AND THIS IS LORI

My second daughter. With 'Daddy-O.' This picture depicts such affection. I love it!  She loves it.  And, yes, Odell enjoyed it.

Lori didn't play a part in attempts to find her mama the 'perfect guy' the way her sister, Christy, did.  I'm sure you will remember the 'dates' she so lovingly arranged.  The ones I took a friend, Gina, along with me on.  So that I wouldn't feel quite so silly.  Not that it worked.
Total disaster.  But so funny. . .

Amazing how different sisters can be. Some comment that they look so much alike. Others disagree. All I'm sure of is how they have each been blessed with their own unique personalities and talents.  I was completely amazed when Lori learned to quilt several  years ago.  And such beautiful quilts!  I've lost track of how many she's made.  Two have been made especially for me!  How special is that? I confess I'm amazed at this talent. Simply because I don't know where it came from!  I barely sew on buttons.  And not particularly well at that.
Also not so proud to admit it.  (smile).  Here's the first quilt she made me one Mother's Day. So pretty!

Well. . .Mamas are proud people. If you're blessed to be a mom yourself, you know 'that's what I'm talkin' about.'

Lori is very sweet. With a quiet, gentle spirit.  And quite lovely.  Something she and her sister share.  Beauty. Yet each in their individual way.

 When my girl met Odell for the first time, she whispered to me,  'Oh, Mama, he's cute!'  Naturally, I agreed with her assessment of my guy!

Knowing Lori was a little shy, Odell got quite a kick out of teasing her.  Asking her if she was ready to ride off in the sunset with him. 


Lori is blessed to have a great husband, Kyle, (which reminds me of a story on him that I will have to tell later). For now I will say he is a great son in law.  More importantly, a loving and supportive husband and dad.  And the best part of all. . .
their two children, two of nineteen beautiful grandchildren between Odell and me.  Josie and Andrew.  

                             

And somehow between quilting, caring for a husband, two big boxers, and two busy little people, she manages to divide time between two jobs. One of those being her husband's construction business.

So there you go. . .our second daughter. Who loves God. Her husband and children. Her siblings. And her mama. And so many others. I just wanted to share her with you. I would say it's obvious I didn't mind sharing her with Odell.  (big smile here).  Knowing he loved all my children as his own, and that love was so returned, had to be one of God's most treasured gifts of my life.

While this brief segment features my youngest daughter, all our children are beautiful gifts. And our children's children.


I'll be sharing the others along our journey.  Our children and our grandchildren.

And their relationships with my guy...you know...the one I'm always talking about.

                                      

                                                                                      

                                    

IF YOU WILL INDULGE ME. . .

Today, I want to take a few steps back. Just a ways down memory lane to the early days of our
courtship. There will be times along this journey I'm reminded of an interesting event. It may be one of the delightfully funny stories.  Possibly a sad one. One that I feel deserves to be shared.  Even though it may be out of sequence.  This particular memory fits in the 'funny' category.  Remembering triggered smiles.  And laughter.

This is Gina. . .Correction.

It would be a picture of her if I weren't fearful of frightful retaliation.
You see, she is one of those women who think all her pictures are bad. Unless possibly her Senior picture.
Which is very pretty.  While I don't agree with her, I have chosen to respect her wishes. At least this time.
Perhaps I can locate somewhere a photo of her taken at the Tulsa State Fair a few years ago. Maybe she wouldn't mind me posting that one of her in a future blog.  For now, this is the best I can do.



My dear friend of many years.  Who soon became a friend to Odell, as well.

It was a Sunday evening as we were leaving church that I reminded him I sure wanted him to meet Gina. We had been so busy just being together. Just falling in love.  And it was past time for 'show and tell.' I was so proud of my amazing guy. I leaned closer to him. 'Honey,  I think I know where Gina might be tonight.  I think she's playing at Catoosa. Would you want to drive out there and surprise her?'  He just shrugged, turning his head to grin at me. 'I don't care, honey. Whatever you want to do.'  Seriously.  Even this early in our relationship, I knew this sweet guy had wrapped himself around my heart. We continued driving east.  On our way to 'catch my friend' playing Bingo on a Sunday.  I figured she might be
on the receiving end of one of my little mini sermons.  Not really.  It wasn't up to me to
judge her.  I just wanted to show off my guy.


I spotted Gina as soon as we stepped  inside.  She wasn't alone.  Sitting beside her was Connie, her 'partner in crime.' (smile).  I discreetly pointed her out to Odell.  The one with 300 Bingo cards.

He told me he wanted to have a little fun 'introducing himself' while I sneaked over to the concession to get us a coke. This was just so him.  I loved the way he loved life.  And loved to laugh.  And make others laugh with him.

Being quite a distance from Odell and his 'meeting,' I wasn't able to hear anything that was said.  What I did observe from my position at the soda fountain was enough to know we had been found out! Connie was pointing in my direction.  No need to stay back in the shadows at that point.  When I approached their table, they were all laughing.  Not loudly, of course. That's not something you do during Bingo. One of the rules. And one you hear over and over while playing, 'Please keep the noise level down to a mininum so as not to disturb the players.'  Which would have been everyone in the room.  With the exception of two 'innocent bystanders' disrupting the natural quiet flow of the evening. It was a few minutes before I heard the story.  During a break.

I learned that Odell had quietly walked up to the end of the table where Gina was busily daubing the numbers on all the bingo sheets I mentioned earlier.  She was oblivious of his presence as he squatted down beside her. When he spoke, she nearly fell out of her chair.  He then proceeded to ask her 'what do you do with all those things?'  Referring to her 75 Bingo daubers of 75 different colors.

 Okay.  Slight exaggeration. Poor Gina!  He had her so flustered she was having trouble keeping up.  She tried to tell him what you use the daubers for.  She was thinking this guy must be some ole truck driver 'hitting on her.'

He calmly proceeded to ask more 'dumb' questions.  He wanted her to show him how to play Bingo. She said she was just about to flag down one of the floor clerks to have him hauled away, when Connie saw me at the Concession.  She nudged Gina  'hey, there's Barbara!'  It was at that second it dawned on Gina that this annoying 'truck driver' wasn't a truck driver, after all.  'You're ODELL!'


It was a fun trip back to Tulsa.  Once my friend had figured out it was Odell and he wasn't actually coming on to her, she visibly relaxed.  She was laughing and shaking her head over the joke. Little did she know at that time that this was only the beginning.  She had no clue as to how ornery Odell could be.

Yes. It had certainly been a good evening. Preaching. Singing. Fellowship.
And jokes. Always jokes.

Odell met Gina.  More importantly, Gina met my guy. 
And it was quite apparent to this girl that she was quite impressed!  And happy for her friend.



But no one was happier than we were.  
I snuggled as closely as possible with those annoying 'bucket seats.' I attempted laying my head on his shoulder. Not the easiest thing to do.  When it came to snuggling, the ole 'bench seats' were the best!
Oh, well.  I could always stare at his profile.  I loved watching him while he was driving. And I knew in
a few seconds, he would turn slightly to smile and kiss me quickly. All the while managing to keep
one eye on the road.
                                                      Was it even possible
                                                 to keep falling more in love...

                                                   

                                        

IT HAD TO BE A MIRACLE

Mr. and Mrs. Odell Edwards.  I loved the way it sounded!  We were adjusting to being this happily married couple.  Getting used to one another's little habits.  I've heard wives complaining about their husband being messy...leaving underwear lying around on the bathroom floor...throwing his wet towel in a corner. 

                             

  Not my guy!  Quite the opposite, in fact.  He was very meticulous.  As for myself, I was almost a neat freak, but not totally.  While I couldn't stand clutter, I had to stay on my toes to keep up with him.  I'm not claiming I have the perfect husband, but he comes pretty close.  And I totally love him!
Could it be that we were both still on our best newleywed behavior?  Only time would tell.

Yes.  Things were going smoothly in the 'adjustment' department.  The '$$' department still needed
help.  Actually, a lot of help.  Our plumbing business was getting off the ground.  Odell was staying
pretty busy with plumbing new houses.  The problem with new plumbing is the waiting to get paid.  I sure didn't want my husband stressing over the bills.  I decided when he came home later I would talk to him about me going back to work for awhile.  Just until we really got on our feet.  I didn't feel too optomistic that he would be in agreement of my working again.  But I truly wanted to help in anyway I could. Just for awhile.
I planned to bring it up after supper later.

In the evenings, we loved sitting together outside in our little swing. It was our special time to reflect  on our day. And, as he liked to say, 'solve the world's problems.'

 I lay my hand on his leg. 'Sweetie, how about me working for awhile to help out?'  He stopped swinging and turned to me.  'No, honey.  I don't want you going back to work.  We'll get through this.  It's just a minor inconvenience. I don't want you worryin' about it.  Okay?'  He was grinning that lovable grin.  The one I could never resist.  I told him it was okay as long as he would tell me if he should change his mind later.  He leaned over and kissed me.  'Just let me take care of everything, honey.'   I sighed.  This was my husband.  My best friend. Lover. My confidant. More than anything, I knew he wanted to take care of me.  I felt so loved and cherished by him.  I believed in him.  And he absolutely
believed in us.  And we both knew that God would supply our needs if we did our part.  My part,
at least for that time...was to simply love, respect, and support my husband's decisions.  And to be the best wife I could possibly be. Because my guy deserved nothing less.

The following Sunday I felt the urge to put my last bill in the offering plate.

 I had ten dollars. And I knew Odell didn't have much either.  So I 'stepped out in faith' and slipped it into the plate as it was passed.  And I felt good about it. Well, after the initial twinge of doubt.  Odell wasn't there that morning, as he had to finish a certain portion of the plumbing on one of those new houses.  And so. . . only God, the usher, and I knew about this little love offering.

I clearly remember the next day when Odell came home for lunch.  I'm pretty sure I hadn't mentioned the offering to him.  Not that he would have objected.  He was the most giving man I have ever known.  After spending a little time together he needed to get back on the job.  We kissed goodbye.  Both wishing he didn't have to leave.  Saying goodbye was never easy for us.  At least not for this girl.

                   
  I cleared the lunch things away and went back into the living room to relax awhile.  Maybe watch a little television.  As I approached my favorite chair, something caught my eye.  A little green something.  Poking up from the back of the seat cushion.  Just enough to catch my attention.

  'Hmm...that looks like a dollar bill.'  When I reached out to retrieve it, my breath caught.  My heart beat faster.  I remember almost crying.  It wasn't a dollar bill.  It was a 100 dollar bill!   

Just as quickly as I realized how much it was, the scripture came to my mind about God giving back
ten fold.  I fell slowly back into my chair.  And laughed.  And cried.  And said, 'Thank you, dear Jesus!'  Then I called my husband to share this amazing 'thing' that had happened.  Seemingly out of nowhere.
He echoed my startled surprise.  I believe what he said was something like this, 'Well, I'll do say! Where did it come from?' I laughed with him and assured him I had no idea!  But we both agreed on the only possible answer. . .

It had to be a miracle!


And we believed it wouldn't be the last one!

While we didn't know what our future held, we knew we could trust in the One who 
lovingly held our future in His hands.

And we would take this journey together. . .
day by day.  Growing always in our love for each other
and the Keeper of our Dreams. . .

MEET RICHARD AND CAROL

Oh, my goodness!  Where do I begin?  This man was our pastor, and had been my pastor for many years before my Odell came into the picture.  A very original one of a kind man. Cajun French. Quite unique. And lovable.  This is Richard Gremillion.  And his dear wife, Carol. 

I thought the world of them both.   I had no doubt my sweet husband would love them, too.  And he did.  Actually, it didn't take long before these two one of a kind men formed a strong bond.  Their relationship was close.  They shared many good laughs.  Usually at my expense.  It seemed I always figured into the equation.  Hardly fair odds.  Two strong men against one helpless female.  Naturally I was a good sport.  What choice did I have?  Being a joker myself.

Remember the woman Odell dated before he met me? Unbeknownst to her, the former girlfriend became the brunt of fun, fictitious stories. For years to come.  My guy could come up with stories out of thin air!  It didn't take long for Pastor G to hear the story about this woman I had never met.  And he got a big kick out of carrying it on with Odell. Enjoying the attempt to really get me going.  More than once, this cute joker I was married to would say, 'Now, honey...Bro. Gremillion told me he doesn't see a thing wrong with a man having another woman in the closet!'  Obviously a completely misconstrued statement. (smile).

For eleven years, these two friends talked about going fishing.  They would definitely go someday.

                                                               
  Trouble is, it never happened.  Between Bro. G's preaching and Odell's plumbing, they could never seem to fit it in.  Very sad. And yet...this may have been a blessing.  Imagine these two characters out on the lake in a boat...carrying on as they did.  The boat could have capsized.  Possibly sending them to their unscheduled eternal rewards.  Leaving two grieving widows to mourn these crazy guys they were so crazy in love with. (sigh).

Soon the church was into a building program, as we had outgrown the one we were in. Fortunately, our congregation was blessed to have among them several talented craftsmen who volunteered their skills.  Odell was among these great men.  The Plumber.  The best of the best.  Not just a proud wife's bragging.  It was a fact. Easily verified by several contractors he had worked with for many years. And it wouldn't be the first church he had donated his skills for.  He didn't talk about it much.  It was his way of giving back to God.  For all his blessings.

You may be wondering what this building program has to do with my husband and the pastor's friendship.  And their love of humour.  More often than not at the expense of Yours Truly.  But not this time. On with the story. . .

Since there is no way to share all the craziness, if you will indulge me here, I'll share one that my honey had so much fun doing. Odell dearly loved to stir up trouble.  Just for fun, mind you.

 He sauntered up to one of his friends, Norman, the electrician, and said, 'Hey, Norm, you oughta hear what the preacher said about you. . .'  And calmly walked away.  Leaving Norman scratching his head.  He then proceeded on to a room Pastor G was painting, 'Hey, Preacher, you oughta hear what Norman said about you. . .' Again calmly walked away. Back to his plumbing. I asked him, 'Honey, didn't you ever tell them it was a joke?'  He threw back his head and laughed.  That infectious laugh I loved.  'Why, no,' he said.  Like. . .why would I even ask him that?

And my favorite thing that happened during the building project wasn't a joke.
Which I heard for the first time May 6, 2010. At the funeral home. The day his friend, Norman, came to pay his respects to his dear friend.  My Odell.  He told me that one day after I had dropped by the church to bring Odell something to eat and drink, he waited till I left.  Then he approached my plumber guy and teased him, saying 'Hey, Odell. . .now how do you expect to ever get this plumbing done if Barbara keeps dropping by all the time?'  And my darling husband had replied with the sweetest words ever.  He told him, 'Norm, the day I can't flirt with my wife is the day you can call the undertaker.'

I loved it!  Such a sweet way to express himself.  Fun...like him.  But completely sincere.  I don't know why Odell hadn't told me before.  He always enjoyed sharing the fun bantering that went on among the guys as they worked. But I was glad he hadn't told me then.  Because at that moment I was hearing these words from my beloved husband.  Through a friend who loved Odell as a brother.

It was a God gift.  Saved for me. . . when my heart would need it the most.

And I won't end this part of our story on a sad note.  Because, you see, while I miss him with all
my heart, the precious memories go on and on. . .and I am so blessed to recall them clearly.

And I don't just cry.  I smile.  I laugh. And I will continue to share these memories with my family.  And friends.  And I will know my guy is smiling, too.  From Heaven.

 But it wasn't the time for goodbyes. . . not for many years to come.

 So we would live each day. And treasure each day.  Joyful.  Happy. Blessed. And in love.

And our story continues. . .tomorrow.

YA JUST GOTTA LAUGH

Life was so beautiful.  So sweet.  And so funny!

And I was loving my life with the love of my life!  I know I've said it before...just recently, I believe.
It bears repeating!  Life is a gift everyday!  Just open each one.  And enjoy!

I think sometimes we make our own gifts, too.  With humor.  Lots of humor.  Something his girl loves
when it comes to making her guy laugh.  And always aware that payback would be forthcoming!

My friend, Margaret, had surprised us one evening with an unexpected visit.  We hadn't seen her since our
wedding a few weeks earlier.  She said she just had to check in on the newlyweds. We were just sitting down to visit when my plumber man had to go out on a service call.  He leaned down to kiss me goodbye a couple of times. At least. While Margaret sat there enjoying it!  Not the kiss!  Just the watching! (smile).
Aren't we just the cutest couple ever??

It was a good time for us to catch up on what all had been happening since April 2. Our wedding. We sat down on our bed for a chat while I folded our freshly laundered clothes.  I observed some of my hubby's shorts were still damp. I stood up to take them back to the dryer.  Margaret stopped me. 'Hey, why don't we just hang them on the ceiling fan and turn it on?'  Naturally I was all over that one!  What a fun, crazy idea!  We got up on the bed and began hanging them individually from the blades.  Laughing like a couple of school girls!  We got off the bed and I turned on the switch.

WOW!  Bing...whoosh...whop...they flew through the air like a tornado! Landing everywhere.  On the corner of the dresser.  On the floor.  On the bed.
                                                                                           
While we doubled over laughing.    

Nearly in tears.  It would have been a hilarious video!  You know how you get weak when you laugh so hard?  We did.  We fell back onto the bed in hysterics.  There is no way to describe it.  It's just something you would have to witness to fully appreciate!    (Note the one that got stuck)!

Funny, though, how something so ridiculously funny, is not nearly as funny or appreciated by the one
whose shorts dangled gracefully from every corner in our room!  It's true.  My sweet, fun loving, amazing husband, barely managed a laugh.  Actually something more between a smile and a laugh.  Which totally surprised me.  This just wasn't like him.  At all.  I later found out why he was less than hysterical about our joke. He had gotten sick while out on the service call. Acid Reflux was the culprit.  I was somewhat familiar with it now.  He had gotten sick a few times on our honeymoon.  It would be a recurring nightmare throughout our marriage.  Bless his sweet little heart!  Any other time he would have gotten as big a kick out of it as we did.  Well, almost.  When he felt better, he laughed. Not as much as we did.  To be honest...it may not have been so funny to me had it been my unmentionables flying through the air!

If it's true that laughter is the best medicine, neither Margaret or I should have need to see a doctor. Not for a long time.   But  my heart went out to my darling Odell.  I snuggled close in his arms that night.  I felt such a protective instinct.  Just to take care of him.  The way he took care of me.  I didn't want him to ever hurt.  This was my husband, the one I completely adored, the one I loved.

And I knew I could always make him laugh...tomorrow.
Unless he got to me first!  

                                                                

NEW BEGINNINGS

Being married to my best friend was like an anticipated surprise every day.  I didn't say it was always perfect.  That there were no bumps in our rose strewn pathway.  Of course there are adjustments when two lives are blended together as one.  Ours would be no exception.  We would learn, however, that love covers a multitude of imperfections.


Before we became Mr. and Mrs. Edwards - I love the way it sounds - it seemed my guy had plenty of
cash on hand at all times.  And he loved spending it on his girl. 

                                                            

 Don't misunderstand me.  He still loved spending it on me, his wife.  The problem was he made the decision to quit his job a few days before our
wedding. I completely trusted that he knew what he was doing.  And what his plan was for the immediate future.  It just didn't come together exactly as he had anticipated.  My dear husband is the hardest working man I have ever
known in my life!  He had possessed his Plumbing Contractors License for 30 plus years.  While he had owned his own plumbing business before we met, unforeseen circumstances  had forced him into working for the other man.  So to speak.  He knew this was only going to be a temporary situation.

New beginnings.  Love. Marriage.  Starting up a new business once again.  Which didn't happen overnight.  Remember the
old saying about
money not growing on trees?

   

Neither does it line the deep pockets of an

unemployed plumber (smile).                    

But we knew it would be okay.  Soon we hoped. We had prayed about it and believed
God was in the plan with us.  Which He definitely was!  Doors began opening.  Things began coming
together.  We were seeing light at the end of this tunnel.

This was our first and biggest challenge we faced as we started our lives together.
Odell's attitude was impressive.  Very encouraging.  And it made me smile.  'Honey, these things in
life are just minor inconveniences.  Nothing to get all worried about.  They always work out.'


And he was right.  Maybe not exactly as we thought they should.  Not every time.  But they did work out
eventually.  His business, EDWARDS PLUMBING once again was up and running. Note:  The little guy

doesn't resemble my Odell.  Imagine a good looking man with a mostly silver crew cut and minus the big belly (big smile here).

Being the professional he was, he had established quite a reputation among homeowners, businesses and building contractors.  Soon he was working a lot of hours most days.  And I missed him.  Remember I wasn't working any longer.  I devised creative ways to see him.  One of my favorites was taking lunch to him on the job.
Which he loved.  Unless he was crawling under a house.  Or up on a steep roof.

Sharing lunches together was just one of the little things we enjoyed.  Seemingly
insignificant.  But not to us.  There can be amazing joy in the smallest things.
And should be viewed as a gift in life's journey together.


                                
We had no idea what direction our paths would take.  Whether smooth.
Rocky. Or steep.  We just knew that we would travel these paths together.
Side by side.  Hand in hand.  In love.  And with God leading the way...

                                                                     

                                                                     
                                           




                                             

HOME SWEET HOME

My husband nudged me gently.  Honey, we're home.'  I opened my eyes, surprised.  I couldn't believe I had slept the rest of the way.  But now we were here.  Safe. Tired. Happy. Thankful to God for being with us the last eight days and bringing us home safely...
together.

Home for now was the apartment I lived in when we met.
We would continue living there
until my lease was up and move on later to greener pastures.  At least eventually.  I knew my
husband had a dream of owning land and cattle.  Black Angus to be exact.

   And a huge vegetable garden.  Which we would both love! Who doesn't love vine-ripened tomatoes?    His dreams would become reality someday.  Just not today.

Because for now this was home.  Yawning and stretching, I sat up.  Time to get out of this car where we had spent many hours recently.    I would have been okay with going inside and leaving the unpacking until tomorrow.  But not my guy.  His energy seemed to be endless. Have I mentioned
lately that he loved spoiling his girl?  I tried to help carry things in.  He wouldn't hear of it. 'If you wouldn't mind, honey, you can just open the door.  I've got it.'   Would he always be so sweet and considerate, I wondered, as I walked in ahead of him.  Yes, I knew in my heart he would always be this amazing gentleman. How did I get so lucky?

What a surprise awaited us when we got inside...especially in our bedroom.  My friend, Margaret, had
brought my wedding gown home, among other things.

And she obviously enjoyed leaving fun messages on our mirror.   Which Odell had fun erasing. After we had a good laugh, of course.    One message was   OOH LA LA !!

While he was restoring the mirror to its original status and shine,
I was busy making up our bed with the lovely quilt we bought in
Branson.  Rather, the quilt my sweet, generous husband bought
for me.  When I found it, I knew it was what I wanted. 'Honey,
look at this one!  Don't you just love it?'  He smiled and took out

his billfold.  He knew there was no changing my mind. (This quilt still graces the same bed in my guest room today. Sad smile here).

There!  All done!  We had unpacked. Cleaned mirrors.  Made our bed.  Time to kick back and relax.
Mmm. Iced tea sure sounded wonderful!

                                                                     
  The ringing of the phone interrupted my daydream. Maybe I should just let it ring.  After all, we were still officially on our honeymoon.  Who wouldn't understand that?  Still... what if it were an emergency?  I picked up the phone and heard the voice of Randy, my youngest son, on the other end.  'Mom, good, you guys are home.  We're grilling burgers, so come on over and you won't have to cook tonight.'  I had him wait while I consulted the boss.  (smile).  He shrugged, smiling.  Leaving the decision up to me.  Okay.  We would be over but probably wouldn't stay too late.  We were pretty tired.

When we arrived, so had my oldest son, Don, and his family.  We had a nice evening together, enjoying food and fellowship.  My sons asked about our 'trip' which I decided must be easier for them to think of than
'mom on her honeymoon'.  We shared with them some of the highlights.  Only some of them. Naturally.
Finally, we stood and told everyone that these older newlyweds, should probably be heading for home.

                                                     

Ahh...How wonderful it was to crawl beneath our new quilt and just snuggle together!  It was such a warm,
cozy, happy feeling! Okay.
I turned to him and looked into
those gorgeous blue eyes.  'Honey, you know how much I love you?  Tell me why you love me so much...'  I knew what he would say.  I just loved him hearing say it.  Over and over.  He chuckled softly.  'You know I'm bashful!  Honey, I love you because to me you are
the total package since the first time we met.'    I sighed contentedly.  I didn't think my little heart
could contain much more happiness!   (I know.  This isn't us.  But you get the gist)!

  Wherever in life we were, as long as we were together, it would be home!

And we both knew without a doubt that...

                                                                                                                                     

TODAY...

It's raining.  God so graciously opened the Heavens and let the rain come down to the parched grounds everywhere. What a wonderful blessing!  I believe God enjoys sending showers to His earth and reminding us all that HE is indeed in charge!

Today I opened the door.  And I smiled as I watched the rain.  But I felt sad, too.  Because I'm enjoying it alone.  I remember how much Odell and I loved standing outside together in the rain.  Smelling it.

Watching in wonder the beautiful patterns of lightening.  Listening to the rolling, magnificent thunder.  He usually commented that his mom always told him God was 'moving His tater wagon.'   I heard He was moving
his furniture around.  Funny the ideas people get.  (smile).

I stood at the door this evening and inhaled.  But I couldn't smell the rain.  I almost cried.  I think that may
have been one thing we shared together that was for us...now it was gone.  Someday it may come back.
If it doesn't,  I will always hold that beautiful memory in my heart.  Among so many others. 


And I will always remember...sometimes with smiles and sometimes tears.


And one day soon we'll again be together.  And there will be no more tears...
And guess what?  There may actually be rain in Heaven!  After talking with my daughters about wondering if it rains in Heaven...I think it might.  I think watching the raindrops dancing on the
River of Life would be beyond beautiful. 

So...wait for me, my love.
We will share that pleasure once again...                               

                                                                        

DESTINATION HOME

It was our last morning.  After enjoying one last Branson breakfast at one of the local 'home style cookin' cafes, and of course, just a little more last minute shopping, we knew it was time to head home.

Home.  That little word had new meaning for us because it would be ours.  It had been a glorious, amazing eight days together!  Now it would be nice to start the 'settling in' process.  And
share some of the highlights of our honeymoon with our kids.  Not all, mind you, but some of them.

I leaned in close to my husband and lay my hand on his leg.  He turned his head and grinned.  I knew he was going to say it.  Remember?  The cute little, 'I'll give you about twenty minutes to stop that' thing he said earlier.  He did.  And I loved it!  In fact, I loved everything about him! 

Once again I offered to drive.  Very sweetly.  Once again he sweetly declined my offer.  Okay.  I did say I would share with you why he wasn't letting me help with the driving.  If you're thinking he didn't trust my driving, you'd be wrong.  Quite the opposite, in fact. At least half the time he was more than happy for me to drive,   Bless his heart!  He worked so hard all day.  It was a break for him to just relax and leave the driving in my capable hands.  (smile). So, naturally I didn't understand why he kept turning down my offers to assist. Not that I minded.  Then I remembered something I had said to him a few days before our wedding.   'Honey, I don't mind driving a lot of the time when we go out, but I definitely don't want to drive away from the church after the wedding!'  I had this crazy image in my head.  I know this is a much
younger couple but the point is she is driving!
                                                                       

                                                             
I remembered his laugh.  He didn't agree or disagree.  Just laughed.  That was it!  If we had driven 5,000 miles, he would have driven every mile himself. Without my help.
I was reminded of a comment made by his daughter the day I met her.  Could she have been right?
She had said her dad was stubborn.  I studied his profile as he was concentrating on the road.
His expression was relaxed and gentle.  And sweet!  I knew he couldn't possibly possess that personality trait.  (smile).  I would continue to consider him just a little 'strong willed.'

We started out with the rain.  Again.  But it didn't last too long. When the sun came out it was shining on the green rolling hills.  And there it was!  The most beautiful rainbow!

  God's promise to never flood his earth again.  Truly we had begun to wonder... (smile).  Not really, of course.

I was glad we had taken the scenic route.  Much favored by us both.  I had learned earlier my husband's dislike of turnpikes.  Particularly Oklahoma turnpikes.  Those that charged fees long after the 'dadblamed things' were paid for.   I knew there would be times we would take the turnpike.
And I knew I would smile patiently and comfort him when he was forced to pay for the pleasure of
driving on one of our state's 'money traps.'  But it would be okay.  As long as we were together
and in love, everything would be okay.

There weren't many stops that day.  Just a stop for lunch.  And an impromptu stop at a produce stand my husband spotted along the way.

                                                           

  He wanted to get a watermelon to take home with us.  Sounded

good to me.  It would be the first of many wonderful watermelons we would enjoy!  This one would be extra special, though.  The one we bought on the last leg of our honeymoon.  I watched him as he headed back to me.  He was carrying the melon and sporting a really big grin on that handsome face I adored.  'Oh, yeah, this is gonna be a good one,' he promised, pulling back onto the highway.

I looked out my window just as the sun was beginning to set. The beauty and majesty of God's creation never failed to amaze me.  What really amazed me was how anyone could doubt His existence!
                                                                                       

 I expressed these thoughts to Odell, and he agreed.  He glanced at me for a few seconds and caught me yawning. Just a little.
'Honey, why don't you kick back and take a little nap?' he suggested lovingly.  How sweet of him.
But first I had to be sure he could stay awake without my special little attentions.  Of course he could, he assured me in this cute little way he had, 'It's no step for a stepper.'  I sighed contentedly.   I felt totally loved and cherished as I closed my eyes, smiling.

I knew this amazingly wonderful man who loved me, would always take care of his girl.

And there wasn't a better feeling in the world.