So here it is, the first Sunday after Labor Day or as I refer to it, Grandparent's Day! I arrived in Tucson a week ago. Twelve year old Amy and excitable Jasper greeted me at the front door. Smiley Amy looked so happy. Then she said: "I'm happy you are here. Her sister, Susanna, stood next in the greeting line with big hugs. It's been eight months since I've seen them. My, they grow so fast. Susanna is a senior this year. I love hearing about the colleges she visited during summer and the ones she hopes to apply for this fall. Her mom and I have been watching Downtown Abbey with her, and of course, enjoying late evening tea with the actors in the movie. Amy continues to rock math. This year, she's been chosen to be her teacher's assistant. She is very responsible and the one I ask to help at the house when her parents travel. Amy plays worship music for her dog, Star, who is recovering from Valley Fever. It wo...
A friend noticed Cowboy Church off of Dry Creek Road in West Sedona yesterday morning as he drove past and told me the parking lot was bulging with cars from everywhere. "Something big was going on! He said." "Yes I replied; I was there and I want to tell you all about what happened." I glanced over the highly attended sanctuary as the first speaker approached to speak. He introduced himself as a pastor from the state of Washington but he was also my bestie's nephew. His engaging eulogy of the life of his cousin, Ashley, gripped me. He helped all of us understand and trust God when we want to scream "She was so young. What about her widower husband now who loved her with all his heart? What about their two-year old boy who misses his mommy?" There are days we just don't understand God's ways. But I am at peace to know Ashley is finally pain free and lives in Paradise. I glanced at her mom, Maureen, my best friend now for...