What a Beautiful Sunset

Mel and I picked up the mail this afternoon on our way to the post office to mail out our Christmas cards and prayer/update letters. I've often wondered what the mail delivery person thinks about the mail that comes to this address. There are several names and last names that get mail here: my parents of course - this is actually their house after all!, Mel and me, our son Andrew, our daughter and son-in-law, and my nephew and niece still often get advertisements here, too. That's a total of 4 last names right there. Then my aunt and uncle got mail here for awhile after their house was foreclosed on and they lived here for 9 months. Two of my sisters still get an occasional piece of mail here, each under their married names. It's pretty amazing, actually. The mail boxes started out as TWO old fashioned mail boxes with a red flags on the sides. That was 40 years ago. Yes, 40 years ago. Wow. Where did the time go? Now, just around the corner from where that box was, are located 5 or 6 multi-box boxes. I don't know how many people live down this side county road now, but I know it was originally two families. Now - possibly 25 or more from the number of boxes. Some of the boxes are for people who live farther up the main county road as well. Every once in awhile, the post office puts in another post with more of those locked boxes on it.
Mel opened my parents' box and right there on the very top of the stack of mail were 2 notices that mail needed to be picked up at the Tamarack branch post office. Our visas had arrived. So, we drove on down to the main post office and bought stamps, stuck stamps on envelopes and then gave them to the clerk behind the counter. Then we drove north out of town - well, it used to be OUT of town, now it's just to the north end of town - and went to the second post office. We had to wait in line for about 15 or 20 minutes. And then, suddenly it seemed like, our whole world did a major shift. We held our passports in hand, looking at bright shiny visas that told us, and the world, that we could live in Ukraine legally for the next 12 months.We've been expecting these visas. We've prayed for these visas to arrive in a timely manner. Part of me said, "Well, it's about time." And another part of me cried out, "No! Not yet! How can I leave my home, my family, Colorado? I'm not ready!"

It seems that we have been living in a crack between two worlds for so long now that I'm not sure what it's going to be like to actually live 'for reals' in one of those worlds completely. A part of me is mourning. A part is rejoicing. I confess - mostly I am mourning.

My parents are elderly and both have had major surgery this year. My father is on 24/7 oxygen now and has fluctuating blood sugar levels. My mother is still recovering from her stroke 18 months ago, although most people would never realize she'd had one, she has recovered so well at this point. She is still recovering from her shoulder surgery this summer. It is difficult for me to leave them now.

My kids are doing well, overall, although this was a very difficult year for our daughter and her family. I dread leaving my grandkids... I don't think I can even write about it at this moment. Pain. Real, emotional pain.

So, Mel and I picked up our mail and then we went shopping for a few items. And then we came home, to my parents' home. And God gave me a blessing. As we came out of the UPS shop, where we bought a box to prepare stuff for shipping to Ukraine, the sky was ablaze in color. Mel drove up a road we know has a good view of the sky and this is where I took these photos tonight.

I know that I will not see beautiful skies until we come home from Ukraine. Colorado skies are Western skies and Western skies do not exist in Ukraine. We seldom see the sky in Ukraine, especially in the winter months - we see white or unbroken gray, but no sky. God gave me a gift tonight and I will hold onto it.

He will hold onto me.
He will not let me go.
I have His promise.