Sunday was D~Day. We woke to rain bucketing down in great dollops ~ & it continued to rain like Noah's flood as we loaded the car, negotiated the ferry & drove to Liddy's church. We were soaked, cold & ratty before we began. Star wanted to know why she couldn't have stayed home in bed [A: because I needed her to navigate home! lol] Dearest was in pain & naturally his spare medication had been left behind. The ferry was late. Liddy got no last glimpses of her island home because there was zero visibility & the ferry did the 20 minute trip slowly, by radar. It was completely miserable & we were late for church.
I appreciate the irony but I do not appreciate being wet, cold & miserable. Thankfully by the time church was done a thin, watery sun was poking tentatively through the clouds & we headed to Toscani's for lunch with my mother. Well fed & watered & considerably warmer & drier everyone started to feel more their usual cheerful selves & we had a lovely meal, great service & good chat as mum shared about her recent trip to the Cook Islands.
Then it was drop of Dearest [ who had reached his pain threshold & needed to return home] & head out to the cricket final, which the team was in the process of losing decisively. By then it was blowing like the clappers & the rain had returned, hammering horizontally like nails! We didn't stay too long. Mum said her goodbyes [it was rather traumatic all round!] & headed home to her cat & we headed off to pick up the bag Liddy had dropped at a friend's for safekeeping & beyond the reach of her own cats! It had been a wise decision as Saturday night both cats completely lost the plot & raced round the house like demented things howling & crying & generally being quite psychotic.
Then it was meet the car pool heading out to the airport & the inevitable parting drawing ever closer like the apocalypse. There was quite a crowd. Kids showed up from soccer & Teen Street as well as church & naturally her whole GAP team showed up to hooray her on. So much for me wanting a quiet family departure! Lots of hugs & little gifts that needed last minute stowing away, a last minute rush to the ATM...did you know the airport ATM's have multiple curriences?! Modern technology! Last hugs all round at the customs gate ~ & having done pretty well up until that point Lid & I both lost it & Star hovered around me anxiously from that point on. We crossed to the observation deck & as Lid came through customs into the departure lounge looking very small & lost & a little woebegone a great shout of LIDDY! LIDDY! went up. We turned heads as everyone looked round to see who the celebrity was! Liddy glanced up into a sea of waving hands & smiling faces then turned away to board her plane & there was nothing left to do but head home through the wet dark streets.
Monday I did it all again to put Theo on his plane, & he decided the hour trip into the airport was the perfect time to have a deep theological discussion with me ~ which is all well & good but I now feel like a washed out rag & all things being good am anxiously awaiting the FB message or email that let's me know all is well, Lid has arrived safely in Amsterdam for the GO conference & I can relax a bit.
Thank you all you dear people who have messaged us one way or another assuring us of your thoughts & prayers. All muchly apprciated. We have internet provider issues so am limiting my on~line time so if I didn't get back to you ~ that's why. Now Star & I need to get on with the business of sorting out her neglected school work. *sigh*
7 comments:
Ganeida, I have wished I could hug you many times, but never so much as right now...although I think I would be crying as if she were mine own going off and you would end up being the comforting friend.
Wishing you and all yours well.
Hugs for you dear Ganeida and give Star one too, as I know this is a very emotional time for you. May our great and good God bless and keep your Liddy and make His face to shine upon her and give YOU peace.
The Master gardener gave you his little seed. You deligently ploughed the hard ground of parenting, sowed the seed and watered it with tears and prayers. You nurtured it through rain and shine and watched it grow strong and tall. Now the master has recalled his little seed which is now a mighty tree to do the work of his kingdom in the hard ground that is mission work.
Though your Liddy goes to the mission field today, it is you and your husband that did the hard work to produce such a child. You must be really proud of her and though she is miles, continents and oceans away, she is in the hand of He who gave her to you for a while and will always be with her. You already knew that, but it bears repeating.
Gentle Hugs and you are in my prayers
Thinking of you, and Liddy too. xxx
It's so hard to let two go in a week.
Thinking of you as I went through it in a weekend many years ago now. It's still hard to say goodbye to my girl when she goes south and we go north.
I was getting teary reading about her departure at the airport...hugs to you Ganeida.
She is in His hands. xxx
Sorry peeps. No internet. Thank you all so much for sending loving thoughts our way. Ganeida ♥
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