Changes....

I know it has been over a month since I have posted a blog entry. The month of June was a blur. In one month, my wife and I flew to London, Barcelona, Spain, Salzburg, Austria, back to London, and then finally back to North Carolina. Whew! I got tired just typing that. Our daughter, Rachel and her children have moved back to the States with us while Michal is in training to become a professional deep sea diver. My mind is spinning with the memories of the spectacular views of the Alps, the amazing and dazzling city of Barcelona, the beautiful shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the exciting and bustling West End of London, and the most INCREDIBLE sight of all: the beautiful, smiling and trusting faces of our grandchildren, Noah and Chloe.

Knowing that they live in the same house with me after two years of being an ocean away is more than I can take. Knowing that they can spend time with their cousins Braydon and Makenna is so fulfilling. Noah and Braydon have already become inseperable. Spending time with Noah as we play space ship in our makeship tent , have "carpet time" to read books he selects, or race his coches (cars) means the world to me. Each minute with him is a gift beyond measure and description. Seeing my beautiful red-haired granddaughter beam at me with her beautiful blue eyes brings me to tears at times. Our house is alive again with the sounds of preschool joys and infant discoveries, with early morning breakfasts, summer runs through the water sprinkler to make "muddy puddles", special trips to the store to pick up special treats for obedient little boys, the sound of a lively seven-month old jumping vigorously in her exersaucer, screams of laughter during bath time as Poppa creates water falls over Noah, sweetly-voiced pleas to come upstairs to "play together" (how could anyone ever turn this down?), and so many more blessings. I have discovered just how wonderfully exhausting chasing after them can be.

But I wouldn't trade a second of it for anything. Because I realize that the day will come only too soon when Rachel and Michal will move into their own home again and part of my heart will die again as I watch them all move on again....So for right now I will hold them every second I can and enjoy the gifts they freely give!