Summer is Coming to a Close

As I sit here I realize that summer day trips, swimming in friend's pools and just relaxing at home are soon coming to an end. I am saddened that the children will be gone all day, but happy too. They need structure and I can tell that they will benefit from the scheduled days at school and also they will get to see their friends a lot more.

My oldest--my daughter--will be a senior this year! Yikes, where have the years gone? It is amazing how the Lord is so orderly even with the development of children in that my daughter is really needing her independence. I don't think that she realizes how much she still really needs us, but she will find that out when the world throws her curveballs during the next few years.

I came to appreciate my parents long after I was a senior in high school. I started to really appreciate my parents when I began to have children at the age of 25. The reality of all of their years of hard work and all of the trials I put them through really impacted me at that age...and still to this day.

I hope that it doesn't take my daughter, or any of my children, that long to realize how much we love her and the extent to which we would go to show her the right path.

My youngest son will be going into the second grade at the elementary school and then my next oldest boys will be at the middle school (5th and 8th grade). My oldest son (10 grade) and daughter (12th grade) will be at the high school.

My husband had last week off to be with me and the kids on the anniversary of Caleb's passing. We had a "good" week considering the circumstances. We did go on some day trips despite the fact that it felt like it was 95 degrees out with 90 % humidity. At some points I thought it would start raining inside our house it was so humid!

We ended up going to the local aquarium, the ocean, a corn maze (my family got very lost!), took some dips in our friend's pool and overall enjoyed each other's company.

My husband is a very motivated person and also put in a cement (poured it himself) stone walkway from an arbor that we have all the way to our back deck. It came out great.

I was sad to see my husband go back to work this Monday, but glad that he has a job during these difficult economic times. Thank you God!

My children will go back to school on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. I will be getting up at 5:30 again starting then. I have enjoyed "sleeping in" a bit this summer.

I hope that this finds you all sipping in the last days of summer and enjoying your families.

With love and hope,
Cheryl

Psalm 31:24Be strong and let your heart take courage,All you who hope in the LORD.