The beginning of last month I got a phone call from my brother-in-law, Mike.  He wanted to discuss birthday plans for my sister’s 35th on February 28th.   Little did I know that he had in mind to fly me out to surprise her for a birthday visit – I love frequent flyer miles!!!  By February 6th he had my flight booked and I began to look forward to this special time of celebration and quality time with my sister and her family.

It was so hard to keep it a secret.  I pretty much had to put it out of my mind for a few weeks.  The week before it all took place I realized that this trip was planned at the time it was as much for my heart as I knew it would be for hers.  She and I talk almost every day and we are both in different ways being challenged to let go of the unknowns of tomorrow and try to walk in trusting God for what He is doing today.   God seems to be using very different things in her and my life but they both point to trusting Him, surrendering our fears, listening for His voice and leading. 

So….when I boarded my flight a week ago today I was more than ready to leave behind all the details of trying to prepare to pack up our house, figuring out where would be a good place to rent for our family, the ebb and tide of emotion that seems to be constant in my days when I realize that I am leaving a home that I really love much sooner than I thought I would when we moved here three short years ago.  I really let things go while I was there and let my heart and mind rest in this oasis of sorts knowing that the days ahead of me when I returned home would be what they were and I wanted to be present in my time with Brenda and her family.

It was a great long weekend.  I got to experience….

*My nephew, Devin, play basketball and their team won their first game of the season!! 

*My niece, Makenna, play and sing a special birthday song that she composed for her mom - priceless!

*Meeting myMike and Brenda’s good friends, John and Deb, and have a night of great drinks, food and some serious Rock Band playing.

*Cooking with my sister – I would make a great assistant to her – she is an amazing cook and I would clean up after her any day so that I could experience what she is creating.

*Attending a pastry class with her at one of her favorite bakeries, The Cocoa Bean, we “learned” to make many wonderful doughs and got to taste so many treats – yum!

*Great shopping at one of my favorite stores ever, Cocoon, in the little town of Geneva, Illinois.

*Relaxing together and just enjoying her and her family’s love and home.

Now I am home and so grateful for the memories of my trip.  I’m going to start packing this weekend, I bought a new tape gun and am so thankful that one of my closest friends owns a moving company – what a bonus for times like this.   The realty of everything ahead seems to be in my mind and heart most of the time.  I feel that the visit to Brenda’s sort of fueled my heart and body and mind up for the next two months ahead.  I was her “birthday gift” but ironically I feel like it was a gift to my heart just as much as it was to hers.  God knowing all of this and loving me once more through this moving process.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” James 1:17 & 18

Click HERE to view The Zook Crew’s blog post about this surprise – there is a great video that Mike put together!