Indiana Blessings
Ray and I enjoyed being with our son John, our daughter-in-law Audra, and our grandson Henry this past weekend, while we displayed our curriculum at the Indiana Association of Home Educators convention at the state fairgrounds. Since our family has participated in this convention for about a dozen years, we enjoy reconnecting with folks we visit with year after year.
After we set up on Thursday and after the convention hours ended on Friday and Saturday, we had fun family times in Ray’s and my room with John, Audra, and Henry — hot dog party on Thursday night, babysitting Henry party on Friday night, and pizza party on Saturday night! Two-year-old Henry makes every party fun. Our new game is hide and seek:
Little peeks out of the closet, while Henry looks through fingers “covering” his eyes. Little runs to Henry and and tickles him. Henry giggles merrily and then says, “Ag’in!”
- Parties in a hotel room.
- Connecting with Indiana mamas, daddies, and children and with other vendors.
- Joyfully observing the love between our son and his very own Audra and Henry.
- Seeing Audra looking great two months before Henry’s little brother Toby is due.
- Working side-by-side with Ray and John.
- Walking around the vendor hall with Henry and seeing him try out a harp just his size.
- Watching Ray take off hand-in-hand with Henry for their own vendor hall walk.
- I could go on and on . . . .
I am sorry to say that I also have a negative memory about the weekend. It’s about a conversation I had with a lady as I was waiting for Ray and John to pick me up at the door on Friday. While I should have been rejoicing that I was in a warm building waiting for loving family members to pick me up at the door, I complained about how cold it was while telling her how warm it was back home. She should have been hearing something uplifting to her and honoring to God; instead she heard me be silly about the weather — of all things!!
Now I just feel terrible that this woman now knows only one thing about me — that I complained about the weather. I am so embarrassed.
so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent,
children of God above reproach
among whom you appear as lights in the world,
holding fast the word of life . . . .
Philippians 2:14-16