Welcome to Friday
The heavens declare the glory of God & the firmament shows his handiwork - Psalm 19:1
Welcome to Friday! Welcome to a new day created, blessed, and made ready for you by the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth. Driving in I watched the sun and clouds posing for their morning pictures against the beautiful backdrop of the city skies. The view was amazing and another reminder that God is amazing, and his wonders are breathtaking. Have you ever seen a skyline so amazing that you stand in awe?
So, how are you doing today? How are things going for you and your family? What kind of week are you having, and did you have so far? I hope your week was great, and I hope that you were able to achieve your goals for the week. I am praying that you are feeling well and that you are doing well. I am so thankful for you and your love for me and my family. I am grateful for all that you do and have done for us and for your continued kind thoughts and prayers.
This has been a very good week. I missed emailing last week because I was enjoying the fellowship of new and old friends during a spiritual renewal and empowerment "Walk to Emmaus." I spent Thursday night through Sunday night getting focused in on God's grace, love, and tender mercies for His children, especially me. It was amazing to hear 15 speakers give a short course on grace, priorities, love, faith, forgiveness, brokenness, healing and surrender. I sat with an amazing table of men, fellow pilgrims on a journey, who helped make the weekend amazing. Over the 72+ hours, we heard some powerful testimonies and life experiences with grace and surrender. There was great food and delicious desserts on top of it all.
It was tough not being with the girls and with Trish. It was tough missing them and wondering what they were up to and how they were making it through their day. With the exception of the Thursday night, which featured a night of silence and silent meditation, I loved the weekend experience. Being quiet was very tough for me. As Momma used to say, I don't do well with "talk breaks." But, somehow, grace of God, I made it through being quiet for 9 - 10 hours, I made it through the silence, made it through missing Trish and the girls, and not having cellphones, watches or computers and enjoyed a grace filled weekend. My biggest weekend takeaway was the forgiveness, grace and love of God to heal the brokenness that I didn't even realize existed in my own heart and soul. Brokenness and healing. Forgiveness! It was an amazing weekend.
When I got home the girls gave me the warmest reception ever. It was overwhelming and amazing. They jumped, laughed, and poured out a weekend's worth of fun, jokes, episodes, and events in rapid fire. They hugged me and asked how did things go. They were so excited and remained excited for hours. Gabbi went through my bags to look for candy, gifts, and any surprises. Emma kept smiling and trying to tell me something, but I couldn't understand it. Cassarra and Sydney surprised me by writing short letters of love and appreciation to me while I was away. The letters were a blessing and reinforced by their love when I got home. It was a blessing! Ava was so precious. I guess at three she has trouble understanding the traveling part. Before leaving, I spent time with her to let her know I was going to be gone, and I would be back on Sunday. I hugged her, told her I loved her and asked her to take care of her mom and sisters. The whole time she nodded and tried not to cry. That was Thursday. On Sunday she sat in my arms and she said, "Thank you for coming back." Amazing! I know that parenting has it challenges, but this is one of the rewards.
Speaking of challenges, Trish and the older girls were a part of cleaning up a challenge on Tuesday night. Let's just say that we had a potty training setback and leave it at that. But, truthfully, even this challenge was tinged with blessings. For one, the older girls jumped in and helped clean up, without even being asked. They helped with humor and actual cleaning. I was so proud. And, secondly, I was even more amazed by Gabbi, who was waiting for me to take her out, but she willingly gave up her trip to help out. Now she did remind me in the morning, but for that night she was completely selfless.
The rest of the week was eventful, but not quite as messy. Trish and I had some really good time together to re-coupe, laugh and run errands . Monday went by in a blur. We spent time Wednesday laughing and talking, folding clothes and watching a movie. I spent Thursday at a conference in Charlotte. It was highlighted by some really helpful speakers on our work process. I learned a good bit and enjoyed meeting a couple of new people and catching up with a few colleagues. I even got a chance to visit with an amazing and gracious friend in Rock Hill on my way back home. I wasn't able to touch base with Alex or Justin, but hopefully next time it will work to see them when I'm back in the Queen City. We celebrated the week with pizza, breadsticks and cookies at dinner. Pizza seems to bring out the conversations and laughter. It is so amazing to hear what goes on, and how these "little personalities" are growing.
All in all, the girls are doing well. They have a busy weekend planned. There are birthday parties and fall festivals on the calendar. Gabbi and Cassarra are volunteering and working for their respective clubs. Trish and I are planning to carve out several hours to rest, recharge and just catch up.
I hope you had an amazing week and that you too will have a fabulous weekend. May God richly bless you with the incalculable richness of His grace, the surpassing beauty of His love, and the overwhelming compassion with which He loves you. Have fun and enjoy your friends, family and loved ones. Take care and...
Welcome to Friday!
May the Everlasting arms of the gracious God,
reach out and hold you close, love on you,
and bring you hope, joy and peace.
With love (& in triumph),
Cassius
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