My throat hurts.

I got up at 5:30 am on a Saturday morning to milk the goats and get ready for Ryland's first swim meet.

Ryland is not my sports-driven kid.  He has NO desire to play baseball like his brother, or any other sport really.  So when he asked this spring if he could do swim team during the summer I was all over that.

If he doesn't want to play sports I'm fine with that.  But I do think having some kind of athletic part of your life is healthy.  Ryland is not a great swimmer either and practicing an hour a day during the summer is a sure way to improve his swimming.  And boy has it... and it's only been 2 weeks!

He finished 1st in the 50 meter freestyle in his 9 and 10 year old boys age group!  He was thrilled.

Connor and I decided to give the parent volunteer timer thing a go.  I was a bit nervous that one of us would mess up, but turns out using a stop watch and writing down times is something we can do! Smile.  It was a good morning.

Today my man turns 43. I'm a wee bit uncomfortable about how close this makes me feel to 50.  The years are going by so fast!  I want them to count.  For eternity!

I start back to 12 hour shifts of regular acute rehab nursing (no more light duty) next week on Wednesday.  I'm very thankful for the time I've had at home these last 3 months, even though I am ready to go back to work.  Being home has enabled me to be there for my son in a very hard time, be there for all the kiddings of my goats, and to learn to make soap!  Thank you Father!  Even if it took a broken wrist.

Tomorrow is going to be a hard day.  Especially in the morning hours.  Pathway Bible Church, my church family for the past 3 or 4 years (I've lost count), will worship together for the last time tomorrow.  Our pastor is retiring from pastoring after 40 something years!  But he's not retiring from serving the Lord with his life and talents!  I'm so happy for him and his wife who have become good friends... family!  I'll miss them tremendously as they'll be moving to Oregon.  But if they have to move, Oregon's a good choice!  I visit my family there every summer and now I'll be adding them to one of the family we get to stop and visit.

It'll be a hard day too, not just because my pastor and his wife are moving, but because I have been so blessed to get to teach the kids at Pathway in Sunday School and Children's Church over the past couple years.  My heart is invested in those kids!  I will continue to pray that the seeds that have been planted in their hearts will produce fruit that glorifies Christ for eternity!  I'll miss them.  A lot.

In all the churches I've been part of I've never seen a church fold like this.  I've seen trouble and division but always because of some scandal.  But tomorrow I will truly celebrate the end of a chapter of worshipping God together with the people of Pathway and hearing the teaching of God's word from my pastor because there's a great new chapter ahead.  No scandal.  No controversy.  Just a moving forward by faith.  I'm so thankful!  I will miss the people of Pathway.  May God bless each family as they run the race set before them.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2

 Quieted,

Sheila