Crystal and Cousins Fly Today to Africa

I was gulping back lumps in  my throat when I got off the phone with my sweet, brave, compassionate daughter Crystal.

We'd just been talking about when they would be leaving for the airport back there in PA, and other matters regarding her Bible trip to Africa, and how sad they were to be leaving cousin Amaris behind due to her illness and pain with Lymes disease.

  I had to go outside for a short walk around the yard, trying to decipher my feelings. Africa isn't exactly the safest place in the world to be right now. Had Amaris contracted Lymes disease from that insect bite she got while in Africa last trip? And my mother heart was worried for a few moments. I was crying as I walked down the sidewalk...

...past the new hanging flower baskets that Jonathan had hung on new chains to greet me when I got back from PA.

Past the swing and three more hanging baskets. I was tempted to think that I was crying because I was having some sort of premonition--but the truth was, I was just crying. 

Just being a normal mom that cared about her wonderful daughter and didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

Sort of like my niece Elisa who is here now with us for a few weeks, watching over her miniature golden doodle puppies that we are trying to sell for her family,  making sure they stay in one piece and don't get hurt in any way.

I walked around the yard for a bit, yanking up a piece of rope that was attached to some sort of stake someone had long ago staked the goat to so it could pasture some fresh grass.

Walked past the iris about to bloom in our front flower bed. 

 It wasn't just my daughter who needed to be surrendered to the Lord's will and call. 

It was her mom, too.
"I'm surrendering her to you, Lord," I let Him know.

Moments ago, I looked at my watch and realized they were probably arriving soon at the airport.

And I went to my room to have a little tryst with God.

"God," I said in no uncertain terms, "Crystal is YOUR  responsibility now."

There was something comforting about that. I really didn't need to let God know something He already knew, but just telling Him this lifted the load from my heart. 

Kind of reminds me of this beautiful picture hanging on my sister Iva's living room wall when we stayed overnight with them in Michigan on our way home from PA. 

It shows a young shepherdess tending her sheep, and the title is "Sheltered."
When a mother gives her firstborn to God's hands, she knows she is in the safest place imaginable!

So speaking of Michigan and Iva's place, I may as well share these photos onto this post, too.

It was so fun taking a walk around Iva's back acres, where I failed to take my camera, but at least I got a few pictures of the back yard with this spreading maple and the children visiting underneath by a shed.

Elisa made this colorful and delicious stir-fry on the grill, to save heating up the house.

One of the boys climbing up the tree.

Beautiful little (well, not so little anymore!) Sarah modeling this darling apron Iva had just sewed, with four tiers of ruffles.

A robin in the maple tree.

Birdhouses out front.

You don't say! They found this old pump organ for FREE somewhere, and brought it home and it even WORKS.
Well, a little. But it sure is cute! Iva tried playing me a little song after pumping it a while.

I insisted that we not just play and visit but also help. We got some laundry done and hung, and some of the children put in four more rows of corn before we left the next morning.

Iva and five children saying goodbye out by the road, while Iva's oldest, Elisa, comes home with us and two puppies.

Today Elisa is starting work with Carrie at the restaurant where Crystal usually works, to fill in for the five weeks while Crystal is gone. She has been a big help here at home, washing dishes, sweeping, minding the puppies, and so on.