Of all places, I was in the drive thru line at the Jack in the Box near Dallas...Dallas North Carolina. While waiting to order I checked the weather and then Facebook. I was saddened to learn that Rachel Held Evans had passed away early this morning. Since seeing the call to prayer for her in the middle of April, I have faithfully kept her in prayer, asking God to heal her and return her to her family, a husband and two kiddos. I never doubted that she would return out of the medically induced coma that they had her in as they sought the answer to fighting the infection in her body. I don't know RHE and I didn't always agree with her but she seemed to be such an encourager and fighter. I teared up while thinking of her family...she was so young, 37.
The tears could have come easier because I had just dropped off Dena at the airport. She was able to spend a little over a week here and we had so much fun. We were busy, lazy, industrious and as always joyful being together. Our friendship began many years ago and although we are opposites in so many ways, we aren't. Hope that makes sense. She walked across the bridge at Grandfather Mountain and did so very easily, bought the t-shirt and I bought her the pin of honor....just like Lisa. She finally got to experience The Italian Restaurant in Newland and she loved it! Well, what's not to love? She hasn't been here in April before so Dena was able to experience the flowers. Such beauty. We had a great time together, ate at some wonderful places, shopped and hung around on the front porch. It won't be too long and the back porch will be finished.
Both Dena and I were keeping an eye on the weather. She for turbulence and me for rain, wind, hail and fog. For a bit it seemed like I might escape the rain but when I came around the curve and couldn't see the mountains in the distance, I knew. From Marion to Black Mountain it was rough. The wind began to blow and leaves were coming at me like driving through a snow storm. Then blinding rain began and even if I wanted to pull over I couldn't cause every available space on the shoulder was taken. Slow driving and keeping my eyes on the white lines helped. Just saw one crash and it was a single vehicle in the median. Look like he had been spun around. A state trooper was helping him. The rain let up a bit but rained all the way home. Buddy was happy to see me and well I was pretty dang happy to see her.
Roy is at a Toastmaster conference and he is enjoying it but a little bored. Sounds like a success!
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After checking radar it looks like this is the last round of showers before sometime this afternoon. It has been a constant rain. The plants and trees planted in these past few weeks are looking rather happy with these long continuous drinks of water. The instructions with the snowball bushes is to keep the ball of the plant hydrated. So that is happening but it is so interesting how quickly water evaporates here even after all the rain.
The morning after a friend's visit feels so sentimental. Drinking coffee in the quiet and after a little bit Buddy disappears for the first of a morning naps. I think I am feeling sentimental this morning, more so than usual after reading Twitter testimonies concerning Rachel Held Evans. And last night when I went out to feed the kiddos it really hit me that Riley is gone. Someone had just posted on a FB page that they had found weeks old kittens and by chance a neighbor had found their mama by their mailbox after being hit by a car. This was not Riley but those feelings of loss and helplessness rushed in after reading the post asking where and to whom to take the kittens, who still need to be bottle fed.
It was a sabbatical Sunday today with Buddy awake at 2:00 and never settling down until 4:30 with a few blips before 6:00 am. It is exhausting and I was so tired when the alarm went off this morning. With rain falling and eyes unable to stay open the decision was easy...sabbatical Sunday. Got some rest this morning and this afternoon tackling laundry hasn't totally taken a toll.
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