Grateful

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me,

bless His holy name." (Psalm 103:1)

There are so many times in life that we feel very blessed. This past week we have sensed once again the blessing of the Lord--in several different ways. Let me explain...

On Tuesday evening, Marilyn joined ten other ladies from our church for an evening of fun! We went to a unique restaurant close by called The Melting Pot. The meal was actually a four-course dinner that was fondue! (except for the salads, of course) The first course was a cheese fondue with dippers that included various breads, veggies, and green apple slices. This was followed by our own choice of a salad. Because the food took some time to prepare, and our servers were not at all rushed, we ended up with over two hours of time when we could just visit and share with each other.

Following the salads, we were given a choice of several kinds of oil sauces to fondue our main course. We sat at two different tables, and we had three burners on the tables, hence we chose three different oils. Our main course consisted of meat: shrimp, salmon, pork, chicken, beef; and vegetables: potatoes, squash, mushrooms, and carrots. We were also given four different kinds of sauces to dip our fondue morsels in. It was very tasty!

And the best part was last...Chocolate fondue!

Some of us thought that next time we might just skip the first courses and go straight for the chocolate! (We had three different kinds of chocolate fondue, and they were all delicious!)We had such a fun evening and enjoyed each other immensely! God has blessed us with many new friends, and we are grateful.On Friday evening, we helped our niece Kari pack up her belongings from her apartment of the past three months. We have so enjoyed having her close by again. Before we moved here, we lived in the same town and attended the same church, so we saw each other often.

We are excited for her to be moving back closer to her parents and sister. But we will miss her! For our last meal together, we dined at Polly's Bakery Cafe. (We wanted her California experience to be complete in every way!) To finish off our meal, we ordered fresh peach pie. It was made with the juiciest, sweetest peaches that I've ever tasted! We are so grateful for the months that we've had with Kari. And we are so grateful for the Godly spirit our Kari has! Blessings on you, Kari, as you travel and as you begin another new job; we'll miss you!
On Saturday morning, we traveled with some friends to Santa Barbara to attend a memorial service for a dear friend. The day was a bit hazy, so the views of the countryside were not as good as they could have been. With the ocean on one side, the other side of the road was mostly vegetable and fruit farms. This is one of many huge fields of strawberries that we drove past.
This greenhouse, further down the road, was home to tomato plants. We also saw many huge organic farms in that area.

The ocean and the beautiful beaches on the other side of the road.

When we arrived at the church, we were able to visit with several family members before and after the memorial service for Edie (her son, Dan is on the right). Although the family is grieving the loss of wife, mother, and aunt, this certainly was a service of celebration of a life well-lived. Edie loved music; she and her husband served as musicians in all the churches they helped to establish. This woman lived victoriously in the grace of God, even as her mind was failing due to the gripping disease of Alzheimer's.

We were pleasantly surprised to see our good friends Addie and Lu (we worked together for many years in Africa) at the service. We had forgotten that Edie was Addie's aunt. They had a very special relationship with Marty and Edie so sacrificed time and money to attend this service. Over the years, we have watched Lu and Addie's children grow up and raise their families. We are grateful for the friendships that we have enjoyed over the miles and the years.

Marty will certainly miss his wife of over 60 years, but he is looking forward to the time when they will be re-united at the feet of Jesus, to worship the Lord who redeems and restores.

Once again we are grateful for the celebration of a life that was saved by God's grace and founded on God's Word. We are grateful that Marty (and we, also) can rest in the confidence, hope, and joy that our future with Christ is for eternity. The best is yet to come!