We celebrated the 4th of July at a cookout at Julie and Richard's house - Richard and Julie, Julie's parents, Greg, Amy, Gregory, Alex, Matthew, Michael, and me. (Scott, Crystal and Bryce are at the beach with Crystal's parents.) Oh! And we can't forget Molly!
Since Michael and I don't have a working grill, the burgers and dogs (which Tony cooked to perfection) tasted especially good. Julie (as usual) did a fantastic job of planning to make the day a wonderful success! Everyone brought something, but Richard and Julie graciously provided most of the eats and offered their home (and pool). The 4th of July cake that Julie made looked good enough to be in a magazine!
We ate inside and then adjourned to the pool area to watch Kate play and to watch "the boys" swim and play "hoops" with Uncle Rich. Matthew was so excited about the pool that Greg had to go in for a rescue almost as soon as they all got outside. A life vest provided the assistance Matthew needed to jump in off the side and swim all over the pool. He swam sooooo much, he may still be wrinkled on Sunday!
Gregory, Alex and Richard played basketball in the pool and of course, did more than their share of water-wrestling. I think Alex laughed for 2 hours straight!
Alex is SO handsome. Greg did a great job with his haircut this time - very "now". And Alex's eyes are as blue as an azure sky. When he laughs, his whole face lights up. He scored extra "grammy points" the day Greg and the boys and I went for ice cream and Alex chose to ride with me rather than with Greg (and those points are not to be taken lightly). :-)
Gregory is growing up right in front of us. He's approaching double digits in about a week - 10 years old. How can that be??? Gregory is sweet and sensitive and "reads" people and anticipates what they're going to say. He's such a tender child.
Kate was her usual cheery self - playing with her sand and water tables and enjoying her swing as Julie and Amy took turns pushing her. Kate loves Julie's father, Tony. As the picnic was winding down, she curled up in Tony's lap and laid her head on his chest. They both looked completely content.
Although Richard is delighted that Kate loves Tony, I can feel the ache in his heart for Rich. Rich would have loved Kate. In fact, I'm sure that he does - and not in a sad way. The Bible tells us that in Heaven there are no more tears and sadness - no pain - no sorrow. I used to wonder how that could be. Did people in Heaven no longer see us? Are they completely disconnected? And if they are aware of our lives, how can they not feel pain and sadness?
I've learned that this life is no more than an eyeblink in time. In Heaven we'll understand, as we can't now, all about eternity - about forever. I believe that Rich knows what we will enjoy for eternity in a way that we can't begin to comprehend. The more I read - the more I pray - the more I'm sure that at some point, this will all make sense - at some point "we will know fully, even as we have been fully known". (I Corinthians 13:12)
Life is good! With all its pain and heartache, life is good. Our family is a gift from God - a special kind of love - given from the Father to his children - and they in turn, give that love to their children - and on - and on - and on.
Okay, so I got off on a tangent. I'm allowed! I'm old!
ANYWAY... we had a great 4th - good food - the love of family - a time to laugh. I loved watching Richard and the kids in the pool - watching the trust that Matthew had for Greg before he put his life vest on, jumping in, not holding on to anything, positive that he was safe because Greg was there - watching Kate play with her sand and water tables - watching Aunt Amy push Kate in her swing - watching Julie be the "hostess with the mostest" - watching Tony and Kate "snuggle" - watching Jackie follow Kate everywhere while Julie was inside. We were all tired by the time we left. (Yeah... watching makes me tired. What of it??) :)
Happy 4th of July!!!
"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." ~Frederick Koenig~
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