felt in many ways, his grandchildren took a backseat to his happiness. And yet, the irony of it all, I also believe that other than my husband, he understood me the best. I will explain. After his retirement, he devoted most of his days and nights to the local high school and its sports program. It would seem logical since before that he had lived his life through his children's sports. An incredibly attentive parent in that regard, he coached them, encouraged them, and dreamed with them from T-ball through the entirety of high school. His breath was measured by the smell of a fresh cut baseball field. His heart beat to the pounding of shoes racing up and down a basketball court. And his eyes came alive with the lights of a Friday night football game. It was far more than his passion; it was his life. So why would...
Yesterday I thought a lot. I thought about my life, where I am, where I have been, even what may be ahead of me. When I talk to my friends who married later and had an entire lifetime it seems before they even said I DO, it makes me wonder how things may have been for me had I not gotten married at 20. I imagine a glamorous life, living in the city, working at a huge teaching hospital and catapulting my career there. Spending weekends out on the lake, having my own apartment, and carrying out the life few dare to dream. Whether that would have been the reality of it, I rather doubt. But, as so many say, the grass is always greener. The fact of the matter is that I am the sum of my journey, however mundane or exciting it may seem. I completely own all of the joys and all of the losses. And by most people's estimation, it has turned out to be a blessed life. I firmly believe that God has predestined my journey, and it is my ministry in life to wri...
If you are lucky enough to have friends that have spanned nearly a lifetime, then you know exactly how I feel. Every year, I load up my car and travel north to Wisconsin where four of us from high school gather at Melinda's lake house. I have food, way too many clothes, and a heart so filled with excitement it nearly bursts. We come from all over. Suzy lives in Georgia, Jenny lives in Peru Illinois, Melinda has her main residence in Oswego Illinois, and I am in North Aurora Illinois. For 3-4 days we meander through trails, spend hours on their boat on the lake, and stay up late talking about our deepest thoughts and memories. And, if we are lucky, we have Brandy Alexanders! Because our birthdays are all within weeks of each other we celebrate them all while we are there. When the last bed is stripped, and parcel of food put away, with the sun gazing over the lake, its time to say goodbye. Not just goodbye to treasured friends, but goodbye to the lake who hosted us...
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