an awful lot

When I woke up this morning, the house was quiet.  Lily ran to jump in bed with Aunt Lisa and Uncle Adam, and their sheets were all pulled and in the washing machine.   She told me last night she misses Grandpa "oh so great", and I do, too.

Vacation is over.  Washing towels, making beds, cleaning counters, sorting laundry, family is gone, board meetings begin tomorrow.  Time to get back to real life....no more late nights, no more hidden Christmas gifts or birthday celebrations, no more Disney channel, no more football, no more apples, no more pickles, no more anonymity. 

And so of course, I thought about crying.  

Reality sets back in, and the REALITY is that we don't live anywhere close to our families.  The girls don't get to see their aunts and uncles and grandparents but every 3 months at best, and more like once a year for most.  The reality includes no air conditioner.  No sleeping in.  No Barnes and Nobles, no Starbucks.  No real roads.  Sporadic and very poor internet and phone service, meaning sporadic and very poor keeping in touch.  

No. More. Ice. Cream.

We have visiting professors coming in to teach starting on Saturday.  People to host and cook for.  Produce and meat to buy, bread to make, classes to plan for, Lily's supposed to be back to school starting tomorrow, people to visit, students to register, visiting professors to pick up, school starts the 14th.

So instead of being miserable in the middle of our suitcases, we took what we DO have to the beach for our Sabbath.

And remembered that THAT is an awful lot.

 Two hilarious, precious, happy disciples.

An equally-yoked life-partner to help and to love and to grow in Him with.

 A job where we are able to freely share the badly needed, life-transforming, all that we have to give Jesus.

And most? the all that we have, all that we need Jesus.

an awful lot