Doesn't get much better

It's Friday night.

We made the trek to Dallas last weekend with Older Son and DIL.  We drove their two cars and a rental truck filled with their earthly belongings. 

There have been many mixed emotions since they announced their plans to us back in July.  Wife and I wanted to be supportive but still felt an overlay of sadness about it. As time went on and we talked, and processed it, we became more accepting. Still sad, but accepting.  As Wife quipped recently, "I believe God's in it but I think I'm mad at Him." 

Wife and I both know that God is plenty big enough to handle our being mad. Or whatever else we might be.

Anyway, we went as far as Little Rock last Friday night and spent the night with Wife's parents. We arrived in Dallas around noon.  Their new apartment is in a lovely, tree-filled neighborhood, right across the street from a golf course and next to a very nice walking trail. The apartment complex is probably 20 or so years old, but very nice and very well maintained.

Their apartment is small but it's a good floorplan and has plenty of closet and storage space.  Older Son and DIL were excited as we unloaded their stuff and got them settled into their new home.

Older Son had wisely hired a couple of moving company employees to help us on that end and they had the truck unloaded in less than two hours.  That was money very well spent. Of course Older Son had an ulterior motive -- to see the entire second half of the Auburn-South Carolina game which had started at 2:30 central time.

By 4:30 we were in a bar and saw the exciting second half.  This was NOT a sports bar so it was a very sedate atmosphere. The bartender, in fact, told us we had some of the best silent cheers he had ever seen.
Best of all, Auburn pulled out the win.

On Sunday my old college buddy, who lives in a Dallas suburb, brought us lunch.  Great to see him, as always, and I'm comforted by the fact that he'll be there where Older Son and DIL are.

I also have a wonderful cousin who lives just up the road from them. Older Son and I went by to see her and her husband Sunday afternoon while the girls went shopping for some provisions for the apartment. Great to see them too and, of course, they are family so it cheers me that they'll be there too.

Early Monday morning DIL took Wife, Older Son and me to the airport and we flew back to Tennessee.  Older Son is wrapping things up at work with Wife this week and next, and staying here at the house with us.

Of course Daughter is here too and last night Younger Son called and said he would be coming home today for the weekend.

So this weekend our three little birdies are all back in the nest.

It's no secret that Wife and I have struggled a bit with all these changes taking place.  And you know what I think?  I think someone immensely wiser than ourselves knew exactly what we needed and gave us this wonderful gift of our intact family this weekend.

We know that all good gifts come from Him.