Just One Pair...

One of my joys in life has been when several of the grandkids came at the same time and stayed for the week. Although I never taught my own children to take their shoes off at the front door, they grew up and taught their children to do so. Gerald always changed work shoes to house shoes in the garage when he came in from the hog barns, but I would always tell visitors that they did not need to de-shoe. But I digress.

Anyhow when the grandkids were here, soon there would be a long string of shoes at the entrance from our front door. Since often a child would have two or three kinds of shoes (dress, tennis shoes, flip flops), there would be more shoes than kids in the house. I always got a kick out of that--no pun intended—the kick was metaphorical. I had Gerald take photographs for a memory.

Now just like the original four children at our house, the grandkids have grown up. Although Trent’s family is local now, he is busy with college and computer stuff. I seldom see him although I always get a big smile and hug when I do. His sister Brianna is still in Orlando with a Disney internship until her folks go get her at the end of June. Leslie is with her Mike in Nashville and is happily busy with her new job there. Elijah is home working at Union Dairy, but in July will be again working in inner city Chicago. Cecelie is working many hours at the thrift store where she worked part time during the school year. Tara, Erin, and Geri Ann are all in Texas, and I am hoping the younger two will be able to come up sometime after the softball camps are over. I am also hoping Tara, Bryan, and the three boys might show up someday on the way to Chicago. Since Bryan is a frequent flier to Chicago and sometimes takes the boys with him for grandparent visits up there, that may not happen. So though I am hopeful, I am not sure there will be any group times this summer.

I have explained all this to tell you how happy I have been for the past week that at least we had one pair of tennis shoes in the foyer. Sam has spent a few days with us sleeping in the brown room (a windowless underground bedroom) that everyone loves because it guarantees a good long night’s sleep since it remains dark until noon if necessary. Our wifi connection is more reliable than his at home, and consequently he has been able to get some necessary stuff done with Baylor. This morning he registered for his fall classes, and I took great delight in how excited he is about this chance to learn new material. I know people have to get a job and make a living after college; but in an ideal world, I feel that college should be about learning. And for Sam, it definitely is.

His shoes and Frisbee discs are gone now, and our entrance is uncluttered and lonely. He will leave for church camp in the morning—I suppose his last time for going to camp with his group of youth. We will miss his coming and going from Woodsong this week.

We are quietly and pleasantly celebrating our 59th wedding anniversary today, and it has been a good day.