June 28 – “Happy birthday, Padawan Micah”

Wow.  Is it ever quiet around here.  Josh and his family left after Micah’s birthday party.  Cailyn is still here, but she and Chris are still asleep right now.  I did have a note from Cailyn on my desk when I got in here this morning.  “Please wake me up in the morning. Love, Cailyn.”  Guess I’ll go do that.  In a few more minutes.

The birthday party was the big event for yesterday.  And by big I mean there were lots of kids there.  I think they invited three or four kids for each of their own.  That would make … let me do the math … at least sixteen.  Maybe more.  Maybe fifty.  Maybe I’m just getting old.

It was a Star Wars themed event.  Christina spent a few hours getting a whole bunch of yarn braided up so the boys could have a Padawan braid and the girls could have some Princess Leia twirlied-up-on-the-side-of-their-heads braids.  Cute stuff.  Of course they all had to make light sabers out of pool noodles and spend some time smacking each other with them.  Jedi training and all that.  My favorite idea of the day was the clue hunt looking for the missing birthday candle.  Couched in Star Wars language, the clues led the kids around the yard and house to discover clues that eventually led to the actual candle in the shape of a 9.  As an afterthought, I think I would have paired up the older guys with a younger padawan of his own.  Those older dudes ran like crazy and had the clues before the younger ones could even get started.  But they all seemed to have a good time, so that’s all that counts in the end.  Cake and ice cream (no, not Blue Bell) quelled their hunger, and a goody bag full of candy for them to take home assured each parent of a more-active-than-usual rest of the afternoon.  Happy birthday, Micah.  And may the force be with you.

Psalms 37:3 says, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.”

Father, thank you for being stronger and more encompassing, but than the Star Wars force.  And I never heard Luke talk about the force loving him enough to die for him.  Nope.  That’s all you.  Amen.