Generations

It's no secret, Jerry and I have a very large family now. With nine grown children, their spouses, and the twenty-six grandkids, it makes for a lively bunch! And oh!!! the absolute joy it brings me to know that my kids are doing well in life---maybe not always in a monetary sense (anyone who has raised a family knows that there's often too much month at the end of the money!) but, more in the spiritual and social sense. They are good, productive citizens who can be depended on to choose wisely and do the right thing. It doesn't get any better than that! Or, maybe it does.

Recently, I was able to travel to Louisiana to attend the high school graduation of my granddaughter, Brittney. How beautiful and confident she looked as she strode across that stage to receive that precious document. It represented a milestone in her young life that she isn't able to comprehend just yet. It was a symbol of passage from childhood into adulthood, as well, but she doesn't quite comprehend that yet either. She will learn soon enough that being an adult isn't always everything it's cracked up to be! With all the new-found freedoms, come grave responsibilities, as well. But, that's another story.

I learned something important, as I sat there in the embrace of bittersweet emotions, surrounded by friends and family who were all there for Britt, our Britt. I learned that there is something more profound than the pride you feel in your own kids when they reach a milestone in their lives. It is the pride that explodes in your heart when you see how great a job your kids are doing with their kids! At that moment, you realize that you may have made some mistakes, but you didn't do everything wrong. Your own kids have managed to raise their children with similar values, strengths, and devotion to God, family and country. To witness and take part in such experiences is an honor and joy. I wouldn't have missed it for the world! But, I almost did...

The carefully made plans were set in motion, and the trek began. We had weathered some terrific storms through the night, after all, it is springtime in Oklahoma. As we hit the road Friday morning, the weather map assured us that the worst of the current storms had pushed through and was far east of us. That news re-enforced our decision to go the western route, south to Nocona, where my niece and I would pick up my daughter, and then continue on through Dallas and east Texas into Louisiana. We traveled along under partly cloudy skies with patches of blue sky appearing periodically. It was a most pleasant leg of the journey.

Having secured our passenger, we continued on to Gainesville, to intercept I-35 and head south. Still, all was well. We stopped for coffee and gas in Gainesville, and suddenly the sky darkened to an eerie nighttime shade, but the unmistakable hint of green was obvious. HAIL!  The sudden storm unleashed its full fury on us before we had time to scramble back into the car. Shivering and wet, we couldn't see the end of the hood of the car. We made a couple of calls and had folks who were next to their computers to pull up a weather map. They assured us that we could drive out of it. So, as soon as we safely could, we made our way to the interstate.  The wind thrashed and the rain poured. The wipers were working furiously to remove the water and create some patch of visibility, and still we kept on.

It was soon apparent that we were not driving out of it and wouldn't be for some time. We had slowed to a mere 13 mph in a 70! Why didn't you just pull over, you might be thinking. And that would have been our first choice, however, it wasn't a viable choice. We were hemmed in with construction barriers, with no shoulder, and therefore had no choice but to keep moving. The thought occurred to me, more than once, that nobody, anywhere, who would perish in an auto accident that day, woke up that morning and said, "Well, I guess this is the day I'll die in a wreck." It happens everyday, somewhere, but no one thinks that it will happen to them. I was thinking that it could happen to us. I prayed. I thought, I remembered. I prayed some more. Still, we were moving at a snail's pace, and then, to make matters worse, we would come up on a motorist that didn't even have their lights on! It was maddening. But, never once, did I feel a loss of inner peace. Something just assured me that, "All is well."

Of course, we did arrive safely, eventually. But, God showed me a lesson that was worth the stress. It wasn't anything new, just a new spin on an old promise. In this life, there will be storms. Some of them, we can avoid by staying inside, where it's safe. Others will pop up out of nowhere and we will be caught right in the middle of terrifying circumstances that we don't seem to be able to control. When that happens, and it will, we need to stay the course. With a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel, we need to keep going. When we can't even see the end of the hood, we need to keep going. When we can't see the car in front of us, we need to keep going---so long as peace remains, we need to keep going. We will come out of the present storm and into the brightest light of the Son, as long as His peace remains.

So, here's what I learned. As we are making decisions for our children, things will surely pop up to challenge our wisdom and create difficult going, but we just have to be confident that we'll weather the storm, and they will be okay, if not because of us, then in spite of us. And the sweet reward comes back to us every time we are able to see their children reach a milestone in their lives.  As Jerry lovingly says, "I always wanted to be an ancestor!" This 'generation' thing is awesome. Knowing that we are the ancestors of so many wonderful descendants is one of the greatest joys in life. We are told that our Father in heaven is proud of His children, generation after generation.  And, I know why He feels that way!