It's Friday morning and the last day of our family reunion vacation. It has been a great week of fun, and visiting, and re-integrating the family and memories. Stephanie left on Wednesday to head back to Oklahoma, Gary left Wednesday afternoon to go back home and back to work. Jim left Sunday night but will be back this evening after work. Right now Heather and her family are out to a place to go zip-lining. Lisa and her kids are on the way out the door to go to a place to play mini-golf and ride go-carts. Sister-in-law Karen just left to head back to Evansville, --- while Ms. Kate, Julie, and I are holding down the fort here at the house with the pupperonies. We come and go at will so everyone gets to do whatever interests them, which makes it the perfect vacation. Best of all has been the opportunity to just be together.

This is a nice place to have a vacation. It is called the Lyric Springs Retreat House and is in Franklin TN. The place is roughly 5000 square feet, sleeps 16 people or so, has four bathrooms, five bedrooms and a great view of the surrounding 17 acres. It is really out in the country or so it seems but is actually only about 3.5 miles from the closest Walmart Supercenter which I guess is the symbol that we are still in civilization. The roads in and out of here are super winding and curvy which can make a mile seem like three when you have to travel at 35 - 40 miles an hour. Since we have been here the property manager came and graded the driveway which really helped because it was a challenge.

We've only eaten out twice since we got here, one of which was at the famous Loveless Cafe. We had breakfast out yesterday and left there stuffed. We've done a bit of shopping but by and large we have just done a little bit of tourist stuff such as the Ryman Theater and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. 

So, as I sit here for a bit of peace and quiet --- I offer up prayers of gratitude to be blessed with a family that truly loves one another. They are the very epicentre of my world beginning with Ms. Kate. I also lift up prayers for comfort and healing for Byron. He has since been moved to a short term care facility for healing and rehabilitation into the new realities of his life and their lives. God be praised, he is doing well for the severity of the surgery that he went through. His doctor calls him a miracle patient. God is good; --- all the time.

Tomorrow morning we all head back to our respective homes and lives. The next time we will have all of the sisters together will be next April when Heather and John get married out in California. Even then, it will only be the girls because of the high cost of air fare. In the mean time --- we will keep Facebook messenger busy every night.

Have a blessed day and a spirit fill weekend.