Home At Last

All good things must come to an end; we're back home, in hot, humid, Virginia. I'm sitting on the deck listening to the cicadas hum, slapping mosquitos off of my legs. The steady 'whoosh' of the dryer vent is a far cry from the gentle crashing of the waves that have filled my ear for the past week.

A bird is chirping in the dusk, somewhere high about me. A few visitors have been coming to the bird feeder I hung - I spotted one or two right before we left town, and quickly noted that the feeder was empty when we got back home. I filled it this evening, and will look for new friends in the morning.

I'll finish my official vacation tomorrow (while trying desperately to prepare for top o' the morning meanings and budgets - both due first thing Tuesday - without actually 'working'). In the meantime, we're enjoying settling in back home.

It was a good week, and we are blessed.

We usually make time for a trip to Emerald Forest Miniature Golf. It's a great money-maker for them, and $55 for a night of fun for us - GULP! - but we usually have a blast. David is the best golfer of the kids - he got a hole-in-one and managed to have the best score of all his siblings. Almost beat the adults, too!

One of our final activities is the picture on the steps. We have one for every year we've been to the beach. I may try to find a few older ones and share with you the pang I feel in my heart as I look at the young women and growing boys that now surround me. This was a watershed year for us on vacation; so many things were different for us. And yet, what is life, if not a series of changes and transitions?

So it goes. Makes me think of a song by Ellis Paul, called 'The World Ain't Slowing Down':

You gotta get gone, you gotta get going

Hey the world ain't slowin down for no one

It's a carnival calling out to you

It sounds like a song

Hits you like scripture

You paint the picture with colors squeezed from your hand

Weren't you the kid who just climbed on the merry-go-round?

Hey look, the world ain't slowin down

It sure isn't. That's not necessarily a bad thing; it's just a heck of a wistful turn now and then.

All in all, it's good to be home.

**POSTSCRIPT: We found a letter in the mail stating that Sarah had been accepted to the photography class at her school. Only 16 kids were invited to take the class; we were holding our breath, and thrilled to know that she was selected! Most of the best photos you'll see on this blog were taken by her; she has a unique ability to catch the most beautiful moments with a camera. The class will be film only - not digital, which will be a great experience. She is leaning towards photography as a career of some sort. This training is a TREMENDOUS blessing for her and for us! There was much rejoicing!!