Lasts...

My friend Juli Clarke wrote a few times on her blog about how we celebrate our children's firsts, but sometimes forget to remember their lasts, the last time they crawl in bed with us, the last diaper, the last time they have a paci...I experienced a last this morning and it brought tears to my eyes. My kids, all three of them are blankie kids. Jess has this clown blanket that my mom hand embroidered. This is actually the second one in her life, although I don't even think she may know that...I need to tell her about it. When we lived in Valdosta, my mom came for a visit and saw that the blanket was falling apart. We talked Jess into giving it up for a week or so so that it could be repaired. My mom UPS'ed it back to us and it was delivered to the wrong address and some mean person stole it. I guess that is where UPS gets the name "OOPS" in our family. She quickly made her another and sent it. Jacob's blanket today is a mess. It started out navy blue. It has elephants embroidered on it. He absolutely loved his blankey. We had his name embroidered on it because it went everywhere with him. Today it is faded to a baby blue, from so many washes, but is well loved and worn. Jacob's blankie was a superhero cape, a whip, rope to tie things up, a skirt, you name it! Jacob actually gave me his blanket about a year ago and asked me to put it away, nearly broke my heart! Now for my Jordan, one blankie didn't do it for her. She had to have two! Anyone that knew Jordan as a baby knew of "Hole Blankie". That stinkin (literally, I had to sneak it to wash it!) hole blankie went everywhere with us. It was crocheted. When Jordan went to Kindergarten, we said no more. It can not go to kindergarten with you! I actually had to take it and put it away becuase it was completely falling apart. I had tied it together in so many places it was pitiful. Now Jordan also had her green blankie, which she still has to this day. My mom made it as well. It has puppies embroidered on it. She always has had to have it to cover with.

All this to tell you of my last this morning...I was making all the beds and found Jess and Jordan's blankets in their rooms. Jess went to Super Summer this week without her red blankie. I cry now thinking of it. She has snuck it to every camp, sleepover, anytime she has been away from home overnight, it has gone with her. She left it behind. How did that happen?! I want to think that it was an accident, but I bet not. She is growing up. If that wasn't a big enough blow to a mamma's heart, I was making the other bed and found Jordan's green blankie! She didn't take it with her on her sleepover. ARGH! I am so happy they are growing up, and try to enjoy every minute of each stage, but times like this make me so sad. Sappy????

My friend Dorraine had this verse on her status this morning and it really spoke to me. "Lamentations 3:22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." 25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD." I told her the waiting part is so hard. I know in the next few weeks of Scott's chemo and then the tests, MRI's CT Scans, PET scans, etc, will be so hard. Waiting on those results will not be fun. When you think of us, please ask God to calm our hearts and give us a supernatural ability to wait in "the shadow of his wings!".