An excellent weekend with family

Be prepared, everyone. I have been storing up blog posts for the past week and a half. Prepare yourselves for the deluge.

Last weekend, Husband and I were able to take a large breath of relief and step away from some of our busyness for a while, when Husband’s parents came for a visit.

Living far (‘far’ being a relative term, here) away from our family in Minnesota makes us absolutely cherish the time that we do get to spend with loved ones. We had a lot of catching up to do, on their lives, the lives of Husband’s siblings and their adventures, and on our own adventures.

While they were here we talked. A lot. We also went hiking on Saturday afternoon because the weather was beautiful. We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed it at a picnic table in the park. 

 Here we are on a bridge in the park. It was very difficult to get the camera set up in a tree to take this picture.

Back at the house, Dad got busy exploring our yard with his metal detector. I have never done any metal detecting before, but I must say: it is addicting. We took Dad and Mom to the Century Farm by our house. The Century Farm is no longer a farm at this point, but was a farm in the same family for over a hundred years; hence, it’s name. However, there was far too much scrap metal buried on that property, and the poor metal detector was getting confused and overwhelmed. Dad had much better luck in our front yard, where he found a penny dated 1910, as well as a handful of other newer change. Who would have thought so much could be found in a yard that gets mowed regularly?

We enjoyed a few different card games throughout the weekend. I especially enjoy playing Hand and Foot because it’s just not the same with only Husband and me. Mom and Dad treated us to supper at one of the local Mexican restaurants on Saturday night. ¡Qué deliciosa! ¡Viva la comida mexicana!

At lunch after church on Sunday, we told Mom and Dad about the Bible study that we are going through with a group right now. The study is Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby, et. al. Mom mentioned that she had gone through the study a while ago, probably seven or eight years back. Amazingly, Dad could still list some of the main points of the Bible study, not because he had done it himself, but just from hearing Mom talk about it.

That conversation has stuck in my head since then. Do I talk about what God is teaching me, through His Word, Bible studies, circumstances and other people, to the point where others remember what I say? Do I talk about what God is teaching me at all?

I want to be the kind of woman whose daily life and relationship with Christ are so intertwined that I have no choice but to share with others what God is doing in my life. Sometimes when I do bring up my relationship with Christ in a discussion with another person, the conversation suddenly feels disjointed, like there has been a subject change. Red flag! If my relationship with Christ really is permeating my whole self and everything I do, then talking about Him should never feel like a subject change.

And that is something I admire in my Mother-in-Law. When she mentions Christ in a conversation, it does not feel like a subject change. Her relationship with Christ is as familiar to her conversation pattern as clothes or books are to me.

This is an area of my life in which I hope and pray to see growth and change.

So, between hiking, metal detecting, and eating Mexican food, we had a wonderful weekend. And I was left with much to ponder. The time with Mom and Dad was delightful, a welcomed oasis in the midst of self-imposed busyness.