Yesterday I spent some time both at a NICU ward in a hospital, and a funeral home. A day of hellos and goodbyes. I first visited the neo-natal unit at Eastside Hospital to celebrate the birth of a friend's new son, born somewhat premature but doing well. The parents had stepped out, so I missed them, but was allowed to scrub up, robe up, and visit little Caden, barely 2 pounds. He was so tiny! His head fit in the palm of my hand, and his fingers were too small to wrap around one of my fingers. Yet he was getting larger and stronger by the day, hopefully going home in a couple of weeks, once he puts a little more size on. I gently covered him with my hands and prayed over him, for his health and growth, for his family, and for his salvation one day. It was a wonderful few moments with this tiny, new life.
By the end of the day, I rode over to a funeral home to pay my respects to another family friend, who lost her father over the weekend. Vicki and her husband Daryl told me her father, who had recently hit 79, had been a life-long follower of Christ, and had always been a godly example to his kids, his grand kids, his church, and everyone he had influence with over the years. What a rich legacy to leave behind! The place was packed- and had been all day, I understand. Daryl told me that he had woke up about 3am Sunday morning, checked his blood pressure, read a little in his rocker, then apparently slumped over and went home to Heaven. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Psalm 116:15
So, one man's sunset is another man's dawn. I reflected on the day later that evening, swinging on the front porch as the sun fell beyond the treeline. Here I am in the middle- miles & years away from birth and youth, and hopefully miles and years away from my end here as well. And I was reminded of another Bible passage, for the road ahead- "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12
God bless the road, from cradle to grave.

As I sit here preparing for tomorrow's morning of children's Bible study classes and our children's worship services, I'm amazed at how quickly the summer flew by. Here we are, school starting back on Monday (began last week for Barrow County), and its barely August! I remember summers as a child/teen myself, when school would let out the first week of June, and wouldn't resume until after Labor Day in Sept. The summers feel so short, because they are so short!
Its been quite a summer too- VBC was huge in June, followed by day trips, "MythBusters" series in RockiTown, an unforgettable family vacation in the Bahamas, our annual 2-day 5th Grade Adventure Trip, then most recent, InFocus Middle School Camp up in North Carolina, where I brought about 30 of those graduated 5th, soon-to-be 6th graders in preparation for promoting them up & out of my ministry. Summer break is exciting, but its no "break" for us in children's ministry! And tomorrow, we say a final "goodbye" to the new 6th graders, and welcome the new kinders into our ministry. A bittersweet day, every year.
This summer is marking changes for our family as well. Kelsey graduated high school back the end of May, enrolled in Georgia Gwinnett College, and has been working her first job all summer. Her classes begin in a week or two. I no longer have a child in county schools. Both girls are college students. And Ansley has been accepted in transfer to UGA, moving out this week into an apartment with 3 other Hebron girls already living in Athens. The slow, steady march toward the "empty nest" is taking place.
Is it me, or do the days, weeks, months, and years seem to fly by faster, the older I get? It seems only yesterday the above events were still in the planning, anticipatory stages. In fact, it seems the past decade just flew by! The 2000's were a blur. A busy, productive decade, but a blur, nonetheless. The '90's now seem like another lifetime, when you realize Y2K was almost 11 years ago. Wow.
There are so many memories over the years of family, friends, ministry, that I wouldn't trade for anything. Even more, there are those I wish I could have stopped time in, lingered over, maybe even had the chance to have done a little better. But "time marches on", "time waits for no man", and so on. So I can either live in the past, relishing the victories and regretting the losses and shortfalls, or chalk them all up to experience, place my family, friends, and ministry in the capable hands of my Lord, Savior, and Father, and take hold of His hand myself, continuing to journey on with Him. I choose the road with my Heavenly Father.
A poem by Tolkien comes to mind-

The road goes ever on and on,
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.