Days to cherish.
My son was home for a few days this past weekend
a little over 5 days to 'drink him in' .... as Anne Shirley might say
he asked me why I kept staring at him
I couldn't help it
It fed me.
One of my favorite books is "Laughter in the Walls" by Bob Benson
he writes of the things of families and what holds them together.
In the title poem, he talks of how he and his wife would sit and listen
to the quiet of their house when it was just the two of them at home,
their children grown and on their own.
he speaks of sitting and listening to the whispers of the memories...
the 'laughter in the walls'.
I guess that is what I am hearing tonight.
The laughter and loudness and noise of family quietly echoing in the stillness
I love the noise.... and I love the quiet afterward,
even the melancholy of it.
Mostly I love the time with those I love.
I know it must have a beginning and an end -
that after the 'looking forward to' and the 'living through' are done,
there is only the memory left (and the hope of the next time)
but it's all So good.
This time together was particularly sweet because of the struggles we have recently gone through.
Our predictable (ha) world has been shaken these last several months.
The storm and the pain that we have been through has exhausted me.
We have weathered something I never imagined -
but we have weathered it.
Or at least are out of the brunt of it.
There is a lot of healing to do - which will take time,
but I have this overwhelming assurance there WILL be healing
A heart will be mended.
There will be joy.
It all just reminds me over and over
that GOD IS FAITHFUL
He CARES so much for us
My pain is felt by HIM and He comforts me
and He comforts those that I love.
I sometimes don't know what to do with that knowledge
It seems too big, too much, too wonderful.
It overwhelms me to tears.
I can rest and let go of my cares -
Because God so firmly and completely
has it all under control.
I am so thankful...
and now, in the quiet of my little house
with those that I love spread back out - near and far
I can bask in the echos of love...
the laughter in my walls.
