The Precious Handful

This past fall a close friend of Madison...and my dear friend's daughter, Kaitlyn...was involved in an accident that nearly took her life.  The two months that have followed has drawn the four of us even closer than ever and made us look back and cherish the weekend that we spent at their camp in July.  The four of us had always wanted to do a weekend trip of some sort but just never made it happen.  Finally, we picked a date, put it on our calenders, and vowed to keep it.  The trip was to their camp where we hung out, shopped, ate, swam, and just enjoyed being together with no other distractions.  The accident in October confirmed to us that nothing is more important then making time to be with one another.  This doesn't mean to accept every invitation from every friend or family member.  There are those, however, in our lives who we know will always be there when we need them and who truly want the best for us.  These are the friends or family members who are sincerely happy for us when something good happens and will be the first at our door when we need someone.  They always look for the best in us and show only this to others, challenging those who come up against us.  At the same time, they are the ones who will hold us accountable when that is what we need, yet will do it in such a way that we know it is done out of love and concern for us and not revenge or spite.  The older I get,  the more I realize that there are only a handful of people in our lives...in any of our lives....who fit this description.  Oh, there may be plenty who claim to be or who we assume are included in this handful, and it breaks our hearts when we learn that they are not. It is a reality that sometimes stares us in the face for years, yet we are so consumed with our desire to hold them there that we cannot even see that they are already gone, or in some cases were never even there to begin with! Each time this happens, that handful of real friends becomes more and more precious.I thank God that He chose to give us more time with Kaitlyn because she and her mom are counted as some of our dearest friends.    

Driver's Permit

As I look back on this year, one thing that stands out is how much has happened with Madison.  One of these significant occurrences is receiving her driver's permit!!  I couldn't believe how much time and work had to go into getting that thing!  When I had drivers ed, it consisted of a day or two of classes during our P.E. time in school.  I remember learning to change a tire and driving on the levy...haha...seriously.  Madison had to go through two weeks of classes followed by a few days of actual driving.  Then, she had to take a computer test at the DMV.  The day that we walked out of that office with that permit in her hand was amazing!!  I don't think I was even that happy to receive my own license.  I was and am so proud of her!!