A Day With Jill and Justine

I don’t think anyone would disagree that we have lost a time of innocence, where family was forever, fathers were loyal to their wives and children, women felt secure in their husbands’ love and didn’t wonder if they were ‘fulfilled’. No, today we live in a world of people who are taught, from an early age, what they deserve from people, rather than how to offer the respect people ought to be treated with. Starting with parents, they grow with an entitlement, instead of a giving mentality, and they enter marriages with this skewed perspective. Not knowing how to love or put others’ best interests first, they shift blame, avoid accountability or responsibility, and as a result, end up in painful relationships. The end of the story is always the same; divorce, more scarred lives, more hurting children. It is profoundly affecting our culture, and only God will be able to sort it all out in the end. In saying that, I should point out for anyone who might be reading this who doesn’t personally know me, I am currently married to my second husband.
But spending time with a step-grandchild. A child who, as a result of divorce and remarriage of her grandparents (thankfully not her parents), has not 2, but 4 sets of grandparents…a total of 8. I see, perhaps one tiny little speck of good in the mess…and it is a mess, don’t get me wrong. But the truth is that a child can never get too much love. Not the spoiling kind, but the real kind. Like the old african adage “it takes a village to raise a child”. I actually see benefit here, as this little girl has so many people to whom she is so special, so precious, and who each in their own unique way contribute to her upbringing and character building, and confidence. This is one of those things where God takes a rotten mess and still manages to bring about something good. He is a wonderful God.







We joined Justine at swimming lessons today. She had a very hard time paying attention to her teacher because she was so concerned about showing her “grandpa Mike” and “grandma Yvonne” all the great new things she had learned. Afterward we all came back to the hotel swimming pool, and I took the dogs to a local dog groomer to get them looking like their normal selves again. I had to do it myself because the groomers were all booked up. What a workout. Yea, I know, I just washed them in the hotel tub the other day… but that was 2 rivers and a lake ago! When we got back the girls went and got pedicures, Justines’ very first one! We stuffed ourselves with Thai food, ate ice cream, and called it a day. And what a wonderful day it was!
Afterward Mike and I walked the dogs around the local park and the dogs hunted squirrels.
Tomorrow, Lord willing, we’ll head south and see the new baby.