Buttercups in Bloom

We've been here on the mountain for a month now and what a ride it has been.  About 20 people worked together spending countless hours preparing our house for our arrival. The community honored us by an afternoon open-house to welcome us into the family.  Four members arrived at our doorstep the first morning to welcome us with a house plant and a gift card to the local grocery story.  Numerous members worked together at ten o'clock at night trying to get us back into our house after we locked ourselves out (partly because we didn't have a working key to the backdoor. Now within the last 8 days we've been filled with moments that have made us feel like we are part of the family.  Last Sunday we joined a group for lunch at Pappa Ron's where we laughed and spent time getting to know our church family.  Tuesday we spent time picking blueberries at one of our member's homes.  It wasn't anything fancy...we simply went out and picked blueberries.  The Bradford

I haven't been here in awhile and yet there is a pull to return and so today is the day! I guess I write for my own well being and the ability to hold on to the good more than anything else. Yesterday we drove to Camp Hopetown ( Daystar Counseling Ministry's summer camp) to celebrate the week Emma had had at camp. Let me just say that Camp Hopetown is just that; a place of God's hope and security.  As we boarded the shuttle I began chatting with the counselor and when we found out we were Emma's parents his immediate response was "ahh.." We gently laughed but he stopped us saying: "She is so loyal.You do not see that it girls her age."  Loyal...that is a great word for Emma because she does love with a depth that others do not and she wants desperately for others to be loyal to her.   As we arrived at Camp she was actually standing there waiting and watching for us.  It was a priceless moment because in the years past she has not been waiting fo