Sunday July 27 - A Day of Celebration and Joy

Worship at our church in Royal Oak, Michigan was extra special for us today - so much so that we drove from Pennsylvania yesterday just to attend.  Why, because our son, Daniel, was the guest preacher.

Ken and I have been members of the First Presbyterian Church of Royal Oak since we graduated from high school when both of us were new to the area, me from the east side of Detroit and he from Whitehall, Michigan.  He joined the choir that I was already singing in and then started attending the post high youth group as well.  That is where we met.  A couple of years later we were married there.  All four of our children were active members and in fact, our oldest daughter, her husband and two boys still are active. This year the church is celebrating its 100th anniversary and as part of that celebration have invited back past pastors and children of the congregation who have gone into the ministry to preach some time during the year.  This was Dan's Sunday.

Now why was that so special?  After all we can hear him every Sunday while we are here in Pennsylvania at his own church, Westminster Presbyterian.  But this gave us an opportunity to see old friends who watched him grow up and especially some of the people who had been the most influencial in his career choice.  It was a special joy as all of them have moved on to other churches and one has even moved out of the state so we don't see them very often. Besides it meant he was back "home" even if it was only for a few hours. Here they are with Dan and his wife Jen.

 

And this is a picture of a family that has not only supported Dan through the years but have given us a great deal of support, too, while raising our children and they continue to do so still today.  Cecil and Mary Elizabeth Luttenbacher had to travel a long distance to be able to attend (about an hour and a half of driving) so it was extra special to see them and a couple of their children as well - Diane, Sue Ann and Rick.

Since Dan's wife also grew up in the area, her parents were also able to come as well as her sister and her husband and two children.  What a thrill to have all 17 of us together in worship.

Here is a picture of all of us.

It was also our 51st wedding anniversary.  So for us it was a return to our roots.  The flowers decorating the lobby were placed there in celebration of this special day.  Here we are with them.

And here we are back at the beginnings of this terrific relationship 

It was a special joy to have some additional time with our oldest daughter, Bethany, and her husband, Dean, as well as their two boys, Scott and Jason as well.  They welcomed us into their very welcoming home last night when we drove in from Pennsylvania.  Time with our children is always special.  Dean has created a beautiful front and back yard with his very green thumb and we always enjoy seeing it.  He has created what I always wished I could have - wonderful flower gardens and lush lawns. Somehow I was never as successful as he has been.

After the service, the whole family gathered for lunch at our favorite local restaurant, bd Mongolian Grill in Royal Oak.  We had the private room so we could easily mix and chat in the little time we had before everyone went their separate ways.  There was even a special anniversary cake.  Since next weekend is Jen's parents 45th anniversary, we celebrated both of those anniversaries.

And even threw in the additional celebration of Dan and Jen's 21st anniversary that was a couple of days ago and her sister, Sue, and husband, Jim's, 9th anniversary that was earlier in the month.

What a fantastic day!!!  To top it off, by evening we were back in our motorhome in Pennsylvania before the thunder storm hit that had sirens going off and even causing some damage in areas we'd driven through.  God truly took care of us.

We thank God every day for our marriage, our children and grandchildren, and our ability to get around and be able to participate in events like this.  What wonderful gifts He has given us!