Silver Linings

Well, all week long I have been planning to blog. But, I could never bring myself to do it because everything that has been on my mind has been to close to my heart to blog about, you know? So here are a few stories.

As many of you know I flew from Salt Lake last Monday back to MO. Flying alone with three kids was interesting, but not nearly as bad as I had imagined. The only nightmarish part was security, which I always think is icky! My grandparents drove me down to the airport and were nice enough to hang out with me until I had to face the dreaded security. On the flight there were some kind passengers and attentive flight attendants. We even landed 20 minutes early and I was counting my blessings. Then I called John to tell him and he said "Susie, I've got some bad news". Those are never good words. He went on to tell me that the car had broken down and he was in a taxi on the way to the airport. Aaurgh! I mentioned this to two of the kind passengers who were helping me off the plane (one was an older mother of 13!). So, they stayed with me and helped with the children while I figured out how to maneuver all of that luggage to the USO, called insurance, tried to figure out exactly what had happened, etc. They went out of their way to help me out as a young mother in distress, and it turned a stressful situation into one where I thanked Heavenly Father for his attentive care. They then found an airport employee who lifted my bags for me, and helped me to the shuttle, then rode with me, actually tipped the kind driver, and helped me get the bags to the USO! What an angel! I was so blown away by the extra mile he went, I really gained a new faith in mankind. And in the USO, volunteers helped me in putting together a dinner for the boys while we waited, talking to them and being extra sweet. They really nurtured us. Long story short, the night was not the wonderful, romantic encounter I had been picturing, but it was a real memory. I fell into bed after 12:30 absolutely exhausted, but thanking God for wonderful people on this earth who had blessed my life that night. These individuals were the silver lining on a cloudy night. Another silver lining was the bizarre blowout (we still don't know what hit the tire) happening with just John in the car. If it hadn't happened we also would not have found out about the crazy huge rats nest in our air filter (yuck, yuck), or needing a flush for our transmission.

The rest of the week was busy trying to take care of car repairs, unpack, get Sophia sleeping on her own again, and staying busy with some Drs. appointments and social obligations. John had some field time and a depressing suicide class. Today I was feeling kind of grumpy because my back and hips have been bothering me more and John and I were having quite a few "discussions". I was annoyed and frustrated and just Grrr. Then Noreen called with the sad news that an amazing person, John's cousin Robin Groff passed away yesterday. She battled Leukemia for 2 1/2 years, receiving 2 marrow transplants and fighting till the end for just one more day on this earth with her daughter (one day younger than Christopher) and her husband. She was an inspiration to so many, and when I heard the news I realized just how petty I was being. I am so lucky to be alive, to have three beautiful children (even if they do make messes in 3 seconds flat), to be looking forward to another beautiful spring, and to have a loving husband with whom to 'discuss' things . If anything were to ever happen to them I would just try to hold them close a little longer, and appreciate all of the blessings in my life, and I should try to live every day like that. My thoughts and prayers go to her family at this time, and especially to her husband, daughter and mother. May you enjoy God's light Robin Groff. You taught me about the silver linings in every life situation.

If I can get the camera to work tomorrow you should see some pics and hear some more chatter from me!