Savor the moments!

Along with my attempt to "Embrace the Journey," I am becoming more aware each day of the importance of savoring the moments...the simple moments, as well as the grand moments. My days are full of them but sometimes it becomes easy to rush passed them rather than truly savor them. This week has been full of moments to savor! All because this wonderful family came to share their vacation with us...

**A little background for those who are not familiar...The Harp's are dear friends from NY. Our friendship started much too late in our lives, yet just at the perfect time! We met Greg and Tracy when he came to Pearce (our former church) as the youth pastor. It was at least 6 years ago?.?.?. Mike and I worked with the teens and quickly became acquainted with Greg. Eventually, that lead to a great friendship between us and his wife Tracy, as well! We spent MANY evenings at their home for dinner (Tracy is a great cook), watching 24, swimming... Tracy cared for Paige from the time she was 12 weeks old until she turned 2. Greg dedicated both Paige and Nathan. So, they are great friends who are special to us in so many ways!!!
I love that my kids know them. I love that Paige remembers them. I love that she loves these boys. Josh and Kaleb were the most polite house guests and were so tolerant of the two little ones. Josh became the human jungle gym and Paige and Nate's personal entertainer. I stored so much joy in my "reserve bank" in my heart just watching them run and laugh and play together. We know they care about us, but I think they all love our kids even more...and that is amazing!
We didn't need to plan a lot of activities or impress them with great meals. We were all content to just "BE!" We spent an afternoon at the aquarium, sat around playing games at home, shared a great meal on the marsh walk and just simply savored every moment we had! They came for a vacation and we hope they enjoyed it! When all was said and done, I know that our family benefited from their vacation more than they will ever know! Sharing our new world with friends and simply being together was exactly what we needed this week!
Being reminded that there are people in this world who know how to care deeply for others...refreshing! There are moments every day worth savoring, but this week was jam-packed with them and I am overflowing with happiness just thinking about it! Thanks Harp family for making the sacrifice (and the treacherous drive) to spend the week with us! We hope it becomes a tradition! We love you and miss you already!!!