Long-awaited visit

8:02 p.m. Today's project was to plan and prep for my son, daughter-in-law, and their baby to visit from Long Beach this afternoon. In the triple digit (107 degrees) heat here, I was relieved that Kriss' visit with his family had been planned before I'd thought about attending the church barbecue taking place in the same time frame!

I sat with my daughter and son-in-law at the 9:45 church service. We enjoyed the guest musicians the Gutierrez Brothers as well as the pastor's intro to I Corinthians and an encouraging altar call at the end of the service, of people who decided to give their lives to Christ. If one is sincere in giving one's life to Christ, he will have a life of joy no matter whether experiencing happiness or even tragedy, because Jesus is always with us. Jesus said, John 6:37b,

...theone who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

After the service, I sped off to Raincross' Connections for Living secure memory care village to visit with Steve. In response to his tablemates' inquiry as to his shirt's trademark logo NOTW (Not of this world), I was unexpectedly given the chance to preach the gospel, for Jesus said of Himself, continuing  in John 6:38,40:

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me...and this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life; and I will raise Him up on the last day.

Home at last, I spruced things up, redecorated for fall, laid out a clean tablecloth on the floor for Clark to play on, said goodbye for the afternoon to my student houseguest, had lunch and took a little rest. Then the door was unlocked--the kids don't knock or ring the doorbell--and here was my Baby with his parents!! What a delight, and it's so gratifying to see my son Kriss doing well at work in a job he enjoys, and Marisela mothering Clark so wonderfully and consistently.

We played on the floor, I fed, rocked and burped my grandson and admired him exceedingly. How I love my children and grandsons! Wihin the last three days, I had lunch with my Heather, attended son Sean's wedding, spent an afternoon with Heidi, during which her husband Pavel walked the dogs and mended the fence; sat with Steve every day; and was blessed by Kriss, Marisela and Clark's visit today! Now I just pray our youngest son Steven would come down from Fresno!

Yet, not all is hapiness for any human being. for our family, a very sad tragedy, even a far-reaching one, hangs over our heads in the form of  early-onset familial dementia. But we in faith believe, with the Apostle Paul,  2 Corinthians 4:7-8:

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair...

Dear Lord, we glorify Your name, and trust in You as You have given us the faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that one day we will see our Heavenly Father face-to-face!