Blessed Beyond Measure

I thought this was going to be a very sad weekend. I was, quite literally, prepared to be sad and on Saturday morning, I was looking forward to returning to work on Monday. You see, on Saturday, Annie and Audrey were flying back to California. After breakfast, it was time to take Audrey and Annie to the airport -- in San Antonio -- for their return. Not a quick drop-off, but a 2.5 hour drive before taking them in and saying goodbye. I prayed over and over to be strong and happy. I promised myself I was not going to cry in front of Audrey.

I did not. We won't talk about breaking down in the car afterward, but I managed to kiss my daughter and granddaughter goodbye. On the way home, I prayed some more. I wanted my heart to stop hurting. Then, I had a thought...."You had them for a whole month. You had blessings every day from them - you know they love you. What more could a person ask for?"...God thoughts. For sure. Immediately, I felt better. I looked forward to the rest of the day. And it was a good day. No, it was a GREAT day. I felt blessed.

Today, I found out a project that some friends have been working on is almost complete.  See the transom windows??

In a few days, they will be filled with stained glass windows of butterflies!!!!

My friend Elsie is establishing a quite a reputation for artisianship in mosaics and stained glass - she does BEAUTIFUL work. Her latest piece was just installed in the Diocese Chancellor's Office. You can read about some of her work here.

 Here a some shots of her work in progress:

Butterflies glued and ready to grout. I love the shimmering glass and their flight trails!

 Elsie's workbench filled with butterflies:

  And, you can see more of the butterflies as a work in progress here!  I LOVE THEM! My other friend Kathy does some of this and has helped her, also contributing some beautiful glass to the project. My good friend Jeff is an engineer - I mean Purdue graduate engineer - and he is installing them...possibly THIS WEEK! It is a labor of love planned, built and about to be completed by friends. I can't wait to see them in the windows!

What more could a person ask for? Wonderful friends and family surround me. So many blessings in my life, and God is watching over me.

Stay tuned...pics of butterflies, house, and Audrey's visit are forthcoming :)