Have I blogged about our sweet, sweet Grace winning her division of the Little Miss CCA pageant? I don't think so. We are so, so proud of her. Of course, we were ecstatic when her name was called, but I was so much prouder of her attitude. In her own words, "Winning is not important; having fun is what's important, and I did that." So sweet :)
Have I blogged about David opening Country Farm Supply? That may be one reason my computer time is shorter...NO.WIRELESS.INTERNET!!! Seriously. And blogging from my phone is hard. I do hope everyone will support David's new venture. I truly believe we are supposed to support those businesses in our area. My brother said it best just the other day. He said, "People say the 4-lane is killing McKenzie. But it's not. People are killing McKenzie when they choose to go other places." Smart man, my brother.
Have I blogged about the spring competition season at Greenville Gymnastics? Lots of kids doing lots of amazing things. Grace competed with several other gymnasts in our very first Level 1 team. They were just the sweetest little girls. Other girls competed Level 3 and Prep Ops. We had so much fun--and stayed sooooo busy! And Ashley--sweet Ashley--competed in her last meet. I think it hit all of us at the same time. She is such and amazing young lady and a wonderful role model for our other gymnasts. More about that later. She deserves her own blog entry :)
Have I blogged about how I hate changing times? I mean, can't we just pick one and stick with it? It just messes up my whole schedule and body rhythm. And anybody that has, takes care of, or teaches small children can attest to the fact that changing the time and being expected to adjust in one day does evil things to a little person. Heck, it does evil things to a grown person! And why in the world, if time is going to change, can time not change on Saturday morning instead of Sunday morning? We would at least have the whole weekend to adjust. But nooooooo! One day. That's it. I vote no.
And now, the real reason for the title of this entry. I may have to explain a little. Those of you close to me know that three years ago, Robert died in a car accident. I was so devastated--there is truly nothing to prepare a person for losing a child. Even though I've always considered myself a strong person (albeit with leaky eyes), that tragedy just really took rug out from under me. I remember sobbing uncontrollably on Daddy the day after the accident and saying that I would have thought I could be stronger. I'll never forget what he said: "It would take a mighty big oak not to bend in a wind like this." Whenever I find myself "leaking," I think about what Daddy said, and I know it's ok to bend. I just have to be willing to get back up when the "storm" is over. One thing I've found helps me get back up is the signs I believe I'm given all along.
The day of Robert's funeral, March 1, it snowed. SNOWED. In south Alabama. Robbie walked out on the back porch, snow swirling all around him, and said, "Well, hello, Robert." For the next two years, snow occured at unusual times. I feel with all my heart that the snow was for me...a sign from above. So this year I waited for snow. I was quietly sad when it didn't snow around Christmas. Around the three-year anniversary in February, I got concerned because there was still NO MENTION of snow. Then the anniversary of his funeral came. I think everybody wore shorts. People were going to the beach. No snow. I was beyond disappointed.
But then, just the other day, Carsyn and I were outside playing, and I glimpsed something -- a sign! Right after Robert died, we turned his basketball court into an arbor. Not wanting anything ever to happen to the precious memories we had there, we put up a swing and moved the kids toys over there. Vicki ran across some azaleas and brought them home to plant in the trees near the arbor. But it snowed on them for two years and I thought they had died. But this year, for the first time since they were planted, this is what happened:
Carsyn must surely have thought I had lost my mind. Who else dissolves into a puddly mess over blooming azaleas? Words cannot express the incredible peace and comfort those sweet blooms gave me. So I didn't get my snow; I got a surprise that was just as beautiful and maybe a different kind of sign. Those beautiful blooms gave me just a peek at what gorgeousness Robert is experiencing now, not in the cold world of snow, but in the warm garden of God's presence.
