Well, this picture kinda tells you what I’ve been up to for the last few weeks. It all started on August 8th down in Bramford, Ct. My oldest son Ben tied the knot with Jess (she’s the one in white that isn’t Danny).  I always wondered what it would be like to do the ceremony for my own kids since I’ve probably done well over a 100 for others.  Let me say it was one of the happiest days of my life. Looking at the joy on the faces of these two was incredible. Having both my daughters (Jackie and Bethany) and my son (Dan) in the wedding was a kick as well. God gave us a gorgeous day and I will say the food and the dancing at the reception were top notch. Of course any time I’m on the dance floor it is “top notch” lol. Someone asked, “will you do your daughter’s weddings??” Short answer– “not a chance”. Let’s be honest. Watching you son marry an amazing young woman is a real blessing. Watching any guy marry your daughter– no way he’s good enough for her :). I’ll walk ‘em down the aisle, but somebody else has to do the ceremony.

Well that was the “add 1″ part of the story. I’m now a father in law, and there’s a new gal in the family. That’s good news. Now for the “not always good news”. We rolled back in from the wedding, and immediately started getting ready for the Exdous. Not quite as big as the biblical one, but equally exhausting. Thursday evening (13th) Jackie and I headed south- me in a truck, her in a car. First stop Philadelphia. We rolled in Eastern University at about 2am, dropped the car and kept heading south. Destination - Anderson University, South Carolina. 4pm the next afternoon we were there. Gotta say, the drive through the Virginias is gorgeous. Met up in Anderson with mom and Bethany, who flew down.

Said goodbye to Beth on Sunday, put Jackie on a plane for Philly; then Kath and went to DC to cry for a couple days. One stop on the way home in Philly to spend a little time with Jackie and Danny; then it was on  the road to Durham– arrival time 3am Friday the 21st.

So here we are– added one daughter and said bye to 2 daughters and a son. We are officially empty nested. It really was strange walking into the house after the trip. Just seemed so empty. I guess ya say a “new day” begins. What will it be like? How will we adapt? Not sure. This parenting thing has dominated life for 25 years. And even though we are still very much parents, it is on to new things. So any of you “empty nesters” out there– got any words of wisdom for the nubies?

april was such a month of contrasts. on the one side was the incredible easter season that we had. no doubt about it, easter is my favorite time of year. it draws you so close to the Lord and helps put life in eternal perspecitve.

but april was also a month a loss on a personal level. i lost a dear friend in april– herb philbrick. i know pastor’s aren’t supposed to say that they have “favorite” sheep”, but herb was one of mine. always the first one in on a sunday morning. always sitting in the same back row chair. always ready with a greeting that put a smile on your face. herb was 88 going on 65– he just never got the memo that old age had set in. just a few years ago, when i put an addition on the house, herb did all the wiring for me. yes it is true, herb never got the memo that when you’re in your 80s, crawling up ladders and running wire isn’t supposed to be what you do. i’m just glad herb never got the memo. he was a real saint and a beloved brother. herb, we’ll meet again soon.

the day before herb’s memorial service, Kath and i experienced a different kind of loss. it wasn’t the loss of a friend as much as the loss of a part of life. we had gone down to philly to watch our son dan play his last couple lacrosse games for eastern university. his four year college career was coming to an end (the final game was a 20-4 victory, so it was sweeeeeeet). but on the way up the jersey turnpike kath said, “do you realize that 20 years of watching our 4 kids play sports just came to an end today?” wow, that hit like a ton of bricks. a major part of life, hanging out in gyms and fields, just stopped. i’m gonna miss it. i guess all through life we encounter loss, and that’s why heaven seems so beautiful– because it is all gain.

[caption id="attachment_19" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="My Bride"][/caption]

This is a Terry “brag blog”. Had to take a moment to honor my bride of 28years (03/21/1981). For the first time ever we were apart on our anniversary. She was doing a training session in Baltimore, I was in New Orleans. What a drag! BUT, when she got back, she gave me one of the most amazing gifts I’ve ever received– a wedding ring.

Oh, it was my wedding ring; but I haven’t been able to wear it for many years. My fingers just got a little too big. So for our anniversary, she got it resized and polished. Looks like the day I married her. Gotta say, I almost cried. 28 is kind of a special year. Kath and I were 27 when we got married, so that means that I’ve now lived her longer than I lived without her. What a gift God has given the two of us. For all the jokes that are told about marriage, this I know– God knew what He was doing when He declared the wonder of “the two shall be one”.

terry