Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. – Colossians 3:15

I’m not sure that I’ve ever explained just how serendipitously amazing it is that we are just two and a half hours from Naomi, Craig, and the grandchildren.

When the Campbell family relocated to Connecticut it put them 1,300 miles away from our home in Florida – that was over 20 hours in the car. Rebekah’s call to Wake Forest pulled us into 600 miles, or an eleven-hour drive. Then the Richmond move cut another eight and a half hours off the route.

Consequently, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to have “Thanksgiving” lunch with Beks at her pre-school, and get in a little quality grandaddy time.

The best part was being able to surprise both the children. Beks couldn’t stop grinning at preschool; then, when David ran off the bus to hug me, he said, “How did you get to be at my bus stop, Grandaddy? I was so surprised to see you!”

So we played trains, and I watched Beks hang the first ornament of the season, and I impressed both of the children by explaining how I lost my footing that morning at home and managed to fall down the stairs, to which David said, “Maybe you and grandmama should have a coffee pot upstairs too?” Which really isn’t a bad idea when I think about it, because then maybe I’d be more alert when I set out to negotiate my route to the kitchen.

It was only a four-hour visit, bookended by the driving, but it is so important to continuously invest in those relationships, to simply hang out with David and Beks, and to be a routine part of their lives

And as I headed south again down I-85, I watched the sun slowly slip over the horizon, and I thought about how beautiful life is, and how important it is to grab hold of these moments when they come along, and how blessed I am to be able to simply rest in the goodness, and to be thankful.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. – Colossians 3:15

– DEREK

Enjoy the photos – these kids are a hoot!

Beks…

and all the other Indians…

happy to see her grandaddy

Beks and her best friend

David

building a train layout together

this is serious business!

“Ta-dah”

first ornament

With Naomi – goofing for the camera

photo with grandaddy…

but lets not stand still!

I-85 south in Virginai