great is Thy faithfulness

My silence here at our blog has been only in order to quietly enjoy these last few days 

before Amy and Elise leave for college.

Tomorrow we'll load up their things and say goodbye to this sweet season of life,

beginning a new, very different chapter for all of us.

But we've been savoring this time,

so Tuesday we loaded up a borrowed truck (thank you, J and T!)

with borrowed bicycles (thank you, N and R!)

and headed for a day trip to one of our very favorite places, Jekyll Island.

 This quiet little island off the coast of Georgia is amazing in its diversity.

In our three-hour bike ride we enjoyed the rocky Driftwood Beach,

...the stately Historic District,

(yes, Joan, Spanish Moss drips elegantly on Jekyll, too!)

 ... mysterious marshes filled with marsh birds and zillions of dragonflies,

...sun speckled forest with shy deer, and sandy beaches rolling in dunes.

 It's a place full of wonderful memories for us5, so appropriate for this bittersweet time.

Recreating a favorite laugh from 2004 at J.I.

We're giving thanks for God's profound goodness over the years,

in all the diverse places and things He's brought us through as a family.

Barbara, Amy and Elise 10 years ago at Jekyll Island

Though it will be dreadfully painful to say goodbye to you, Elise and Amy,

as you leave gaping holes in our home,

we're grateful for the memories.

 

And we are tremendously excited for you, 

 delighted at the opportunities God will give to you,

and confident that our faithful God will go with you!

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

 excerpt from the hymn by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923