A HUGE HUGE GIFT

"My Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and I believe I own at least one. I'm rich in faith and a whole lot of love, I got more than my share," these are words of an old gospel song that I love. The song is about our blessings and our future home in glory. One of our dearest friends in this world passed away last week. We both desired in a most excruciating way to go to California for his home going celebration.

Think about that for a minute. Just how possible is it to get LAST minute tickets to California during holiday season; not one but two major holidays? I also am lining up a new job and didn't know when orientation would begin. If we were going to go then we wanted to have time to see people, like family and friends and the two beautiful new GRANDBABIES that I haven't even seen yet. Pop has seen one of them once. I was really stressing out about this and all of a sudden I just stopped. I stopped with the anxiety and just prayed. Lord if you want me to go then work this out.I really quit, my heart quit aching, my stomach unwound and I took a deep breath, and let it out.
No sooner had I finished the exhale, but the phone rang and it was the recruiter at the hospital where I am going to work. (I've got a GREAT job!) My orientation won't begin until the 19th of January. My husband had booked tickets for the 2nd to the 12th. While browsing SOUTHWEST the only airline and the only way to fly; I noticed that if I left on the 31st and went to Sacramento I could get a better flight and go see my darling DEBBIE in CA and all her lovely family. So I called her to see if that works for them and it does and we are going to celebrate the New Year together which is just plain STINKIN COOL!!!!

Then we will go to SANTA CRUZ, oh lawd be still my heart. I can't believe it. We are going to be hopping about seeing all of the sons and the new babies and some old friends. I am going to go to the beach even if it's raining. I have got to go to the Palomar hotel and eat corn tortillas and walk around downtown and maybe go to Logos used bookstore and pick up a read. But even if I don't actually get to do any of those things, the main things will be the family and the friends. We are so grateful. We are sorry to lose our dear friend but also have joy for him.

I am sure that he is riding his beloved Sam, a beautiful horse that was 17 hands high and lived until he was over 30 years old. Tom was an incredibly special person and fine man. He was a genuine cowboy and also a police officer. He rode Sam as a patrol horse threw the Santa Cruz mountains of UCSC campus. He also worked with the kids camp at Camp Hammer. We loved him so much. He and his dear wife really have a lot of credit for my husband and I making our marriage work. It seemed like every time we were really on the rocks in those early years T & N called and said they were coming to town and wanted to stay with us. Every time we had a wonderful visit and wouldn't even remember what the fuss was about; we were back in love. We celebrated many Christmas mornings together, My hunny and Tom trying to put together toys for the girls. They really are some of our very best friends and for my husband this man was as close as a brother or closer.

Here we are. We are going to California together. We got great prices on the flights of our favorite airline. We will spend some time with our most favorite people in this world, and see the new babies. That my friends is a huge gift, huge, and it's just like Tom to bring something wonderful into our lives. He gave us love and laughter all the years we knew him and in his homegoing he brought us another special gift. God is so good.

To celebrate I'm thinking that I will give away one of our aromatherapy pillows. Just leave a comment nothing fancy. Will post a winner on Christmas Eve. I'll try and get a photo up of them they smell fabulous and feel wonderful when you heat them up a few minutes in the microwave. Kat needs one for her migraines. I'll have to think on that. I'm feelin the love people....