Not the picture perfect goodbye!

Yesterday I took Landon to UVA in Charlottesville for a wrestling camp that he has been looking forward to for months. It is just about a three hour trip from Virginia Beach. Check in was between 2 and 3, so planning ahead, I figured that we could go to church and leave pretty much after that.....around 11:15ish. I believe that I am way too optimistic at times about traffic around Hampton Roads. We ended up sitting in miles and miles of back-up on Interstate 64 and it took us almost 2 hours just to reach Williamsburg. So, ultimately we were late in arrival for camp.

My son, Landon is the typical teenager and was extremely irritated at me for the volume of traffic. I did a great job of staying calm and assuring him that things probably wouldn't be right on time and that he would be fine if we were a little bit delayed.

I was so thankful for my friend, Lizzie whose son was also attending the camp. She called me and let me know that the directions to check in were a bit confusing and she took the time to walk me through them. She also took my phone call as I was driving around searching for the dorms and calmed me down as I was frazzled beyond belief at 3:30 p.m.

As we arrived, we grabbed all of Landon's gear from the trunk and ran up a hill to check in. Sweat was dripping down the sides of my face as well as just about everywhere else in the 100 degree heat. As we approached I could see all of the wrestlers outside waiting for the camp to begin....not many parents were still there and my heart sunk knowing that we were really late and that my assurances about things not being on time were incorrect. Approaching the check in a woman stopped me and asked if we were the LoAlbo's. She directed us inside to turn in our forms and for Landon to get his dorm key. We headed towards the doors, but it was difficult because all of the wrestlers were coming outside for orientation. Landon had a confused and frustrated look on his face and was looking to me for answers. I walked in and turned in the forms and grabbed Landon's key. Landon had already headed up to his room and I met him there. We inserted the key and to add to our frustration, the key did not work. I just wanted to cry!!

Luckily two college aged counselors approached and asked if they could help. They tried the key as well and didn't have any success. (This definitely made me feel better and I kept some credibility with Landon too!!) They graciously offered to put Landon's belongings into their room until later that evening. We walked to the end of the dorm and put his things down. Landon grabbed his work out gear and quickly followed the counselors to orientation which had begun 10 minutes prior.

I was now realizing that I was leaving my son for three days and I wasn't going to get the kind of goodbye that I wanted. Well there it was again...me thinking that it was always about me and God saying, "Hello Tracy....it is not all about you....I am in charge!" I tentatively yelled to Landon, "Bye, bud....Have a wonderful time....I love you!!" I understood that I was NOT going to get a hug or a kiss and that was the price I was paying for running so late. To my absolute surprise and delight, the counselors turned to Landon and said, "You go and give your mom a hug and kiss goodbye!!!" Landon hesitated and looked to the counselors first to see if they were joking or serious. As he did this, Landon knew that they were serious and he ran towards me and embraced me and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

How thankful I was for this!! It may seem like nothing, but it meant the world to me and I am so grateful that God placed these wonderful counselors in just the right place at the right time for me to receive a goodbye that I will treasure for the three days and nights Landon is not with us. This also is especially important because Landon forgot his cell phone and normally I would be bugging him with "I love you " and "I miss you" messages and since I am not able to do that now, that goodbye was extremely special to me.

Why do I doubt God?? I get so wrapped up in myself and the limits of time that I totally forget that God is always in control. Yesterday was a perfect example of this. God provided even when I was hot, irritated, and most ungrateful. My prayer is that I can remember this and know that even when things are not going my way, that God will always provide and come through in His perfect timing!!

Things to be thankful for this week:

#81-100:

college aged counselors

Ocean Breeze water park

Atlantic ocean

dolphins

beach time

caring pediatricians

Kerri

Sweet nieces and nephew in Charlottesville

summer bible study

authenticity

Dean's sermons

faces of joy

successful eye surgery

Piercing pagoda

friends that share their pools
Aunt Susan

Taylor Mary

driving school

pink seedless watermelon

fresh basil

A Special Reunion

I had the absolute joy to meet with two of my former second grade students today and share lunch with them. They certainly are not 8 years old anymore. They are beautiful 21 year old women with the maturity and poise of responsible young adults. They both are in college, playing sports and enjoying what is truly one of the best times of their lives. What a special reunion it was!! We shared and laughed about the class that I had 13 years ago and talked about what everyone is doing. I was in awe of how the years have passed by so quickly. Flashbacks in my mind reminded me of them both as precious eight year olds with pigtails and missing teeth.I am so thankful for this opportunity and the privilege to re-connect with two very special women. Relationships are precious and God certainly blessed me with that fact today!!

Other blessings this past week include:
#41-60
Sunday sermons that tug on my heart
field day
cold water
tug of war/boys against girls
sweat
girls night out
The smell of Dalton while he is sleeping
naps
colleagues
unexpected letter of thanks
Ocean Breeze
caring doctor
our community group
my dentist
pride of a 4th grade author
Miss Sue
air conditioning
former students that are young adults
Sophie's nudging
family

A Monday of Thanks

Here is it...Memorial Day Monday and I am full of things to share that I am thankful for. I pray that this weekend was as relaxing and special for you as it was for me.

#21-40
painted toenails
intense bike ride
honesty
sunshine
texting
a hard-working husband
clean clothes
running skirt
garden tomatoes and fresh avocados
a blue sky with puffy white clouds
Memorial Day
selfless soldiers
Day off with the family
Dalton's smile after a new accomplishment
sweat from sunbathing
a baby's toes
First Landing State park's running trails
ice cold water
Sunday sermons
developing new friendships

So thankful for yet another week of blessings..................... :)

Everyday Blessings

My dear friend, Sue introduced me to the blog, A Holy Experience. Everytime that I click on it and consume what has been written, I tear up. The music that accompanies the gifted writing convicts me and I am completely in awe of what the author, Ann Voskamp has crafted. Each Monday is dedicated to a theme entitled Multitude Monday. This is an ongoing list of the multitudes of gifts that the Lord blesses us with each day.

I don't know about you, but life is difficult. Days go by and it seems as if busyness, responsibilities and just "stuff" always seems to get in the way. There are many days that pass where I don't know if I even realize the blessings that I am missing. My prayer is that God will open my eyes and my heart to recognize the special gifts that He bestows on me and that I can see, feel, hear, taste and touch every single one. Through the next couple of months, Mondays will be my day to reflect on the gift that life truly is and share it on this blog.

#1-20:

instant oatmeal
a hot shower
singing birds in the morning
flip flops
a hug from behind when all I can see is a student's sweet little hands
breakfast duty
A "good morning" smile
driving to school everyday with Dalton
lunch with colleagues
grocery shopping at Trader Joe's
fresh vegetables
reading about and relating to Peter
cheering with Landon for Dalton at his baseball game
watching the joy on Dan's face while he is coaching
seeing a friend I haven't seen in a while
feeling the cool breeze of a fan
alone time
seeing God work through this blog
bare feet
my sweet son sleeping next to me

Cherish each and every day!!

My heart breaks for the family of Whitney Hulce. If you are not familiar with this story, Whitney was a 25 year old first year teacher in Norfolk. She was out with friends this past Saturday evening and was hit and killed while crossing Shore Dr. I did not personally know Whitney, but the story of her death deeply touches my heart.
I remember back to my first year teaching. I really didn't have a worry in the world. I taught first grade and had a great time on the weekend with friends. I definitely took time for granted and thought that I was invincible. At the time I was living in Richmond and thoroughly enjoying the fact that I was on my own and paying my own bills. I loved my first teaching assignment and doing what I believed God had gifted me to do. I am sure that this is where Whitney was as well. From everything that I have read, she loved her job and was touching and changing lives in her classroom.
Why is it that God takes some of us so young and others live very long lives? I can't answer that question. It is a mystery and one that I will ask of God once I reach heaven. I know that God has work for all of us to do here on earth. I also know that our life here, whether we live a few decades or until we are a century old, is only a blip on the radar screen compared to our lives in heaven for eternity.
This entire story regarding Whitney makes me very aware of the fact that any day can be our last here on earth. We wake up each morning and expect that we will be crawling into our beds at the end of our day. That is not always the case and that is why we truly need to capture the blessings of each day that is given to us. Every day is a gift and could be our last.....we really don't know. Unlike technology now that can reveal 3D pictures of an unborn baby and due dates of pregnancies that allow us to prepare for the birth of a newborn, we do NOT have that luxury with death. Death is inevitable, but not one of us knows or is able to figure out the exact day or hour.
I know that I need to live as if each day was my last. It is difficult, because life as we all know it gets in the way. Deadlines, places to be, projects to complete, laundry to do, houses to clean, carpools to run, etc, etc, etc. What if today was my last day here on earth and I knew it?? I honestly don't know what I would do, but I know that I would want everyone that loves me to surround me and spend time with me. I know that I would want to make sure that my loved ones knew Jesus and that I would meet them again in heaven.
I truly am so thankful for all that God has blessed me with.....a loving family, wonderful active children, faithful friends, and health that sustains me. I need to appreciate all that God surrounds me with each day....my boys laughter, my husbands gentle touch,kind words from dear friends, my dogs nudging, the azaleas blooming in my yard, the sun shining, a students hug, soothing words of scripture, my comfortable bed at night, birds chirping in the trees, the ability to exercise, and each day that I am able to watch the sun rise and set. I will cherish each and everyday and when the day arrives that Jesus calls me home, I pray that I have lived my life here on earth to the fullest.