Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things. 

I had the privilege of spending another weekend back home with my sweet family and friends this weekend. The longer I am gone from my hometown, the more I treasure the sweet moments I get back there. Walking into my parent’s home is one of the best feelings in the world! When all 3 dogs come running to me when I walk through the door makes it that much more special. It immediately turns into a zoo with my two furry children on top of their hooligans, and that’s what I love about it. That’s home! This weekend involved the first Clemson game of the season (to which we dominated! Go Tigers!), sitting around dinner tables with the people that I love most, lots of laughs, crisp September mornings, night riding the gator down Carolina backroads, and church with my sweet brother and mother which is a blessing in itself. Praying at the invitation with all three of us with arms wrapped tight around each other makes for a pretty special Sunday morning. It’s almost like life has come full circle with God’s mighty blessing and arms wrapped tight around us. There have been so many prayers for my little brother’s walk with the Lord, and to have him sitting next to me in church worshipping makes me the happiest girl in the world. We met a man named Lionel at church this morning. He was an older African American man I’d say in his 70’s, who stood about 5’8 and just radiated pure joy. He ended up sitting in front of us during service. Watching him praise and worship the whole time made me smile. After church we saw Lionel standing out front about to start his walk back to wherever he was going. I wanted to meet Lionel! I love meeting strangers, so I walked over to say hello. He was one of the kindest men I’ve ever met. I asked if he would like a ride, but he told us that he just lived across the street and I didn’t blame him on that beautiful September morning. I almost walked with him and told mom to pick me up there! We got to talking about church. He has been following NewSpring Spartanburg since they were in the Marriott downtown. He would ride his bike everyday. When they moved to the Westside, Lionel moved with them, right across the street. One thing Caleb spoke on this morning was our responsibility as a Christian is to celebrate being a Christian. To rejoice, which means to feel or show great delight. I saw that example in Lionel. I hadn’t even gotten the opportunity to meet with him yet and I saw the joy that his soul radiated for the Lord. One thing that Caleb said today that I will never forget was in Christianity, there are no bleachers. We are all on the playing field. We are all a team in this walk of life. Thank you Lord for Lionel and for his example.

Before I headed south back to the Georgia coast, I was able to have lunch with my dear grandfather, who I call Papa. He is one of the most gentle and humble souls that I have ever met. When I think about a demeanor and a personality similar to the Lords, he is who comes to mind. My grandfather has always held a special place in my heart. I was looking back through old baby pictures in albums while everyone was fast asleep the other night. I’ve never laughed so hard by myself in my life (mainly at moms velour jump suit), but I found so many pictures of he and I. Thank goodness for pictures! (I can’t wait to use these for blackmail one day). When we get older it’s so fascinating to look back at the relationships we had and the people we clung to as such innocent little beings. I realized what an important role my papa stepped into when my dad stepped out of my life. Mom, Ethan, and I lived in a little white house on the land right behind their main house off of Highway 29 growing up. I loved it. To have my grandparents right there anytime I wanted them was the best thing ever! It was a comfort. I remember running up and getting fresh strawberries from their house in the summer with powdered sugar. Delicious! I clung to my Papa throughout all of these pictures. It’s funny to see at such a young age how important it is for a child to have a father in her life or a strong male role model. With that being said, my Papa is still my rock and my strong hold. We get each other. For some funny and all to special reason, anytime I am around him, all of my cares and anxieties disappear. I don’t know what it is. He calms my soul. Maybe simply because he always has been my safe place, still is, and always will be. We had a table full of family today. Papa and I disappeared into our own deep conversation with his wise advise for about 30 minutes as if it was just the two of us in the room. I had a God moment with him last summer that I will never forget. We sat in the living room that I have played in since I was a little girl. Now here we are going on 30 years later. We talked for almost 3 hours. That’s one conversation that changed me forever and one time in my life that you couldn’t pay me a million dollars to trade. As he held my hands and prayed with me, he wept and his words were directly from above. I couldn’t help but notice every little detail about his aging and delicate hands. He has healing hands. He had a tough battle with cancer a couple of years ago, I learned to hold onto him a little stronger. His faith never waivered on fear or of the unknown, not even one time. Another thing Caleb said when he spoke at church this morning was what we think of when people say the word “Christian.” I think we all have our negative commentaries in the background, but we also know what qualities a true Christian is supposed to possess. My Papa is my example of a true Christian. Always has been, always will be. He is the anchor to our family, and the grounding to our families foundation. I have never seen this man angry, I have never heard him raise his voice, I have never heard him speak of judgement, and I have never seen him compromise his integrity in any way. One of my favorite pastimes with my Papa is our devotion time at the lake house every year. My entire family sits around the front porch or the wood paneled living room (depending on how cold it is) and lets this man lead our family together in the word and in life. We have sat together for hours before pouring out our hearts and sharing with each other our worlds. We have cried, and of course we always laugh hysterically (some till they pee their pants! Simply because we have an element of crazy hilariousness that I absolutely love) But none of our foundational values and Christian moral grounding would be in place without this man and his leadership and prayers over our family along with my grandmother. The older I get the more I realize how blessed I am to have such influential people in my life such as him and my grandmother. Life wasn’t always easy, and life wasn’t always perfect. It never will be! When my dad stepped out of our lives, God knew we needed these strong people to help raise us up in the way we should go. They always say it takes a village to raise a child. I love every bit of my little village, all the good, bad, and ugly. My life was sometimes all too messy and painful, but man it has always been beautiful. I wouldn’t be half of the woman I am today without my grandparents and their hands and prayers over us. Thank you Lord for granting me grandparents that would lay a foundation down that will impact our family for generations to come.