"I tell you, life doesn’t get any better than this!"

     I am writing tonight from the school area of our little red cabin.  We have been here two weeks now and are settling into a new routine.   Now that things are more settled I can begin to share some of the other things that happened on our journey to Illinois.  Today I am going to tell you about our last night in Newburgh.

    Friday, November 30, a group of dear friends came over to our house and helped us load up two trailers.  In a 2 ½ hour time span they had not only loaded the trailers but also helped us clean and stage the house for our open house and future showings.  It was amazing what they did in that short time.  When they left we finished up a few things and then had lunch.  Afterwards I finished cleaning the bathrooms really good and tying up loose ends at the house while Brad was running last minute errands he had to do in Newburgh at the bank and utility offices.

     By six p.m. we were exhausted.  Finally, it was time to load up the van and say good-bye to the house until it sells and head to the hotel.   As I walked through each room I remembered so many memories from the last 13 years.  What a blessing that home has been for us!  Pulling out was difficult but also at the same time kind of a relief.  It marked the end to the separation of our family and that was comforting.  We spent our last night in town at the Hampton Inn.  I find that ironic since our first night in Evansville/Newburgh was in the same hotel – Brad, myself, and a cute little 2 year old boy.  This time we had to have two rooms and were leaving with four children and two dogs.

     I took the three younger children to the pool and let them swim and burn off some energy.  They had spent the day sitting on our couches in the house while we loaded and cleaned and got things ready to go.  After about an hour, three happy and wet children accompanied me back up to the adjoining hotel rooms where Neil and Brad had returned from yet a few more errands and some scrumptious Chick- fil-a for dinner.  So we camped out in one room and ate our dinner together.  While we were finishing Sarah, the seven-year-old, sat back on the bed and let out this big sigh and announces very emphatically and contentedly, “I tell you, life doesn’t get any better than this!” 

      I have to be honest and say it took me completely off guard and my first thought was, “Seriously?”  Then it hit me.  I had to look at things from her perspective.  For the first time since June we were together as a family again.  We got to go stay at a hotel which is one of my children’s most favorite things to do.  They got to go swimming which also makes the top five list, and eat Chick- fil- a!  What more could we really want or need…except maybe one of those yummy Chick-fil-a brownies?! J She was right.  We were reunited and somehow all the other stuff just didn’t matter.  Perspective is an interesting thing and I’m so glad for Sarah’s that night.  It taught me a lot about gratitude and gratefulness.  It also brought a smile to my face and made me chuckle.  No wonder Jesus loved the little children so!