Living, Loving and Giving

Yesterday my hubby and I took our Sunday afternoon excursion and walked four miles along the Roanoke River Canal Trail. Four miles may not seem that far to you, and actually I could have walked longer if I had water with me, but we normally don't go more than two miles when it is so hot outside. One Saturday we walked seven miles and every muscle in my legs and feet ached!

We saw two young deer and a groundhog, along with butterflies and birds. Of course on the trail you will also encounter little bugs and spider webs...and we always check us for ticks, but walking the trail is so worth the effort. It is in the shade so the heat of the day doesn't keep me inside and the beauty reminds me of my Creator. It gives us time to dream about where we could travel; places we have never been before (which could be a lot of places). We are ready though to take a few more risk as we have been very conservative and now we are in our fifties and ready to enjoy our lives before we have health problems. My hubby has gotten his diabetes under control and we are in relatively good health for our age and our youngest will graduate from high school next year and off to college. So we are going to start planning some trips. If you have any ideas let me know!

Just after having our dream talk and before we could even procrastinate we received a phone call in the early hours of this morning and a good friend was shot while vacationing at Myrtle Beach. He had taken a late night trip to Walmart and went to a carwash to get the sand off his car. It was there that he was shot four times. Now, I don't have all the facts but I do know he came through surgery and is still critical. It is a reminder that your life can change at any moment when you least expect it. Lord be with James and his family!

Life is so precious and our families are so important to us. This act of violence reminds me that we need to enjoy our families before something happens. Not that I want to live my life as if something horrible is going to happen soon but that I will live my life to the fullest! During our walk my hubby said how his view on life changed dramatically at 18, when his mother died. Her death and his life went hand in hand. Without her in the family the five children went into adulthood without the physical love of a mother. Being the mother of four sons and mother-in-love and grandma, I want my children to know my love, not just the thought but that they see me helping them in tangible ways. For when I am gone it will be the memories I make with them that they will keep in their hearts.

Please keep this family in your prayers.

My Interpretation:

Living, Loving and Giving all with the love of Christ, is the desire of my heart. NOW…TODAY…I want to live in the present moment.