Monday August 17 2015  IT WAS A BIG SPLASH!

All days do not go as planned.  But it was still a big spash!  A day with the boys, what more could I ask?  Up early, hungry quickly, bored quicker, and so I left.  I left when Dave arrived home from his Monday morning men’s breakfast.  That was the planned part.  I had a great workout at the gym then home for THREE hungry men.  Prepared food but was not fast enough, as my three year old grandson simply said, “Grandma you must do it faster”.  No whining or complaining, just a few directives.

When I left the gym it was a humid 81 degrees.  So after lunch we decided to invite Michael next door and meet him and his mom at the Splash Park.  You might remember what it is like to have everyone change, gather towels, be sure I had enough water, the atomizer for Zach, grab the sunscreen and get carseats in the car and everyone buckled in.   Whew!  Makes me tired just writing about it.  As we were driving the three miles to the park I noticed a very large menacing black cloud coming in.  All of a sudden the wind came up, the cloud covered us overhead, and I kept on driving to the Splash Park.  After all, we were meeting someone there and couldn’t very easily stand them up.  We arrived and of course the children were very excited.  It was a fabulous Splash Park.  Of course I haven’t been to any others so I have nothing to compare it with.  But it sure looked fun.  Michael was pretty much wet after a minute or two.  I held my boys back until I could figure out what the weather was up to.  I was cold and I wasn’t even wet.  The boys so badly wanted to go in.  They activated the park, as no one else was there to enjoy the interesting weather and that made it even colder.  I still kept them out and as dry as possible.  Well, after a little while more people came but along with them came rain and thunder and cold wind.  When the guys nestled into me for warmth I decided it was time to leave.  Michael was trembling and his knees were shaking so I think he was only too happy to be corralled into his car.  I was wet, the boys were wet, and the heavens were pouring forth a gullywhomper!  (No such word on my dictionary check but I think it describes best what was happening).  In other words it was raining cats and dogs!

By the time we arrived home the rain had stopped, we were wet, and we were happy to go inside and get warm.  So, we changed our day around.  I suggested we get dried off and go check out St. Vincent’s toy stash but the boys chose instead to have a movie afternoon, instead of a movie night, and we would have our popcorn now instead of after dinner.  I don’t know what it is going to be like to have their grocery bill when they are 12 and 16 instead of 3 and 7 but if how often they hungry now is any indication of the increase, it will be a doozy. When Courtland was a teenager it was as if he had a hollow leg.

So, I watched some of the movie with them.  Since they are in an adjacent room to the sunroom I sort of snuck away in here to write my blog early.  Since no nap or rest time I have a feeling they will need a little extra TLC this evening and an earlier bedtime.  When they go to bed, I GO TO BED!  After all, I have one more day to keep up with them.  Then…I will do my wedding work!

We did have a productive day today however, despite being rained out of the Splash Pool.  Perhaps I should say, thunder and lightninged out.  I didn’t feel it safe to be amongst metal, standing in water with the lightening going off in the heavens.  Lightning struck close to me once and it was not a good feeling.  It caused my heart to skip and miss beats for a while, made my hair stand on end, scattered lightening bubbles to dance on the ground close to me and stopped my watch at exactly the time the tornado struck about 5 miles away.  The watch never did work after that.  I never forgot that split second of time.  Just as I was reaching for a metal handrail to climb the step to our front stoop, something said in my head “DO NOT GRAB THAT HANDRAIL”.  I didn’t and the lightning struck on the sidewalk off to my left and completely missed hitting me directly.  I was in rubber soled shoes standing on cement.  I always wondered if I had grasped that railing if I would have become the target of that strike.  I will never know, but I do thank God that I wasn’t struck that day.  Our house has been hit by lightning a couple of times and one time it damaged our computer/TV equipment.  So, I have a healthy respect for lightening.

I’ve enclosed a few snapshots of our escapades so you can see me in action being a grandma!  Perhaps tomorrow will be a nice hot, rainless day.  However, I am thanking God for the rain too.  It has since rained another squall.  I love the rain, but it sure does havoc to my red geraniums, and to the other colors too, but it is only the red ones I care about.

A great calendar wisdom today.  Read it carefully:  “You have no strength but what God gives AND YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE STRENGTH THAT GOD CAN GIVE”

MAN MAKES PLANS BUT GOD DIRECTS HIS STEPS

By Kathleen Martens

August 17, 2015

A day begins with all sorts of plans

But you never know how it will end.

Everything can go smooth as pie

Or surprises it can lend.

When what you do goes awry,

You can complain because it’s skewed.

Or you can go with God’s direction

And ask God for His view.

If the rains come falling down

And aborts the fun of pleasure

Look around and find the jewel

That becomes the unburied treasure.

Be thankful for the farmer’s crops

Thirsty in the fields

And know that the falling rain

To another great joy it yields.

So always open every hour

For God to use for His best.

Whatever your plan He’ll direct your steps

Into His arms of rest.

Just commit to not complain,

And don’t do anything rash.

Regardless how your day turns out,

It can still be a great big Splash!

Wish you all a wonderful evening!  Good night!