In His Hands
We battled a blizzard, a snowstorm and then pea-sized hail as we drove south through the state of Arizona last month to see our daughter.
It was one of those trips that started out well, with our spirits high.
It was going to be the first time in a while that my daughter’s family and my son’s family would be together, and Steve and I were looking forward to celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary with everyone
.
Things didn’t go exactly as planned.
Gracie, our three-year-old granddaughter, became ill and spent two days in a solid snooze on the family room couch, barely moving her little head. Thankfully, one morning, she woke up, smiled and headed for the toys.
I ended up in the emergency room and was admitted to the hospital for a short stay, upsetting a few more plans.
That’s kind of how it went. Big and little complications.
And then the clouds cleared, the sun shone through, and it was time for our family dinner together.
Nine of us sat in the dining room, with one grandchild curled up on a nearby couch, and we enjoyed a lovely dinner and fellowship. We lingered around the table, and there was laughter as my children shared their versions of the same childhood events.
And then … too quickly … it was over.
It was time for everyone to say good-bye, and for each of us to head in our separate directions.
Of course, there were a few First World irritations. The plane carrying my son, my daughter-in-law and my grandson spent a few hours on the tarmac at the Phoenix airport before heading to Chicago. Once there, they had to sprint — carrying the baby — from gate to gate in order to catch their plane home. Of course, their luggage got lost.
Steve and I followed behind Winter Storm Cara which was ravaging the country, leaving travelers stranded in their cars all along Interstate 40. When I looked it up on a weather app, the storm — represented by a huge purple blob — looked like a dinosaur blanketing our country.
And just to spice things up a little bit more, our 90-pound dog Molly — behaving like a recalcitrant teenager — decided she didn’t want to ride in the car any longer.
Unfortunately, we were in Texas at the time.
Throughout our trip, there were so many sweet moments. There was the shriek of joy that I heard when Gracie first spotted her Grandma Mamie. When I arrived at our kindergartner’s school, I knelt down and received the longest hug as children and parents swirled around us, all heading home for the day.
There was the tug-on-the-grandma’s-heartstrings moment when the three Arizona grandchildren met their 12-month-old cousin for the first time. As I watched the children interact, I found myself hoping that those relationships would stay as sweet and loving as the day I watched them unfold.
Through it all, through the good moments and the difficult ones, I knew that my family was in His hands. I knew that He knows us best, and that He loves us best — and that He would get us through each moment, both good and bad.
