I spent all last week in Roanoke, Virginia. This has been the first time I’ve ventured into an airport since the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shutdown of travel and effectively isolated all of us. I felt totally safe and feel the airports and airlines are taking precautions that will help slow the spread of this virus.

I made this trip to spend time with my Mom, MaryAnn Young. Mom, who is 90 years young, has been staying with my youngest sister and her family for the past several years. She normally goes back to the farm in North Dakota each summer, but this has not been a normal year!

My sister’s husband’s family gets together at a lakeside resort in Minnesota each summer for their vacation. Mom has been experiencing severe pain due to a much-needed hip replacement and didn’t want to travel, so my sister asked me to spend the week with her in Virginia. This was not in my plans. Actually, my grandson was to visit us in Colorado, and many plans and schedules had to be changed. God, of course, already knew this — He just hadn’t shared His plans with me. Mom and I made meals together, played cards, enjoyed movies (Hallmark Christmas movies, if you can believe it!), sat on the deck filled with herbs and flowers, and slept late each morning. I guess it was a vacation for me, too!

My Mom cherishes her large photograph collection. She loves taking pictures and receiving them. At the farm she has countless albums, each sorted by years. Many of her favorite photos have been scanned
onto her iPad, and she loves the memories they awaken. It’s good to look back and remember, and it’s good to make new memories. That’s what Mom and I did last week. We laughed and we cried. Sometimes we just sat in silence and listened to the birds. What a gift this week was for me!

Today, I remember last week with Mom. I thank God for a safe and wonderful trip, and I look forward to the next time I get to be with Mom. Isn’t it interesting that everything works as God planned it?

Thank you, Father, for Your plans for my life. How good it is to know You are always with me!
Today, and always, we are surrounded by HIS grace,
Debbie