Pictures, Memories, and Dreams

I'm still trying to figure out how 500 pictures can fit inside a little plastic digital device not much bigger than a quarter. But with our nifty digital camera, we were able to capture a lot more memories of our vacation. It really was a delightful family time. As I fall asleep at night, I have more images to send me off into dream land.

David began his first week at Datatel in Fairfax, Virginia. His strategy for furnishing his one-room efficiency is to pass by the dumpster each day to see what furniture folks are tossing away. I guess that's how a boy raised in a poor third-world country gets by in one of the wealthiest counties in America. I figure David will probably be a millionaire by the time he's 50, but will continue to make passes by the dumpster.

Sara and I are enjoying a quiet week here at the house. Hannah is finishing up her first week of work at Riverbend, the Baptist retreat center. Jonathan and Martha will return Saturday from their mission trips. I sent off a book order yesterday and will resume schooling Jonathan and Martha after July 4. The printer called today and they are shipping Jan's book today. It ought to arrive by the end of next week. I'll share more about it then.

David told me over the phone this morning that he plans to use up all his vacation time to spend Christmas with us here in Fort Worth. He said, "Dad, there's no place I would rather be than home with y'all." It's a bit unsettling, though, to think about where we all might be in a year from now. David in Washington, D.C.; Sara in Fort Worth; Hannah maybe in college in Virginia; Martha, Jonathan, and I in the Philippines.

So where is home? I guess Jan is the only one of us who is truly home. "And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth...longing for a better country - a heavenly one" (Hebrews 11: 13, 16). Two weeks ago I stood with all my children on a mountainside in Montana, surrounded by majestic beauty. I couldn't help but think that this was a little taste of what heaven will be like. Except by then, Jan will be with us, too.