Family

“You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.”
Desmond Tutu

The morning of August 2, 2010, I read, “Christ in our home.” The reading was from the Book of Ecclesiastes 2:1-17.

"So Much to Do”

The end of this reading said, “Thankfully God’s love for us is not based on what we do, but on what Jesus did for us.” So why are our lives so busy and why are our to-do lists so very long? What are our priorities?

This vacation was great. It gave us time to slow down a little and to relax some. It also gave us time to reflect on what is important.

~Family~

The beginning of August we were with Jim’s cousins Terry and Phil in Aurora, Colorado. This visit was about nine days after the last family visit so we truly welcomed the break. Being with family is one of the best things about the trip. I miss my children, grands and siblings but it is great to see family members who live in other states.


First, we were with Jim’s cousins, Buddy and Katie in Serra Vista, Arizona on July 17, 2010. It was a great break from hotels. I told Katie that we were eating real food (great home cooking) as you know; we stated our journey on July 11, 2010. Then we were with Jim’s brother and wife, Jonathan & Lynne on July 18th & 19th. We had a wonderful time when they took us out to dinner (Texan Road House) Jim’s niece and nephew were there along with the new wife who is expecting their first child. On July 21st & 22nd, we were in Las Vegas, Nevada with Jim’s aunt & uncle, Theresa and Woody.  Theresa had homemade ice cream. Woody grilled some food fo us and took us to see a beautiful garden that happened to be in a casino. We also saw the largest water show I've ever seen at the Bellagio. All I could say was, “WOW, that’s a lot of water."   On July 24th we were in Monterey Park California.  Jim has a cousin named Sarah there however, we were not able to see her but we did  get to talk to her. As mentioned above we were in Aurora, Colorado. While there, we saw Terry’s mom, Catherine in Denver and also Terry’s brother, Skipper and his two children. Skipper helped Jim get to the Harley shop for routine maintenance. Around August 7th, we were in Chicago, Illinois and visited more family. We saw Bobby, Russell and Joy. Joy is 95 years old! Bobby took us to pick-up some south side ribs and we enjoyed them at Joy’s.


"The family is one of nature's masterpieces."
George Santayana