This week we have a guest blogger, Mrs. Debbie Ellgen.
First off let me say – I have never done this before; but Brad asked me to write a blog. I feel very out of my element, but. . . if you read Brad’s blogs, they will be back!
BEST OF TIMES
As I was thinking of this past weekend I couldn’t help thinking “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” It was my birthday weekend, and Brad had planned a special getaway which was to include an overwhelming surprise. So, what was not to love?
Nothing – except our location required a lot of walking – something that is becoming increasingly challenging for me. I am fine in my normal life – walking is no problem. I am slow, but I get it done. However, on this adventure, the amount of walking to get from point A to point B was exponentially more than is usually required of me. I tried not to complain, he tried to be patient – but both of us knew this was NO FUN!
Then came the surprise – BOTH of our boys and their wives were at our dinner venue! I felt overwhelmed by their love and sacrifice to pull this off! We began our dinner with the boys reading carefully written letters which expressed some of their fondest memories and love for me. I was crying too hard to hear much of what they said, and they were crying as they read their letters, so they were hard to understand. However, because the letters were nicely written and framed, they are now sitting on a prominent table in our home, and I have read them several times. I read them slowly, taking in every word, and I still cry. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to have these men in my life.
I felt so loved and honored, not only that Brad had come up with the idea and faced the HUGE logistical challenges of pulling it off, but that both Dave and Rich and their wives wanted to participate. It was humbling, to say the least, and I felt SO LOVED!
WORST OF TIMES
As we finished dinner, we then came up with a “what shall we do all together now” plan. You guessed it – it involved a lot more walking. I am feeling torn both ways – a great desire to fully participate, but now feeling an increasing pain in my hips with each step.
Isn’t life often that way? Very little goes smoothly along the way. Often the best comes with a high price tag; but to settle for the easy (or easier) way is to miss out; often without fully realizing the price until it’s far too late.
I am often the person who lives life between very narrow lines, and I am so thankful that God, in His wisdom (and perhaps sense of humor), gifted me with a life partner who has Very Large boundaries.
May you see on your journey – your best of times and your worst of times, and how they get jumbled together into a wonderful story.
