Beautiful Day

I preface what I am about to say by saying that I realize I am not a military wife..or widow...or a single mom.  There are lots of other people whose lots in life are far worse than mine.

OK, then.  Let's get started.

The past couple of weeks were hard.  The Honey has to travel some with his work.  Usually just a few days a month.  Sometimes a week.  But it's not terrible.  And it has been better since he changed posts to working at the home office.  Having him home makes the days he travels much more bearable.  But this last 'mission' sent him off for two weeks.

Insert beat head on keyboard.

He missed Little Middle's only 8th birthday, their first day back to CC, and the coldest two days in history. 

We missed his goofball stories and Monday night throw downs and the calm he brings to our lives.

All week long I just lived in hope of Thursday night.  Truth be told, there is no sweeter sound than the rumble of that Dodge Ram as is comes driving in.  I can hear him shift from 2nd to 1st as he pulls up the drive.  And with it, a long exhale. From both of us.

Needless to say, we all set aside Friday for reentry.  To spend time together and catch up on each other's week. 

Like how the kids had trapped an  opossum underneath the shed and left it there for The Honey to shoot when he got home.

Or how the cow chewed the cord to the heater of his water trough into 16 pieces.....and lived to tell about it.

Or how his work was hard....grueling even....and he had to pull and all nighter to write a bunch of documents that no one could understand.  Or how he forgot what hotel room number he was in...again.

And what better way to reunite than to shoot an opossum and then go snow tubing on the back of a 4 wheeler. Take a look if you dare.  The video quality is poor and might make you a little motion sick.

This, my friends, was a good day.  A much needed, overdue, take your breath away, blog worthy kind of day.  After the two long weeks, it was just what we needed.

And isn't that what hope is?   Resting in the blessed assurance that He will exchange the hurt for the healing and the beauty for ashes.  Look what Scripture says about Him:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;[a]
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;[b]
 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;

to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

Isaiah 61:1-3

I'm looking forward to more of the beautiful He brings.