Mixed Emotions

Yuck! There must have been milk in the bottom of that glass, I thought as I looked at the water I had just poured. It looked cloudy! I grabbed a glass from the shelf and poured again. Same result! I had seen the gallon jug of cold water in the fridge when I came in the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. Thirsty, I poured myself a drink. Howard must have put water in a rinsed milk jug that still had milk in it, I concluded, pouring the whole thing down the drain.

Then it hit me. That had been lemonade! He was looking for a half-gallon container last night to mix some in, and I had told him to get a two-quart pitcher from the cabinet! He must have used a water jug, instead. As soon as I could, I told him what happened, which didn’t make him too happy. Thankfully, he had another can of the frozen condensed drink and quickly made another batch.

I don’t like surprises (except the good kind), and life had been full of surprises lately. My son, Greg, announced nonchalantly the other day that he and Joanna were leaving for vacation on Monday. To my surprised look, he said he thought he’d told me. They’d been planning it for months, he said. With his next words, I understood why he hadn’t mentioned it. “We’re flying to Las Vegas, then from there we’re taking a motorcycle to the Grand Canyon.” What? Alarm shot through me, and I began a campaign to dissuade him from the bike part.

It wasn’t enough that our youngest, Jamie, has been in Japan for the past two weeks, keeping me in suspense as news of earthquakes rattled my peace of mind! Son Trevor’s family is cruising the Caribbean, which sounds safe enough, but just thinking about another set of three of our grandchildren going respectively to Panama City Beach in Florida; Destin, Florida; and Savannah, Georgia, all with friends or church, yet without their parents, keeps me sending up prayers.

They say growing old is not for sissies, and I’m finding that trying to keep tabs on my scattered brood is not for sissies or the faint of heart, either. Thank God, that He is an ever present help in time of need, and a Friend who sticks closer than a brother,--a great solace to a concerned mother and grandmother. His refreshing Presence turns the lemon of worry into a sweet glass of lemonade!