Happy Thoughts

Good happenings in the lives of the Serranos:

We got to meet Rachel's "African parents," Chris and Irene, a few weeks ago. It was a great experience--so clear how much they love her. Perhaps I will be a bit less apprehensive when she goes back next summer. Maybe. And to add to it, we drove with Jeremy and Rylan, which meant I got to spend the drive in the backseat with a very entertaining year and a half old. :)

Rachel came to visit last weekend. We took her to Tanner's and had caramel apples for lunch. And she took me shopping and convinced me to buy jeans because, for once, they were the right length. When she left, Josh and I went miniature golfing. Two things to note there: First, I got a hole in one, which I don't think I've ever done before (okay, it's mini-golf, but it was an accomplishment to me!). Second, I beat Josh. I don't think that's ever happened. I was quite pleased :)

We think we've found a church to settle at, at least for now. I am very hopeful we'll have many opportunities to get involved, and in the meantime, we have very good sermons to look forward to each week.

Yesterday was Josh's birthday, and I think it was a success. We had pepper steak for supper, and afterwards, we went to the music store so I could buy him his gift, a new classical guitar. (Chappu broke the other one.) I think he's quite happy with it, as he played it for an hour or so once we got home.

This weekend we're going to the Spoon River Drive. I can't wait to go to Bernadotte, find some good crafty things, eat bad-for-me-food, and spend time with my family. It's going to be a great time.

That's all for now...

Broken Heart

We must move from asking God to take care of the things that are breaking our hearts, to praying about the things that are breaking His heart. ~Margaret Gibb

Today at work I realized I was having one of "those" days--while outwardly I was my normal, happy-go-lucky self, inwardly my heart was hurting. A lot is going on in the lives of people I love. A woman from my parents' church--one of the most boisterous, outgoing people I have ever met, whose laugh fills up rooms and who has been filling in since my pastor retired--was just diagnosed with ovarian cancer and is having surgery tomorrow. In preparation for her surgery, the doctors did x-rays and found a spot on her liver. Josh's grandmother is slowly fading away; she has been fighting Parkinson's for so long, and I think she is just getting tired. We used to be lucky, it seemed, to visit her on good days, but good days are now few and far between, if at all. My uncle is having a hard time finding good work. He worked so hard to put himself through school and can't see the good it did, and he is so discouraged. And another loved one is going through a trial I can't begin to imagine, dealing with the circumstances of a past decision. It's clear that sometimes, no matter how sorry you are, you can't go back and fix things, and it hurts, too.

Usually on days like today I stop and count my blessings. I think that's a good thing to do, really, to stop and think upon all we have to be thankful for: health, love, good jobs, a home, quiet fall evenings, access to healthcare, so on and so forth, and to thank God for His graciousness, which I don't think we come close to understanding. It helps to put things in perspective, to have a way to look up when you're feeling down.

But today I decided I needed to feel down. I needed to feel my heart breaking, because I knew the pain in my heart was pain God was feeling, too. I know sickness was not His plan any more than broken hearts, for whatever reason, were. But humanity broke His heart, and we continue to break it every day, even as our own hearts are broken. And maybe, somehow, by feeling this pain, I will get a glimpse into God's glory, even glory in sadness, because He has glory there. And maybe by allowing myself to feel this sadness, I will know a tiny, tiny piece of the sadness of God, and revel in His love for us, and it will move me to pray for those things that break His heart even more than my own.

Feelin' hot, hot, hot....

(Cheesy title, I know. Deal with it.)

Well, it's hot, but considering the summer we've had, I won't complain. Yesterday was worse, and tomorrow is supposed to be markedly better. So no whining from me...for now :)

Had a lovely, wonderful, relaxing, busy Labor Day weekend. As tradition requires, we went home to Colchester. Saturday we spent much of the day at Argyle, casually walking through the enormous flea market, getting a few odds and ends, and then, of course, enjoying the ribeye from the Cattlemen's Association, a cold lemon shakeup, and that miracle of the pioneer, kettle corn. (Mom says we don't come home to visit on Labor Day weekend, we come home to eat. While it isn't true, sometimes you'd think it by the way we talk!) Saturday evening we had a cookout--Gramma and Grampa Beck came, as did Aunt Naomi and Gramma Copes. I had a fantastic time. Lots of time to catch up, lots of good things to eat--Gramma Copes and I shared a birthday cake (the first time that has happened--it was early for her and late for me) and later we had s'mores. On Sunday, we went to the community church service and then to the parade in the afternoon.

Jeremy, Nikki, and Rylan came--it was nice to see them, as this was the first time we'd all been together since their wedding. And I have to say, being an aunt is a pretty cool thing, especially to a boy as sweet as Rylan is. I'm completely smitten.


Of all the things I'm thankful for, I'll never be able to say how grateful I am for my family.