The wait is nearly over....

Tomorrow Mickey and the members of the DR team will return! Their flight should be in around 11:00 PM. Now... I was going to go to the airport, but before he left Mickey told me not to come. He said that with his flight coming in so late, he would be worried about me driving into Louisville with the kids. You see... I don't do well driving in Louisville when it is DAYLIGHT, so the dark... that probably wouldn't be good. And I believe that I could do it... but I also know that Mickey would be worried about it the whole flight. I am what you would call a "white knuckle driver" when it comes to going places I've never been... and breathing? Well, I do eventually remember to do it! So, I guess that unless Mickey calls me from Miami and tells me differently, I will just wait for him here at home.

Michael has asked where Daddy is every day that he has been gone. We have been counting down the days until his return from his "field trip" as Michael calls it. I could tell last night that he was missing Daddy. He generally spends the better part of an evening climbing all over Mickey... asking him about a million questions and rough housing some. I got all that last night! He'll be happy to see his daddy.

We went and ate with Joe and Erica after church yesterday. I really enjoy this young couple, they have such hearts for God and for the youth at GCC. It was great to get to know them a little better. Their company helped to ease some of my loneliness. Then the kids and I came home and passed some time in the pool. Michael soon picked up where he left off last year. Even as the temperature cooled and his lips began to chatter, he insisted on staying in the pool. I finally forced him out. He really enjoyed it, and so did Carly and I... it is always nice to fill an afternoon with laughter.

You know, things have gone well here since Mickey left. There were a few bumps in the road... I was sick and ended up at the Urgent Care Center; Carly's car was fixed, but still needed a new battery so I bought one and Robert put it in for me; the pool filter was clogged and with the help of Carly's friend Joanna, we fixed that and DIDN'T empty all the water from the pool. And surprisingly, I managed to not only take the trash down to the garage when it was full, but I remembered to take the trash out to the driveway for pick-up this morning. And even though I managed very well, I have to say, I wouldn't want life to be like this all the time. There is something to be said for "sharing" life's ups and downs with someone you love and who loves you.

I realized this morning that this is kind of like our relationship with Christ... we can live life pretty well on our own. We can still have our homes, our family, our friends... we can can take care of anything that comes along... but why would we want to handle life on our own? It is so much easier to take life as it is thrown at you if you have someone to help you make it through the day... and that is what God longs from us... he wants us to allow him to carry our load, he wants to celebrate our victories with us... more than that, he wants us to THANK him for those victories. Each day is a gift that he has given to us, and like anyone who gives a gift, he desires to know that we appreciate what we have been given.

And today... I am just thankful that God has been with me each day... especially while Mickey has been gone. He has kept his hand over our little family, and I have felt his presence, especially when I have started to feel lonely. I know that Mickey has been about God's work... and I know that God has kept an extra watchful eye over us all... and I am anxious to hear all about Mickey's trip and the people he met. Yeah... I could have done this on my own, but I'm so thankful I didn't have to. I've appreciated each and every "God hug" I've received this week.