Our First Stateside Assignment
At my age I don't have very many new experiences. I have seen a lot in these 54 years, but we don't have time to go into all of that here. This year was my first experience with stateside assignment. That is the new term for a missionary furlough. I am not an international missionary but my daughter and her family are missionaries to Japan. They finished their 4 years of language training, and they came home on stateside assignment on June 3. It has been a great blessing for Chris and I to have them here for these months. It is wonderful to talk about the Lord with them and to encourage each other. It is great to remember together how God has brought us all to where we are now.
We have tried to cram as much into our time together as possible, since they will not come back again for an extended time for several years. It was almost like being tourists in a way. We went places and saw things with the grandchildren. God gave us some wonderful memories like catching the foul ball at the Braves game and spending time at Cade's Cove. Kade and I took plenty of animal walks and took a lot of rides in my truck. Avenly progressed from just rolling on the floor to crawling and then to walking in these 6 months. Now, she can even talk amazingly well. God granted us the gift of being with them for these milestones. It has been physically and emotionally draining in some ways, since we still had all of our other responsibilities, too, but I would not trade it for anything.
Tonight, they left to go to Texas for several months of living close to Jeff's family. It was hard to see them go, and we will miss them. However, the phrase that came to my mind was, "Parting is such sweet sorrow." I don't know enough Shakespeare to give the real meaning of the phrase, but I can tell you my interpretation. It is so sweet to know that your children and grandchildren are doing God's will and that they are happy. However, it is sorrow in that you love them and wish you could be together all of the time. That is why my heart is full of sweet sorrow now, and I think it will be for a while. It's a good thing. It means there is a lot of love there, too.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Zechariah 9-12 and Revelation 20.
We have tried to cram as much into our time together as possible, since they will not come back again for an extended time for several years. It was almost like being tourists in a way. We went places and saw things with the grandchildren. God gave us some wonderful memories like catching the foul ball at the Braves game and spending time at Cade's Cove. Kade and I took plenty of animal walks and took a lot of rides in my truck. Avenly progressed from just rolling on the floor to crawling and then to walking in these 6 months. Now, she can even talk amazingly well. God granted us the gift of being with them for these milestones. It has been physically and emotionally draining in some ways, since we still had all of our other responsibilities, too, but I would not trade it for anything.
Tonight, they left to go to Texas for several months of living close to Jeff's family. It was hard to see them go, and we will miss them. However, the phrase that came to my mind was, "Parting is such sweet sorrow." I don't know enough Shakespeare to give the real meaning of the phrase, but I can tell you my interpretation. It is so sweet to know that your children and grandchildren are doing God's will and that they are happy. However, it is sorrow in that you love them and wish you could be together all of the time. That is why my heart is full of sweet sorrow now, and I think it will be for a while. It's a good thing. It means there is a lot of love there, too.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Zechariah 9-12 and Revelation 20.