The Sabbath Experiment -- week 24

Happy Spring! Wow...for me the winter seemed to fly by. What happened to February?

While I love the smells of spring and the sight of flowers emerging from the brown of winter, there is one thing I do not like about spring...the shift from boots, turtlenecks and layers to the a-bit-more-revealing wardrobe that accompanies warmer weather. I love winter clothes!! This transition time can be challenging.

For example, I traveled to Lancaster County for the weekend to speak at a writers' conference. Garbed in a turtleneck, vest, jeans and boots, I hit the road. By the time I arrived in Manheim, the temperature was 80 degrees! Seriously. How did that happen? My calves were actually sweating underneath my boots! Fortunately, for me, the next two days were cooler. As a matter of fact, I think it was in the 20s on Sunday morning. Crazy time of year!

Due to my being out of town, the Sabbath was a bit different again this week. I didn't work, but neither did I attend a worship service. It's not something the people I was with do, so I didn't either. After being sick last week, I'm looking forward to getting back in the habit of Sunday worship this coming week.

Not that there wasn't much to worship God for. The conference went well. I met some amazing people, my workshop went well, I gleaned some good tips and....finally put faces to some of you in the GG community. Thank you for taking the time to introduce yourselves! I enjoyed the lunch conversation I was engaged in with a group of ladies discussing green cleaning and the benefits of vinegar, etc. Oh yeah, I was in my element.

I was also blessed by the laughter of the day. It was truly an uplifting conference and I was honored to be part of it.

The conference was not the only highlight of my weekend. My daughter allowed me to take my 29-month-old granddaughter along with me. The lovely little Lady Laura and I had such a delightful time together. She was good for the entire 500 mile roundtrip, never once complaining, whining or being naughty. And guess what, I don't have a DVD player in my car! No, we actually spent the trip talking, singing and telling stories. Hmm. A child can travel without anything electronic. Who knew?

Laura also managed the entire trip without a single accident in her big girl pants. She told me when she needed to stop to go potty on the road and kept dry at night. Can you tell how proud I am of her? And of my daughter and her husband, who are doing an incredible job raising her?

Since I was staying with my 84-year-old mother who recently had a knee replaced, I knew I couldn't leave Laura alone with her all day while I was at the conference, so my sister came in from Binghamton, NY to watch her. They had such a fun time! My niece and her 11-month-old daughter arrived Saturday afternoon and everyone just enjoyed each other...especially the two little ones. When I got back to the house on Saturday, I found four generations gathered in my mother's bathroom, laughing at the antics of the little girls in the tub!

It was a wonderful weekend! Like I said, the Sabbath was a bit unusual, but I didn't work. I played with children, shared a meal with family members I rarely see and then headed back home on the (quite expensive) Pennsylvania turnpike and simply delighted in the wonder of my grandbaby.

Today, as I start off my week, I do it with utter gratefulness in my heart. Life, for me, doesn't get much better than this.

Wishing you a grateful spirit on this first week of spring,

Hana

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged...    Proverbs 17:6a