The extras in my life!

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Thank you to all who were at Pearl Harbor, especially our own Uncle Hugh


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Last week a good friend asked me to go see Jars of Clay with her while they were performing at her church.  Believe it or not, I had never heard them unless it was on the radio and I don't remember.  I am not a huge fan of loud music and you know the music is always loud at concerts.  Even as a teenager I didn't like loud music.  But I digress.....the concert was wonderful and I got a couple of pictures.

The opening singer, Audrey Assad was wonderful....she played the piano and sang.  She also joined them in singing a few songs.

It was fun, thanks Sharon!

That was Thursday and on Friday afternoon, I was at another musical event!

  I have been blessed with so many who are like family to me.....my extras.  They come in all ages and from many places.  

This past year I had the pleasure of meeting a new family.  A military family, they joined us for worship at our church.  I just watched them for a while, troop in every Sunday with six children and one on the way.  The children were very well behaved, but seemed a little shy.  At some point it was announced that the husband was to be deployed to Afghanistan shortly, as in days after the new baby was born.

An email came out giving women in the church opportunity to help this mama out.  Since I've always had family around to help me with my kids, I thought it wouldn't hurt me to sit with them so their mama could grocery shop.

I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting, but the kids are all home schooled and yes, I know my home schooling friends are going to kill me for saying this, but I was expecting them to be odd.  So it was with some trepidation I went out the first time.....o.k. those kids are delightful!  They are completely not odd....sibling fights and all......but are a lot of fun, smart as whips and obviously happy! Oh, yes, and not a bit shy once you get to know them.

Over the next few months, I got to know the kids well....not really so much their mother because she would grocery shop or go to appointments while the kids were with me.  One day during the summer, I told her that I was becoming fast friends with the children, but didn't know her well at all.  So we spent just a little time visiting.  

Time went by, the husband came home and I spent less and less time with them and missed them.  One of the boys who is five would sit with me sometimes during church, but eventually they made the decision to go to the chapel on base.

Their mother was sweet and tried to keep me informed about what the kids were doing and how they were.  In the last few months, I've gone to two of the kid's piano recitals and last Friday I went to probably the last one as they will soon be moving.  At the end of the recital, mama played the guitar and the five oldest kids sang Christmas songs.  They were great!  I took a little bit of video with my little point and shoot and I hope it will load here.

Nope, it won't load.  But I did take a picture while they were singing and got a family picture after the recital.  So here they are singing Christmas songs...on one song three of the kids sang one verse each as a solo.  They were really good.

 Before I had to leave, I got a family picture.  I pray God's richest blessings on this family.

Wherever they go next, I hope someone like me gets to be their substitute grandmother.  The blessing was all mine!