Northwest Days

Today I had to wake up really early on a weekend. I woke up at 5:30 and drove to Auburn so that we could drive over to Yakima for Northwest Days. Every fall our Northwest churches get together for a day of fellowship. It is always so wonderful and today was just the same. The Yakima church was so welcoming. We were all one big, happy family and I felt like I was swelling with happiness all day! After one of the meetings I came into the sanctuary and there were about 20 adults sitting around talking and laughing, with the afternoon sun shining through the windows. It was the perfect picture, and I tried to capture it but when they saw we were finished, they started getting up and the picture was lost.

There were many things of beauty today:

• 7-year-old Johanna trying to pick up and carry around 10 month old Joey
• A sweet old lady named Hildegard, who beamed at one and all and dished out ham with a true servant's heart.
  
• Pastor Stanley as he told jokes before the service
• Dave and Doreen and Duane, with their new adopted son, Ty
• Ty, running and jumping and smiling like I haven't seen him smile in a long time
• The youth boys as they finally got themselves introduced to the cute girl from Yakima
• The row of 7 and 8-year-old boys sitting in a row right in front of the row of 15-18-year-old boys (the future youth group, wanting to be cool like the current youth group)
  
• the Yakima church moms, who bustled all day taking care of us with loving hearts
• Abbie and BJ as they teased each other, so obviously in love with each other, but in a comfortable, relaxed way
• the lush, green mountains with the early-morning light
• the water-colored horizon, the jagged shapes of the cliffs purplish-blue against the red-orange sunset
• the breathtaking mountains in the fog
• my family, even though I was annoying in the car
• having both the Portland crew and my family ending up at the coffee place after we'd all said our goodbyes at the church

I love my church family. I very much appreciate my church in Seattle. I very much miss my church in Portland. I had such a good time today with everyone, but especially with Abbie and BJ. I miss them so much, and every time I see them I get homesick for Portland. Whenever I'm with them I'm just happy. I always laugh, most of the time so hard that at the end of my time with them I'm exhausted. I'm thankful for their friendship and for the day I got to spend with loved ones today.

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