Alpha and Omega

Spencer Matthew Schreck, our very first grandchild, turned 7 years old this week!

I can hardly believe we've been on this Journey of Joy as grandparents for seven whole years.  We celebrated the crown prince on Monday.

When they arrived at Noni and Papa's for dinner, he and the five other grands were ecstatic.  Parties and children just go together like Christmas and snow; Valentines and chocolate; Super Bowl and.......well, you get the idea.

Even the "Littles" (Zach and Madi are 2 1/2 now) came in singing "Happy Burtday, Penchur!" before they saw the first ballon or party favor.  Aunt Kristin came early to decorate my dining room in the requested super hero motif.

It seems Spencer is very taken with The Flash right now.  He and Flash both run really fast.  :-)

There was an added layer of joy because John and Linda (NY grandparents) joined us for the unwrapping of presents via Skype.  The senior Schrecks have done an amazing job of staying connected with all their grandchildren who are spread out over Florida and Missouri.

Grandma and Grandpa Schreck are extremely creative; not allowing distance to make them feel distant.  All our lives are enriched because of their diligent efforts to stay engaged.  (That'll preach in several ways, won't it?!)

After dinner, Frank and I sat back enjoying the controlled chaos.

Gift bags were lined up and the opening began.  Clothes.  Shoes.  A game.  As each gift was opened, Spencer stopped, made eye contact with the giver and thanked them, un-prompted. (John and Joy are great parents!)

Abby (now 5) had written a "cahd" for Spencer all on her own.  In her note, she told him he helped her and she loved him "vewy," "vewy" much.  Definitely a keeper.

There was even a mini scavenger hunt for clues to the Smith's gift.  Meagan had placed clues all over the house and even one on the playground outside.  The search party formed a little train that chugged along in tandem all over.  As each clue was located, the train halted and went silent long enough for Spencer to read it, getting direction for the next stop; then they were off again! Toot, Toot!

The drumroll moment happened at the very end.  Spencer's biggest hope was for a new bicycle and helmet.  (Schrecks are tall people who grow quickly in the early years and his former training wheel bike was just too small.)  The bigger bike was a joint gift from parents and both sets of grandparents.

The moment of revealing was absolutely PRECIOUS!

Joy placed the birthday boy in front of our fireplace facing the family and covered his eyes.  It was easy to see he was electric with anticipation.  (I'm grinning like something silly just remembering the sweet smile on his half covered face.)

Everyone kept calling out, "No Peeking!  No Peeking!" while John carefully rolled the new bike into position in front of him.  We made noise to cover the click of the kick stand.  Can you hear all the squealing and shushing?

"OPEN!" came the simultaneous command from Mom and Dad.

Huge blue eyes popped open and the number one fan of the Flash froze for a split second.  Then all the jumping and whooping and cheering one would expect from a seven year old boy began to erupt.

He put on the helmet right away and started moving the bike toward the front door for a test run.  Dad had to stop him because our driveway was full of aunt's and uncle's vehicles.

"Look, Papa!  NO Training Wheels!"  His face beamed with pride as Papa acknowledged how grown up our little guy has gotten.

The title of this post may seem a bit unrelated until I share with  you the other part of my week.  Before the party, I had just flown back in from doing the funeral of a DEAR friend in Missouri.  Martha and her husband Bob have been part of our lives for over 35 years.

Her passing was so painful.  A huge loss, indeed.  I'll write more about this amazing lady in my next post, I'm sure.

But for just a moment as I sat watching Spencer, I was reminded of the bookends of life.  Beginnings.  Endings.  How quickly it all passes.  How important it is that we make effort to stay connected; to capture moments of joy; to mark life as it happens.

Our Heavenly Father is referred to as Alpha and Omega; Beginning and End.  Solomon highlighted that there are times for everything.  To laugh, to cry.  To rejoice, to mourn.  To live, to die.

I guess my main thought for you today is this - Live while you can, dear friend.

Don't allow distance or discouragement or difficulty to keep you from experiencing the joy that can be squeezed from this moment in time.  The choice of focus is yours alone.

My friend, Martha, demonstrated this valuable lesson for me time and again.

Her decades-long struggle with severe rheumatoid arthritis did not stop her from living a full, exhilarating life.  Pictures at her memorial showed a woman who hiked and picnic-ed and swam and celebrated family.

She had to pace herself and work within the limitations of her debilitating pain.....but she kept going!  And without exception everyone gathered for the memorial remembered her infectious laughter, her kind heart, her generous spirit. 

I want to be a person who lives life while I can.  I don't want difficulty to rob me of what we were meant to enjoy.  I want to take off the training wheels and live today fully; making a difference for someone's tomorrow 

We're all living within the bookends called beginning and ending - Alpha and Omega.  Let's spend our time wisely, Dear Friends!