Sunday, September 9, 2012

farewell, Beckie




We drove Beckie and Max to St. Louis on Friday night.  She flies to Hawaii on Tuesday.  Poor Beckie had to work at MBS all week up through Thursday so she had an intense 24 hours to finish all her packing.  I helped as much as I could when I finished my teaching for the day.  Oi, her four suitcases are HEAVY.  And, she has many priority boxes full of items I will mail to her once she gets settled.  BUT, I will give her credit – she REALLY purged her life and whittled her many belongings (31 years worth!) down to almost NOTHING.  And, now, wherever I look around the house, I see things that belonged to her and I am reminded that she has really left and then I get a little sad and even weepy, sometimes. 

It got REALLY weepy Saturday afternoon.  We had left for Columbia and Beckie had gone on an errand with Brandon and she had left Max behind at the Southerland house.  Well, Max was already on heightened alert that maybe Beckie was going to leave him (packing, suitcases, leaving in the morning for Soulard Farmer’s Market – more about that later) so I am sure he felt that his person was gone for good and he set out on his own Incredible Journey to find her as soon as he saw an open door (while Joe was coming in and out).  Fast forward about two hours to first time he was missed and I got a tearful and panicked cell call from Emily to pray that he be found.  So, that is what we all did.  We prayed and wept and hoped and feared.  And, thank Heavenly Father, Max was found a couple of hours later.  He got about seven houses away around the corner and was picked up by a fellow who could tell he was pampered and valued and I guess he hoped for a reward – which he got.  I still get a pain in my heart thinking what MIGHT have been.  My testimony of the power of prayer just got even stronger yesterday.

 Sadie with her best friend, Max.

To end on a more cheerful note, we went (sans Max) to the farmer's market at Soulard on Saturday morning.....

 
Aren't these peppers pretty???








 
 Steve and me outstanding in our field...


 
Emily and Noah visit with a sidewalk musician

 
Noah and Lucy at the market


 Sadie was quite the hit at the farmer's market - she loved being carted around in Beckie's purse.


 

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