I told you earlier about my 50th Anniversary Girlfriend Weekend. It was precious and sweet and silly and deep. It’s only July and I am ready for another one
Friendships are precious! Take care of them, treat them like the IMPORTANT relationships they are. And remember if you keep these friends long enough they will be the people who remember you skinny and young
I love you Debbie and Sandra!!
I guess I’ve always known that there were seasons in life. I’m not sure I was all that aware of them as I was smack in the middle. There are some real advantages to being 62. I have the clarity to look back recognize and appreciate those seasons for what they were. I prayed often in the last year for God to help me appreciate this new season of my life. The one with a mandatory trip to the hairdresser every 5 weeks. The one with grown children and a thickening waistline. With little aches and pains that are unkind reminders of my years. I prayed to love this time and I can only imagine the smile on my Lords face as He thought ” oh daughter, this is going to be grand ” AND IT IS! It took a while to get there as we had my mentally ill sister in law with us 15 months. Our Father knew she would only be on this earth for 15 more months and we had to care for her. Another teaching moment! “Trust me Pam I’ve got this” This season is so good!!! I feel relaxed and rested and at peace with who I am. I spent time with my two oldest friends in the world and giggled like a 12 year old. I rediscovered that really handsome boy I married 44 years ago ( next week). I have been blessed with a community of awesome women at my church, IF: Gathering and that crazy group of women known as the For The Love Launch Team. To my young sisters neck deep in Mothering: this is such a precious time! Don’t miss a minute of it! You’re growing adults who will be in charge of this crazy world some day ( and will be in charge of putting you in a Home). Yes maybe you can’t fly off to Austin to party with Jen Hatmaker and the tribe this time but you’re doing something much more important and this season is short ( I know it doesn’t feel like it) To my Sassy Sisters that were born in the 50’s, watched the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, survived the 60’s and are going kicking and screaming into our 60’s we’ve got this!!!! We’re wise and wonderful and we’re not through yet. Getting old isn’t for sissys. If we can survive miniskirts and Twiggy we can do this!?! I’m writing this sitting on the patio sipping coffee on a Saturday morning. A perk of this season for sure.
Sandra Davis
Fifty years ago this past January a skinny girl started a new school. Another skinny girl started that day also and the third skinny girl was already there waiting for us.
Fast forward 50 ( yes 50 years) and we are still those skinny girls ( on the inside). But now we’re wives and mothers and grandmothers. Our lives have taken varied and crazy twists and turns. There were years we weren’t in touch with each other but every time we got together we were skinny 12 year old girls again as if no time had past.
” I thank my God every time I think of you” Boy are those true words about these “girls”!!
Debbie Pryor Brown, Sandra Chastain Davis and Pam Pearce Parker are amazing friends, amazing women and it just keeps getting better. We are all three so very different and who knows if we met today if we’d become friends but this friendship has stood for a reason.
18 years ago after the death of one parent each we decided to have a “girls weekend” with another friend from school. We were faithful for a few years but we allowed life to keep us from getting together.
This past weekend the three of us returned to our favorite getaway FULL MOON INN in Luckenbach. (if you haven’t been you should). We ate way too much, laughed like crazy girls and came away with a friendship that was even stronger than ever before. We made a pact to set the alarms on our phones for twice a day and stop and pray for each other, our families, situations etc.
What a gift God gave me 50 years ago, and He renews it all the time.
More soon about some of our adventures while in Fredericksburg along with pictures.
Somehow I don’t think we managed to get a group shot of the three of us, but we tried!!
Picture this two grandmothers sitting on the porch posed and smiling while the third grandmother sets the timer on the camera and runs like hell to get in the picture. We didn’t get the picture but we sure dissolved into giggles!!
I love these girls
My last post on this blog (that I was going to write maybe just for me) was just before IF:Gathering in February. I had intended to sit down in a quite reflective moment to put my feelings about that weekend down in words. First finding that quiet moment has been difficult and finding the words I want to express my feelings after that weekend is almost impossible.
The planner in me could easily figure out the ways I wanted to improve the experience for all attending. That’s easy it’s what I do. How I felt about the time with those wonderful women on the leadership team with me is harder to put into words. I stepped out in faith and signed up to be a local leader all by myself. Most of the 4 other women who came along beside me knew nothing about IF:Gathering and little about the speakers etc. How do I thank Debbie Parrish, Ashley Parrish, Nancy Hoover and Lee Ann Davis for “getting it” and catching my enthusiasm. Two of those ladies are in my extended family by marriage but now I have four close sisters in Christ who are becoming “my people”. I have to also say thank you to Rachel Young for giving me so much support and insight. Rachel is an associate pastor at Clear Lake Presbyterian Church and even though this didn’t start out as an “official women’s ministry” event she smoothed the way for us. Even better she was able to attend with us as just Rachel Young with no official duties !!
The ladies who joined us were small in number but we had a wonderful weekend with time to make new friends and bond. We had amazing times of worship and the teaching is still echoing in my head. As soon as the new date for IF: Gathering was announced we booked space in our church. I can’t wait for the next time. FYI IF: Gathering 2016 is February 5 & 6
As soon as IF:Gathering was tucked away for next year I had a lovely wedding to finish up the details for . This was my second wedding in this family and it was like working with old friends to send this second daughter down the aisle. It is done and it was beautiful and I cant wait to share pictures from the wonderful Tomas Ramos as soon as they are available.
Before I could complete this wedding we were hit with the UGLY C word at our house.
My husband’s sister came to live with us last January. It would take days and you wouldn’t believe me if I told you the struggles with her and for her. Too many emotional and psychological problems to explain but she had lived with her parents exclusively until my father in laws death Jan 2014. A trip to the hospital for a UTI exposed pancreatic and liver cancer in advanced stages. She is now in a nursing home with hospice care and we are just waiting. All we can hope to do is make her comfortable and peaceful during these last few days. I am reminded how wonderful a church family is at times like these.
In the midst of this I applied for and was accepted as one of the 500 chosen to be part of a launch team for Jen Hatmaker’s new book For the Love. I’ve read most of the digital copy and sat down during lunch ( before going to the nursing home) with highlighter in hand to begin rereading the hard copy. More to come on that subject later. Just know that from what I’ve read so far this book won’t disappoint!!!
(Deep breath- I think I’m some what caught up)
This weekend my husband turned 65 and both our boys , our daughter in law and both of our grandkids were around our table. Those of you have littles at home you can’t imagine how this thrills this momma’s heart. My two precious babies are smart, funny articulate men and I can’t figure out how and when that could have happened.
Sunday night I met with four of the women from the Houston area who are part of the For The Love launch team. How fun!!! There was one in her 20’s one in her 30′ one in her 40’s and of course the wise elder me in her 60’s. We laughed and shared our stories and our lives. We talked about the book and how we can’t wait to see what happens when this book hits the shelves!! We stayed 3 + hours and hated to end it. I can’t wait until the next time when hopefully our number will increase. What do you want to bet I’m still the wise elder *laugh*
Next post I promise won’t cover three months but honestly it might!! That’s why this blog is called ” IT’s Crazy Ya’ll”
Pam
Ok ya’ll I KNOW how to plan a wedding. I’ve been doing this for 18 years. I know all the pieces that belong in a wedding. I have tried and true checklists to help me accomplish a wedding.
WELL…. Planning IF:Gathering is like planning my very first wedding WITHOUT ever having even attended a wedding before. Big difference! But one thing is different with this event. Yes, there are things that the leadership team and I needed to do to spread the word and get the space ready BUT I have tried very hard to remember The Lord is” in charge” of IF:Clear Lake.
Three days until we join about 1500 women to worship together, to pray together and to grow together.
i can’t wait to see how The Lord is going to move through this band of sisters this weekend.
Join us if you’re in the Clear Lake area, I want to hug your neck. If you can’t join us or another group then please pray for us. Stayed tuned IF isn’t going away!!!!!
I know I know I’ve been talking about IF:Gathering for weeks. But guys it’s only 9 days from now.
I have no idea yet how many will show up BUT I do know The Lord will show up!
Join us! http://www.ifgathering.com/gatherings/7489
It's Just Crazy Ya'll 