Latte Letters 005
Bonus rounds.
My family is scattered across the world. Literally.
A few weeks ago my sister, who lives in Taiwan, tried to surprise me with a visit but I figured it out a few days before she arrived. We had a lovely, lovely time together!
But then, something happened. It was the afternoon and everyone paused for a rest. My sister started yelling for me and I had no idea what could possibly be happening. When we figured it out. We were shocked.
Before I tell you the rest of the story, I need to take us back to January of 2010.
US HWY 19
I was finishing my senior year of college. My first nephew was just a few weeks old and a new decade had dawned. It was 2010.
My oldest sister was home from China for Chinese New Year break and we decided to travel the 9 hours (or something) to go see my brother and his family (remember that fresh new squishy baby).
After a long week of classes, work, and life demands we loaded up into the 94 Buick to head north. My mom, sisters and I planned to travel half-way before stopping for the night in Tallahassee.
I was driving. It was late. I was weary. We had some car troubles that we kinda jerry-rig resolved but with deciding to not stop until we got to the hotel a few hours north! I was needing another round of coffee.
But I fell asleep.
When I awoke to my mother yelling my name, I turned the steering wheel super hard. The car was NOT on the road but on a small hillside heading for woods. The car spun. We landed in the woods.
Inches
The place where the car landed was inches from a telephone pole and on the other side was a gas pipe. The car touched neither.
A few feet up the road was a cement barrier.
We all escaped the crash without any injuries.
It was God’s grace that spared us that night.
Our car was actually fixable and got towed to our friend’s house and my dad brought our van north a few hours and we continued on that journey. I discovered in daylight the next morning that the miles yes MILES leading up to where I veered off the road were flooded. But the area where I fell asleep at the wheel was not flooded.
So many details go into how God spared our lives that day.
We ended up continuing on to see my brother and his family. My mom made me drive and start facing my fear of the road. It’s been a decade of facing that fear, honestly.
So, back to my sister yelling
Now, fast forward to 2020. My sister is yelling for me. I run to the front of my house to find my mother and another sister standing at our door.
We live on the West coast. They live on the East coast. So to have them standing at our front door left us absolutely speechless.
They came to surprise us for the weekend and to see my sister who was visiting from Taiwan. It was the loveliest of surprises.
It was part of why I cherish this bonus round in life.
When we’re together, it is enough to sit around the table for hours just chatting. We don’t have to go out we just love to be with each other.
Gratitude in the Ordinary
Dwelling on dark chapters is not my favorite thing to do. I don’t do it much. But when I think about that 2010 night, I try to not take the little gifts of today for granted.
My heart is grateful for my family and that we are all still together and that God has been our safe place all our lives. We’ve traveled endless miles (literally… across my family we’ve been to umpteen countries and have racked up hundreds of thousands of miles from flying and traveling).
Our lives and safety are truly in God’s hands!
Favorite Things
To finish off this little post, I’ll share a few things that I’m loving these days! I’m grateful for another round of life and these are some of the things that are highlights in this current season of life!
Kanye West’s Album – Jesus is King – This album is on repeat at our home.
Besti Monkfruit sweetener from Wholesome Yum Foods! This is a new brand has keto-friendly sweeteners and I’m loving the varieties from monkfruit + allulose to Monkfruit+ erythritol. They are measure 1:1 with sugar and have no aftertaste!!
My hand mixer – I use this so many times on the weekly to make yummy foods like Peanut Butter Cheesecake Dip, Raspberry Mousse, and Strawberry Cheesecake!
Simplifying – I’m loving the process of simplifying my life by getting rid of things I no longer need in this season, as well as being super intentional with my time!
Connect with Yellow Glass Dish!
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all.the.love.
<3 Same to you!