I cannot believe it is already eleven days into the New Year. I think my mind is still stuck back in last fall. So much has happened since I last made an entry into my blog. I think my resolution this year should be to write more. 🙂

As I sit in our hotel room in Chantilly, VA, I hear all the hustle and bustle of the DC area traffic, the planes coming into and leaving Dulles, yet, there is a serenity to the day. My dear husband had to come out for work, so I decided to tag along this trip. It has been over 11 years since we lived in DC and I couldn’t wait to see some old friends.

Our trip out began on Saturday very early. We brought a friend along so she could see her new granddaughter, we stopped in Ohio and saw some dear friends. This trip began as a rejuvenation, and I believe it will end better than I had imagined. Here’s a little about what we’ve done so far.

After about 6 1/2 hours into our trip, we decided to contact friends who we hadn’t seen in almost 19 years. To our delight, they were not busy and were able to meet us while we ate our lunch. It is amazing how even when you don’t do well at keeping in touch and many years pass by, there are just some friends who never leave your heart and you can feel a connection with them again immediately. This is certainly the case for our sweet friends, the Wheelers. Joe was working with Jay when he and I married and I soon became friends with his wife, DeLana. They are such a sweet couple and though we didn’t hang out a lot, we always encouraged one another and listened when we had prayer requests or just needed to talk. About 3 years after we met, we were buying our first house and Jay & DeLana were moving to Alaska. Our kids and theirs had become friends and we all hated to part ways, but vowed we would keep in touch. The first couple of years, we kept in touch quite often. We wrote letters, we called one another. Then, as the years went by and our kids grew and our lives took different directions, we didn’t communicate as often. They were in AK for many years and we moved to DC and then back to IL, our kids grew up, got married, started having babies, and life just got full.

Finally, they moved to Ohio, only about 6 or 7 hours from us, but we just never found the time to meet. We decided Saturday would a good chance since we were passing through Ohio. How blessed we were that God orchestrated our meeting that day! It was like we had not been away from one another for almost 19 years. We talked, we laughed, we cried, we reconnected. God gave us a gift that day, the gift of friendship. Not that our friendship wasn’t always there, but HE gave us the gift of renewing that friendship. He also gave the gift of DeLana meeting my sweet friend, Sue who was traveling with us. It makes me smile to think they too will become friends, encouraging one another, listening to one another, and loving one another. ❤ We chatted for much longer than we probably should’ve at the time, but it was so worth the time!

Joe & Deb with DeLana & Jay 

Getting back on the road, we met Sue’s son about 11:30pm and then Joe and I headed to our hotel. We came down some 2-lane highway in the countryside of Virginia, wishing it had been daylight so we could see the beauty God certainly made. Open fields, little small towns like where we grew up, no city lights, no traffic… It was perfect, especially after all the fog we had encountered in WV & PA. We finally arrived in Chantilly around 12:30am and unpacked the car and settled into our room. Whew…. did it ever feel good to lay down. 🙂

Early Sunday morning, we rose, tired from the days before, but we were also excited about seeing our friends at our old church from when we lived in DC years ago. Upon arriving at the building, we were greeted by friends, as though they were waiting on us. We seated ourselves, ironically behind others who were visiting that day. When we looked up at the pulpit, there were many of our friends leading worship that morning. Oh, how good it felt to be back in their presence! The singing was great, the sermon was AMAZING!! The new preacher has such passion, and such conviction. He didn’t hold punches; he made me cry, he made me smile, he made me long for more. That is the way church used to be for me. I loved getting all fired up and hearing the preacher get excited about Jesus’ love and how He died on the cross for me and for you. So often, I think that we miss that mark in the church today. (I think I will write another blog on this later).

One of things we always loved about the people at that church is that they always made and still make us feel like family. Even those who didn’t know us. That is what will keep us going back to that small congregation each time we visit this area.

Friends at Oxon Hill church of Christ

After church, we drove over to the base where we lived years ago. The area outside the base has changed so much, it’s hardly recognizable. It’s clean, it’s pretty, it’s built up, it’s refreshing! We decided to go check out our favorite place to visit while we lived here. Turkey Run Park, just off GW Parkway is right on the Potomac River, and deep in the heart of city, but you wouldn’t know that. It’s quiet, relaxing and and beautiful! However, it began raining, so we didn’t stay there. We instead drove to Great Falls, MD and walked around. We had visited Great Falls, VA a few times while we were here, but only the MD side once as we recall. It was cool, the air was crisp, and the water was rolling. Some of the C & O Canal locks are there to see, there’s a nice boardwalk over the Potomac. We took pictures, we talked, we walked, and we enjoyed our time together, with no agenda, no place to be, no one else to wait on us, or to wait on. Sometimes, that what marriages need. A get-away, a place to reconnect, a time to reflect.

Today, I rest. Today, I sit in the hotel while Joe works close-by and I ponder. Has it really been 21 years married to this amazing man? He still makes my heart go pitter-patter, like a schoolgirl, he still spoils me, he loves me unconditionally. Yes, today, I think about how lucky I am to have a man who does so much for me and so much with me. Today, I am thankful. I am thankful that God saw fit to bring our two hearts together. I am thankful for the years Joe has spent by side, through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, and through deaths and births. He is my hero, my best friend, my ally. He is the rock in my river and the comfort I need to get through my days. Although my God is all of that, Joe is the physical aspect God provides for me while I’m here on Earth.

So, in 2016, I believe I will make it a point to see the good in everything, be strong, be courageous, be encouraging, be the woman God wants me to be. I will choose to be grateful, grace-filled, and relax in knowing that my God has me right where He needs me. This year, I will focus of God’s plan for me not only in world around me, but in my family, starting with my wonderful, sweet husband.

May you be blessed today,

Deb