A Blessing

We are very lucky to have found a wonderful church in the past year. It is literally right around the corner from our house. Neither Steve nor I were really church-going folks, although we'd both attended church growing up. However, we found ourselves at a point in life where something seemed to be missing - - something we wanted for our boys, but didn't know exactly where to start. One day I called the pastor of our local Presbyterian church and asked her a few questions, and liked her right away. So we went and checked out one of their services, and have been attending ever since. I love this church because it is warm, welcoming, and accepting. Our pastor is very open-minded and knowledgeable, and the sermons are interesting and relevant to every-day life.

This past Sunday, Steve was to receive a special blessing from our pastor, as it was the last Sunday he would be attending church before he left. Unfortunately, she and her husband were on their way home from Canada and experienced a cancelled flight and could not make it to church. Fortunately, the woman who plays the organ at church, Jackie, stepped in. Jackie is an amazing woman who knows exactly what it is like to be without her husband for long periods of time. He is a physician who does mission work in Pakistan and is gone for months at a time.

Jackie had some of the church elders come to the front and lay hands upon our shoulders as she blessed Steve. It was really lovely and it took a lot of concentration not to break into the "ugly cry" in front of everyone. The gentleman standing next to Steve served in the Army in World War II.

Our boys are the only small children in the entire congregation, so as you can imagine, they get quite a bit of special attention. They especially love Miss Cathy, who does Sunday school with them. Since Camden and Griffin are the only children, there isn't a traditional "Sunday School" for them to attend, but Miss Cathy takes them to the classroom and they read stories and put puzzles together and have a great time. As you can see, she also brings them Push-Pops.

So, today I am feeling extra-thankful that we have such a loving congregation of people who will be thinking of Steve and looking out for us while he is away.