my Keri . . .

These past days we have been on the receiving-end of lots of love and lots of southern hospitality. There are so many ways to minister to a grieving family - we have food for weeks over here and have been able to feed all of our family for days on end. The flowers were beautiful. There have been cards, emails, texts, messages, prayers and lots and lots of love. My grandmother was that kind of person and so it has been reciprocated to all of us. We feel loved.

So many of my friends have called, texted, emailed - just a short something but it all meant a lot.

And then there was Keri.

Those of you with young children know the stress of keeping these babies on schedule - or at least you know that they can stay on your mind when they are not with you. I worried about my boys because yesterday was a LONG day with a graveside service, a family lunch, a funeral followed by a visitation. That translates to a hard day for a baby. And I really wanted to find a way for me to be able to keep them off of my mind and for me to be able to focus on my grandmother.

Keri offered to take Thomson and I reluctantly took her up on it. She picked him up at 11 and kept him all day until 8 at night. That is 9 hours! Before the funeral I had a break and I sat in a quiet room at the church and read a text from Keri - that Thomson was sound asleep and that she was praying for me. (I was nervous to give the benediction at the service) And relief flooded over me and I cried a little. What a beautiful friend.

I love you Keri - what a sweet gesture of friendship and what a sweet way to minister to me during a time of loss.

And Thomson misses "Mary Cake"!!!