Rain

It is raining here. That is special because it has not rained here in a very long time and we need the rain. We had a good day today and our attendance at church was up. Thanks to Michele's willingness to take the three girls to camp by herself we will not have to make the trip to Arkansas. The people of our congregation overwhelm me with kindness. They greeted me with hugs and cards and gifts. I am not worthy of any of these blessings. They have been so understanding of my prolonged absense from Hillsboro as I helped to take care of my mother and dad. They truly are sweet and godly people.

This picture was taken Saturday at our get together at mother's house. It was a really good time and a great joy to mother to have all her children together again. I enjoyed spending time with my brothers and sisters on Saturday. Mother had us to each take one of our dad's Bibles and we each got one of his harmonicas. I chose the $3.99 one that I had bought him when we went on vacation together about 7 years ago. It was on that trip that dad asked me what I planned to do with the house in which my daughter had been living. I told him that I was going to try to talk my dad and mother into moving into it. They moved in just a few months afterward. It may be a cheap harmonica but I would not take anything for it. We were to each take one of his whirly gigs and I have not gotten mine yet. Mother gave me dad's omnicord. It is a strange musical instrument and looks fairly simple to play so I will give it a try.

I had a good long talk with Jason and Angie today and they are doing well. We will be heading back over to Henderson tomorrow around noon and will spend most of Tuesday visiting with family. I will go with my brothers, sisters, and mother on Tuesday to the cemetery to bury the urn. We will have a quite time together and then on Wednesday morning at 10:00 we will gather with a host of family and friends to commorate dad's going home. Tomorrow I will work on the very brief message that I will bring from the text that dad picked to be read at his funeral. I would like to have had a conventional funeral for dad but that is not what he wanted. Out of a sense of duty to honor my father I yield to his wishes and will keep the service short.

Rain is refreshing and so is the time when loved ones gather to comfort one another. God bless you.