What do you do if you don’t own a pickup truck?
You open the roof of your Miata and carry big stuff anyway. Steve said the guys at the lumber yard got a good laugh from seeing him load the car.
He was using the wood to fix up one more place on the deck before painting it. The deck has been a work in progress for over two years, so Steve is thrilled it is nearing completion. It only lacks a second coat of paint, which he will add in the next few weeks.
It was so nice to have the deck put back together, albeit temporarily. (Steve is going to fix the sidewalk where it dips down.)
Tinker and Belle stand ready to welcome visitors or to guard against attackers; one is never sure until they spring into the appropriate action.
Steve finished the deck on Thursday and on Saturday he started prep for Noah’s 13th birthday dinner to be held that evening. Noah had spent the night with us, and he and Steve went to refill the propane tanks for the grill. As Steve was opening the back of the car to get the tanks, one of them rolled out, and the sharp part of it slammed into the top of Steve’s left foot. He said it almost drove him to the ground with the pain.
He was writhing and yelling, which caused a couple of women nearby to glance at him worriedly. They must have decided he was going to live because they didn’t offer any assistance.
He powered on through the day by icing his foot and taking Ibuprofen and he played in two services on Sunday morning. By Sunday afternoon, he figured a visit to Urgent Care might be in order because his toe was looking and feeling worse.
As it turns out, he broke his big toe. (Fun fact: your big toe handles 40 to 60 percent of your body weight.) The doctor told him to stay off it as much as possible and will be scheduling him with an orthopedic specialist ASAP to figure out what the recovery will look like.
we had everything together by Saturday night to host Noah’s big birthday celebration.
The evening was especially fun because Meagan’s parents, Frank and Sheri Hawley, were able to join us.
They don’t get to see the Smith grands very often, so they treasure every moment.
It’s always wonderful to be surrounded by women I love.
Frank and Sheri had no idea they would be spending their Saturday with us. They had been in Barcelona, Spain, for several weeks doing mission work, and had traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, for a ministry event when they got the news that Frank’s mom had passed away.
As you can imagine, their next few days moved into warp speed as all their plans changed. They were supposed to stay in Spain three more weeks but they packed everyone up and flew to the U.S. Long-distance funeral planning, jet lag, grief, detail upon detail–it was an exhausting journey home for them. They have displayed a remarkable, miraculous resiliency in the midst of it all.
I took Friday off, and Steve and I drove across the state to attend the funeral. Frank did a wonderful job honoring his mom, who had lived in the small town of Dunn, NC, her whole life and was loved by so many.
All the grandchildren got up to sing How Great Thou Art. There were tears in the audience and on the platform, as well.
Although there is certainly grief at a funeral, one of its blessings is how it brings the generations together. Here’s Noah with his dad, his uncle, his grandpa, and his cousin. As he enters his teen years, he can look at the men around him and find lives worth imitating.
I’m proud of this guy whose life is definitely worth imitating and who makes my mama’s heart so happy.
Yesterday, Nathan not only got to play drums in but also play drums with his dad–two of his favorite things. They haven’t played together for quite a while and they were really missing it.
Sarah and Gage came to hear them, so I got to sit during the sermon with with my husband, son, daughter, and son-in-law. Over the years, I have sat in countless services by myself while Steve was up front preaching. It filled up my heart to be at church encompassed by members of my tribe.
It’s been an eventful weekend–saying goodbye to a dear woman entering eternity and singing happy birthday to a young man entering the rest of his life. Throughout the goodbyes and hellos of life, throughout the pain and the celebrations, God’s faithfulness is there through it all.
What about you?
Was your weekend eventful or non-eventful?
Do you have grandparents still living? What do (did) you love about them the most?
Have you ever broken a bone? Tell us about it. (This was Steve’s first.)
I am so so sorry for the passing of Frank’s mom. I’m glad to know she was so very loved and celebrated. Funerals are hard but I agree that it is great to have everyone together to remember the loved one. I’m sure she was smiling down from Heaven and telling everyone who would listen about her wonerful family!
And for the breaking of Steve’s toe. That had to hurt so bad!!! Worse than stubbing a toe even! Ouch!
I cannot believe Noah is a teenager now. And he’s so tall! Wow!
You have a wonderful family, Becky. I know you know that! 💜
It never ceases to bowl me over how quickly children grow up! I cannot believe how grown Noah looks! It feels like you were just announcing his birth. My son is almost 9, so I’m experiencing it all first hand, too!
I’m 45 and my grandparents all passed in the last 10 years except a step grandmother who is still trucking along at 99. I consider myself lucky to have had most of my grandparents into my late thirties and forties though!
I feel for Steve and pray for a swift recovery. I broke my pinky toe last Sept and it was a couple of months till I could even get a shoe on, thankfully sandals did work.
I barely knew one grandma, and really missed have grandparents nearby. My grandma loved her garden, and I remember her tending to her roses and veggies. You are really blessing your grandkids with all you do with them.
The deck looks great! Noah is growing up so fast, and a handsome young man at that. Poor Steve with the toe. I broke my baby toe many years ago, the pain was excruciating. I had to cut off the top of my shoe above the toes in order to be able to walk, once I got clearance to weight bear. It took a long time he heal. Apparently toes are very important, who knew?
So glad you all were able to get together, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
It seems that since my brain surgery my entire life is pretty uneventful. I’m so sorry for the loss of Frank’s mom; she must have been a wonderful woman. Happy 🎂 🥳 to Noah! You have a beautiful family.
Ouchie!! I hate that he broke his toe. I have experienced the banging the toe in the night and can’t imagine breaking one. Bless his toe… I can’t believe Noah is 13!! Seems like yesterday that Sarah was 13. Time flies when you are living life.
A guy came from Charlotte early yesterday morning before we even left for church and he bought a 4 wheeler from my hubby. I wondered if he may have been one of your friends or neighbors. I didn’t go out to talk with him but that thought crossed my mind.
I have a lot going on with myself lately…. pinched nerve in my neck and doing PT…. something weird going on with both thumbs… had a mammogram two weeks ago and “something” showed up but they can’t even see me to do follow up tests until Dec. 16th… as a BC Survivor that makes me nervous…. I am doing the GPL-1 to lose weight. Last week was my first week and I weighed this morning and I have lost 8 pounds already. I was shocked. Got a lot more to go.
I am so sorry about Franks mother passing. My prayers are with them all.
God bless and enjoy the beautiful fall.
Your writing is fantastic. I could feel it all, especially the toe. My foot actually hurt. Happy Birthday Big guy! So sorry for your loss. Face to Face with Jesus. What a place to be!