PHEW! We are on a journey! Emma and I came up (errr... yes, it is up!) to Texarkana to see our very close friends! One close friend (Kate) is having a NN (NoName) baby boy. We wanted to celebrate with her and be at her shower! Also, it was a GREAT excuse to go see Jamie, Ryan, Ella, Lincoln, and (their newest addition) Londyn. Poor Brad, he wanted to go, he wanted to see Ryan, but he is in the midst of a sermon series for Easter and has commitments to keep! That's one thing I can say about Brad, he KEEPS his commitments regardless! A great thing! So Emma and I decided that we were big enough to drive the four plus hours to this charming (cough cough) town!
So we headed out on Thursday. I thought I would leave early morning, then thought late morning. But noon wasn't so bad, huh? So we started out and enjoyed our time. We stopped for lunch (well, I guess really we got it before we started!) and then we stopped to potty. And then we stopped to potty. Oh then we needed water and a cookie, and then we needed to potty. Did I mention that Emma had to potty? Well, we did make it (about 6:30.....) and good thing too! Because as soon as we got there "we" needed to go potty.
Well, well, so after our day of travel we had a wonderful time of hanging with our BFF.... heh heh. You would think that we had reunited a long lost love the way Emma and Ella rat at each other! AND would you even believe that they didn't fight for two whole days?!?! Yesterday we did running and enjoyed a beautiful winter day as we got a treat from God. A whole morning of pouring SNOW! When we woke up we found the world to be white and cold and the snow was coming down! Well, nothing could keep these snow bunnies in, especially Emma's hurting ears. So we called up, loving Dr. Burns (Emma's Pediatrician here) and they promptly got us in. I was only 20 min late as I had to drive behind those who don't know driving in snow!
After being seen, we exited to go get two prescriptions - one for a double ear infection, another for the hacking, cackling, crusty, phlegmy cough Emmi suddenly developed! Poor Emma, as we got ready to leave Dr. Burns turned to her he told her that she was not allowed to go play in the snow! SO hard for a kid who has not seen ANY snow in TWO YEARS! My heart hurt as her big eyes watered and she managed a quavery "Yes, Sir". No, it really broke my heart. I wish I could give her Taos winters!
ANYWAY, today was the shower and we SO enjoyed it! Had many friends come, new and old, and we enjoyed a time of catch up! Kate just moved here a couple years ago, and as I have found out, newbies seem to find each other! So many of my friends from while we were here came. I found myself more emotional that I had ever thought I would be. Even had to escape for a bit to just sit and chat out of the stream of things for a few minutes. My throat kept choking up.... The covenant Brad and I made to the Lord stands. Anywhere, Anytime, Anyhow. Or as a dear story goes, No reserve, No retreat, No regret.
But that is hard - on the human level. Emma and I sat crying together at one point today, she sad and my mother's heart broke for her - so I cried too! We asked God for strength to help us when we run out. To help us understand things we don't, to have a strength that is not our own. Did he? Yes, he did. I hurt, but I know that I am where God wants me to be. Emma is where she is wanted to be - and Brad, well, God has him in just the right place!
So, Monday we leave again. We have to go Home (hard because we still own our "HOME" from here!) and we will be excited. We have great friends, a great further, and a great calling to Lake Charles. But there is always that ping. A tug - we love our friends in Texarkana. We were called to minister there and we did everything we could do to open our hearts to allow God to use us - that lead to vulnerability. And perhaps some pain. But would I change that? No. Without pain there is no Joy. And we have Joy in our friends, in our memories, in our future! We have moved a lot. We have had to leave many people behind and God reminds us to pray for them regularly. We love this! So please pray for Emma and I as we head back on Monday. That we would enjoy our future. Eager.
No Reserve,
No Retreat,
No Regret
