16 December 2006

Short Shrift Again

I must apologize for the light posting of the last week. Things have been busy, and not all good.

Good - sort of. Our older daughter, Ashley, has announced her engagement to Brian, with a wedding set for a year from now. He's a good guy. I just hope he's strong enough. I love her dearly and she's been a delight and a blessing. But she is one tough gal who wants to get her own way, always (not that she inherited that anywhere!) and would rather die than admit to a mistake. I wish them well. At this point they intend to live in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Brian believed her flat statement that under no circumstances would she ever again live in Fort Smith, Arkansas. I'm already hearing rumors of ice sculptures, etc. I hope she's found a chest full of money 'cause I sure don't have one.

Bad - definitely. Brian's brother, Justin, was killed last week in a head-on crash with a drunk driver. He leaves behind a wife and a baby. Christmas will never be the same for any of them, or us.

The end of the year is always a time for reflection and memory. In the last 30 months, we moved several times across several states. While we had hoped, at this point in our lives, for a measure of stability and settledness, perhaps looking forward to a retirement some day. Instead, we moved hither and yon, lost everything we had, and at this point a retirement - ever - appears unlikely. Instead, I'll probably work until the day I die. And, since the average lifespan of a male in my family is around 48, borrowed time is a very real concept for me. Yet God knew, a million years ago, that this would be the case. He doesn't get worried over such things, so perhaps I shouldn't either.