59 years

6:09 p.m. Today's project was to get up at 5:30 in our motel room to go into Chula Vista to support and help our oldest son. Steve and I have had plenty of time on the road the past 5 days, and have enjoyed each other's company in the midst of trials.

After we had some certainty of the outcome, Steve and I drove over to Coronado Island for a little relaxation read: napping, in a shady spot, and then drove over to pick up some pints of Haagen-Daas ice cream, in vanilla almond and coffee flavors, to eat on a bench in front of the Vons on Orange Avenue. We watched the tourists strolling and took advantage of the 2 hours we had on our parking meter. Since the afternoon was young, we had a a smooth ride home, and joy for the Lord's graciousness. It also helped that the Lord had given me a restful night's sleep, on a hard motel mattress with a loud fan blowing on me, no less! (And Steve was resting peacefully with his C-pap, too, praise the Lord!)

When I got home, I reviewed and mostly deleted, a few hundred emails, but re-read one from a fellow Alpha Omicron Pi sorority sister, Bertha "Birdy" Heatley, inviting us for a Panhellenic (All-Greek) luncheon next Saturday. I decided to reply in the affirmative, even though I don't go very often. The event is in Redlands, so I might visit my favorite high school teacher, Mrs. Alexandris, also that day. It also works out that I still have some watermelon sorbet left from the August party to share!

Birdy's email was very moving for another reason entirely. Her husband of 59 years is now receiving palliative--end-stage comfort--care for cancer. 59 years... imagine, they got married the year I was born! That's such a picture of lifetime love and faithfulness. Will they make it to their 60th? That question is for God alone now. Psalm 31:15a calls each one of us to acknowledge that[our] "times are in Your hand." And I can think of no one I trust more that my God. He always does what is best.

Birdy wanted to let all of us know that there's no reason she cannot keep up with some of her duties for our charitable organization, but will have to pass some responsibilities on to others. There's another picture of faithfulness: service to the less fortunate. Birdy's the real deal. I wonder, as our elders begin to pass on into eternity, will we exhibit the same steadfastness and dedication to volunteer work, whether in church or in society at large?

I pray so. The needs have never been greater!