>At the risk of sounding trite, yesterday was my best birthday ever. The defining moment was at 8:55 a.m., when Seth and Sarah’s van zipped into our driveway and I knew that my ultimate dream had come true: all of my children and grandchildren would worship with me. I ran outside into Seth’s bear hug and birthday greetings. Ariel drove into the church parking lot the same time we did, Kirk was waiting for us in church. We worshipped with all of our children for the first time in several years, and with our daughter-in-law and our grandchildren for the first time.

We ate our Thanksgiving meal at J. Benjamin’s with my mom, dad, and sister, Joan. Then we came to our house for fellowship and fun. Seth, Kirk, and Sarah indulged me with a game of Scrabble. I finished first, but Seth had the most points, although Kirk gave him a run for his money. Mom, Dad, and Joan left for Bev and Al’s around 3:00, but the rest of us ate snacks (shrimp dip, shrimp cocktail, barbequed smokies, nachos, crackers, and nuts) and played Apples to Apples. Later Seth, Kirk, Dave, and Sarah played Star Wars Risk.

The most fun was playing Apples to Apples with all of us, but it was also a great oppor-tunity to have quiet interaction with our grandchildren. Dad and Mom got some huge smiles out of Logan. Gabe and Ariel constructed a few houses from Lincoln Logs. And Bethany and Logan napped together in my recliner.

Truly a day when my whole being offered a constant doxology of thanks!