Perfect Fall Day

This morning we slept in a little and ended up hitting the 11am service at Fellowship. It's so great to actually have a Sunday morning where you're not rushed and show up to worship with your wits about you. :)

Ronnie Freeman had lost his voice but the worship team carried on while he played keys. We sang several of my favorites including "No Sweeter Name" and "Desert Song". I am so glad we put those on the new ZOE CD. (speaking of...I'd love to hear from you guys...how do you like the new CD??)

After church we went to my mom's for lunch. The Langfords (some friends from Texas) were visiting and we had a nice time of catching up on life. The kids love going to my mom's. It's such a HUGE blessing. The role of grandparents cannot be emphasized enough!

This afternoon, Maddie, Ella, Sam and I played football in the back yard. It was a sunny, but crisp fall day. The leaves crunched under our feet. Our noses ran. It was perfect. We even built a little bonfire and roasted some marshmallows.

We ended our Sunday night as we often do...by watching Extreme Home Makeover. Our kids love that show. As they commented tonight during commercials, it struck me...this is also teaching them the way of Christ. The whole act of helping those in need is certainly not lost on them.

Last week marked 18 years since the death of my dad. Many of you knew him or have heard stories about him. He was something. My kids often say, "I can't wait to meet Poppy someday." I hope they can. He was a great man and a great influence on many. And...he did a lot of it through humor.

I'll close with an excerpt from my mom's blog. I had completely forgotten this story and it made me laugh out loud. This was my dad...

Eighteen years ago last night just before midnight, a large group of people, Brandon and I were sitting on the fifth floor of Hendrick Memorial Hospital listening to the last breath of my husband Sam. He had fought a valiant 8year fight with prostate cancer, and it had won.

Although the mood was somber, we couldn't help but tell some Sam Thomas stories. Sam was a notorious prankster. After he became a principal, there was the story about his interview with a prospective, newly graduated teacher. Seems she had slipped her shoes off during the interview, and he had somehow maneuvered to get them under his desk. When the interview was over, the woman realized she couldn't find her shoes. She was embarrassed to ask, so just started walking toward the door barefoot, until Sam confessed and rescued her. She got the job.

His favorite thing to do was to put plastic bugs or snakes in the mail boxes of unsuspecting teachers (it didn't take long for them to catch on). The teachers could always look for candy in their mailboxes on Monday and many times there would be a personal note of encouragement, as well.

He loved stealing lunches of his teaching buddies and putting paper in the sandwich and then returning the lunch to its proper place. If we had guests for dinner, a large ugly plastic fly would find its way to the bottom of the ice tea glass, or a plastic piece of cheese would be placed among the other pieces. I couldn't do much about his propensity for fun--I loved it.

Even after all these years, I miss his sense of fun and his warmth. Love you, Sam!

Yes, love you, Dad!