This week will be dull compared to last. We had phone conversations with three California friends, two from Mississippi and visits from two couples who were on road trips from California. A lady from our church here stopped by one day and the children were free enough from sniffles that we were able to share two meals with them at their house. What a week! The presence of friends and family, whether in person or by phone, brings indescribable joy. (It's all a part of the fellowship of believers for us.)

The Witts came Thursday after spending a couple of days in Memphis enjoying ribs at the Rondeveaux--the world's best rib place--and taking in the sights. We had lunch at home, showed them a little of Jackson, dined on catfish for supper and talked and talked and talked. Sunday the Mittlers stopped by for a couple of hours and brought us lots of CDs of services and Bible studies fom Fair Oaks. Those visits will live on in our hearts for a long time.

More and more I am convinced that one of this life's greatest gifts is grandchildren! Christopher has learned to crawl and has joined that group of little ones known as the "Now You See Me, Now You Don't" crowd. Having Elisa crawling around our house makes me more diligent in keeping things off the floor. I'm convinced that all those months babies sit looking around and cooing before they reach the crawling stage, they are really casing the place so they'll know exactly where to explore. I think Marty agrees, now that Christopher is off and going. He has big sister Mallory wrapped around his little finger. Elisa's latest accomplishment is to say "No, No." Meredith has added "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" to her nursery rhyme repetoire, but I think "Humpty, Humpty" is still her favorite. That's the one we hear the most. Jacob, Sarah and Drew are busy with the usual school activities and fun to be around. I love to hear what they are doing in school, to hear Jacob play new notes on his saxophone, to see Sarah do the crab crawl and to get pictures from Drew and see his school work. I bet he's a fun little boy to have in class.

I love this time of year. It has always been my favorite, a time when the weather gets cooler, the leaves change color, the cotton fields stand ready for picking, delicious smells from the kitchen fill the house, football takes over the weekends, basketball begins and families begin dusting off favorite holiday traditions and planning new ones. There is something in the air that prompts both a calm excitement about the present and a warm nostalgia about falls past.

The visits from our friends and the most recent grandchildren stories and accomplishments will be added to the fall memory bank of 2008. All of us are making memories every day, really every minute and we will be remembered by those who know us. The content of those memories is up to us. Think about it.

Blessings,
Pastor Margaret