HOME AGAIN

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig.

-from child's nursery rhyme

No, I have not been "to market" - I've been to Franklin.  And, no, I did not "buy a fat pig" - rather, I had the privilege of welcoming my beautiful granddaughter Geneva into the world!  No, I am not biased.  Geneva looks very much like her mother, and has such a sweet disposition. :)

Although I neither went to market nor caught even a glimpse of a pig (do they even have those in Franklin?), I am now home again.

Being out of pocket for a couple of weeks means that I have been absent from the blog.  Not only was I distracted by the business of Geneva's arrival - definitely more compelling than blogging! - but my computer crashed.  Died.  Dead as a doornail.  Turn it on and you get nothing but a black screen.  (Right now, I am working from my son's laptop.  Thank you, Nate!)  Getting the computer to the shop is on the priority list of things to do today.  Whether my computer can be fixed or I end up having to shop for a new one, I fully intend to be more consistent in showing up here at The Hurricane Report.  Thank you, Dear Readers, for sticking with me through the long silence!

A few thoughts from the past couple of weeks:

Technology is such a huge part of our lives, of my life.  Spend a few days off-line, and you'll come back to an email inbox that could daunt even the stouthearted.  Let's not even talk about the infinity of FaceBook status updates and messages!  And that sick feeling in your stomach when your computer screen goes blue, then black (especially if you are a writer) - is that not enough to make you want to throw up?  Can I hear an "Amen"?!

My kids are incredible.  UH-MAY-ZING.  While I was enjoying time with Emily and her family in Franklin, the five I left behind kept everything running at home.  Planned menus, shopped for groceries, cooked meals.  Cleaned the floors.  Kept up with the laundry.  Took care of my chickens.  Worked out the commute/car pool schedule, and with one less vehicle.  Even helped Helen with her schoolwork so that she didn't get behind in her studies while Mom/the teacher was out of town.  Yes, they are awesome kids whether they do the laundry or not, but it was such a blessing to come off the road last night and find everything running so smoothly.

After giving birth to my youngest daughter just over 13 years ago, I was faced with the reality that I would have no more children.  My childbearing days were behind me.  Even while I celebrated the newest addition to our family (beautiful Helen!), I felt a tremendous sense of loss knowing that there would be no others coming along after her.  Even with seven "arrows" in my quiver, I grieved greatly.  Then, something truly wonderful happened.  My firstborn brought a handsome young man to my house.  He said, "I do" - and I inherited yet another son.  God is so good!  And now, my firstborn and this man have done something else remarkable - they have presented me another daughter, a GRAND daughter.  I rejoice with Naomi, who bounced Obed on her knee!  No, the borders of our family did not freeze, did not become rigid - instead, the border continues to expand in ever widening circles.  It just gets bigger and bigger, better and better.  God is indeed very good!

Final thought for today - I love my husband, Steve, and am thankful we can share this journey together.  It's good to be home, Grandpa!