Having A Happy Day Among The Sad Ones ~ A Story In Pictures

Josh's Great Aunt went to be with Jesus last Sunday.  She was a grandmother figure to Josh and his siblings all growing up and then to me after I married into the family.  The Lord was gracious enough to lay on our hearts that we needed to take a last-minute trip into Roanoke to say a "goodbye" to Aunt Velma less than 48 hours before she passed away.  Josh and I brought our instruments into the hospital and played hymns for nearly an hour with her.  My mom said that we "sung her into the threshold of heaven".

So after being at my moms for a week during a chemo treatment and then 2 back-to-back trips to VA, our kids were in desperate need of some family togetherness.

The adventurous day began by hiking and sliding down the waterfalls at Roaring Run.

followed by a mandatory picnic in the car to let the downpour pass;)

Next up was the Roanoke star.

This is an all around favorite.

We walked around the "flower garden" to take in the sights

Then, because many of Josh's childhood stories that he tells the kids are 

wrapped around this very spot...

...we went to the old farm house where he grew up.

He's told a story of a rock wall near the outskirts of the land where he wrote his name as a kid.

So naturally we "needed" to stop and see if his name was still there.

Unfortunately it had weathered away after time.

But don't worry, now in its place you will see the names and initials of his entire Colony!

I'm still not sure if the kids were more worried that we were "breaking the law"

or excited that we were making memories that will be passed on to their own kids one day.