July 2016 done and dusted. Wow. Into August, onward, onward
at what feels like an ever-increasing pace.
But in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, an antique
grandfather clock marks the moments with a resonance and a reassuring
metronomic measure. Because it isn’t working quite right, it never clangs out
the hour, just beats out the rhythm of the moments. I like that. I don’t hear
the progression from 10 gongs to 11 gongs and so on but instead just have the
steady tick-tock like a heartbeat in the home.
We had a gathering of the family – all who could come – over
the weekend and it was wonderful. Raucous and loud as we challenged each other
at ‘Wizard’. (Want to know who won one of the matches? ;-) ) Serious
discussions. Everyone helping in the kitchen. The joy of an almost-two-year-old
with her all-encompassing pronouncements: ‘Uh-Oh’. The incredible blessing of
three more babies on the way, growing steadily and well, out of sight until the
amazing scans reveal shadowy faces and definite limbs, brains, kidneys, hearts –
just awesome.
First time we had all been together since Christmas, but at
Christmas we had Mhairi and Mom with us too, and despite all the noise and
hilarity there were the empty spaces where they were not. Missed, always
missed. For all the blessings of skype, geographical separation still sucks.
Life goes on. The clock is still marking out a sedate
cadence in the hallway. The rooms are empty again, sheets on the lines,
left-over cake in the tins.
Blessings of love. Blessings for which we are overwhelmingly
grateful, knowing not everyone has a place they can gather with loved ones, or
even loved ones with whom to draw close.
Praise God that as time marches on we all draw nearer to
that eternal source of love and everlasting reunion.
