Musings

The attendance at our church has increased since the pastor has left. For the last two weeks, a retired pastor has been filling in as a guest minister. We have enjoyed his sermons and it's wonderful to have so many more voices heard when we sing. I have noticed that EVERYONE sits in the back 1/2 of the church. Even the families that normally sit up front. Back when I took public speaking classes, it seemed more difficult to talk to a group that was separated by rows of empty seats. Mike and I have decided that we are going to sit up in the front of the church in the future. We may even spread out the family and take two pews!

Steve needs to have foot surgery this week on his toes. He has another in-grown toe that needs fixing. Mike had work done on his big toes when he was young. Maybe it's hereditary? Steve hasn't been able to talk without pain for a week, but kept hoping that soaking his feet in Epsom salted water would help.

The little girls, Amy and I went for an afternoon of walks in the woods and cemeteries. In other words, we went letterboxing. It does me so much good to get outside in the sunshine for several hours on the weekends. This is going to be a priority for me in the future. My outlook is much more optimistic after getting a good dose of vitamin D and fresh air. It's well worth the slightly messy home when I return.

Paige and Allie miss a few of their school friends. These are children from broken families and it's been difficult to make play dates because they are at the other parent's house midweek and on the weekends. My heart aches for all the children who lead such fractured lives. Madelyn has a friend who came over before she went to her dad's house last summer. The girl was crying because she didn't want to go. She had just returned from a vacation with her mom and now she was off again. The friend wanted to spend time at home and see some of her friends.

I think that it's wonderful that her dad wants to see her and spends time with her regularly. The father-daughter relationship is important. Unfortunately, the constant upheaval in the daughter's life is sad and painful.