When our kids were little, we had weekends where we were on the GO the entire time. Not gonna lie...some days I miss it.
I'll write more about our weekend later...maybe tomorrow. Tonight, I wanted to record about today.
We were invited to a 50th wedding anniversary celebration for Mr. Albert and Mrs. Doris Yarnell. As much as we wanted to spend the day napping and watching football, this couple has been a huge part of our family. We knew that we wanted to go and honor them.
Some of their family hosted their celebration at First Baptist Church in Searcy. When we got there, the line was out-the-door. It was so great to see them. Mr. Albert and Mrs. Doris are great testaments to hard work and commitment. They were both quick to tell us that, yes, they had been married to each other for 50 years...but it was also their "second time around."
Quick to acknowledge the past...quick to give thanks for the present.
When we lived in Searcy and went to FBC, the Yarnell's were very involved in the church. Mrs. Doris worked in the nursery, and she rocked our babies and loved on them. She and Mr. Albert visited all of the newborns, and brought Yarnell ice-cream to the families.
If you don't know about Yarnell's Ice-Cream, then you probably aren't from Arkansas. It was a small family-owned company and then some things went down that aren't my business to talk about...and the company sold, but kept the same name.
When our Joshua had surgery...when our Clark was born, and later when he had cancer...the Yarnell's were a constant source of encouragement to Jim and me. It's been a long time since we've seen them, so when I finally got up to greet them, I reminded them of my name...and they said, "oh, OF COURSE, we know who you are, Marty."
And then I cried.
We were about the youngest ones at the party...and that's not saying much, BELIEVE ME. And those sweet little women and sweet little men...they were THRILLED to see us. And they were THRILLED that we brought Joshua with us. And they hugged us and kissed us and hugged us some more.
And what we thought might bless someone else...attending this celebration party...ended up blessing us all the more.
Most of these people walked through some tough days in our family...navigating the waters of Joshua and school and all of that. And they walked with us during Clark's premature birth...and his cancer diagnosis and treatment. One couple at the party, Tim and Claire, kept Clark in the nursery...and I remember them coming by the house right after Clark's first chemo treatment. The doctor told us that Clark would begin to lose his hair, and he did. And his hair was beautiful...white-blond, long and silky. One morning, he woke up with his hair all over his pillow...and we knew what was happening. That was the day Jim took him to the barber shop to get it "buzzed." I couldn't go. I could hardly stand it. When Jim brought him home, his beautiful long hair was gone...and he had a "buzz cut."
I went on and on in front of Clark about how CUTE he looked! And then I went in my bathroom and cried.
And in about a week, the little hair he had left on his head was gone. His eye-brows were gone. His beautiful eye-lashes...gone.
And this sweet couple came by...and we talked and prayed and cried. They just couldn't believe that this baby they had cared for and loved in the nursery...now was so sick. And they were WITH us...like, feeling our shock, and walking in the trenches and storming the gates of Heaven...FOR US.
And they weren't the only ones.
This church is full of people like that.
We saw Joshua's best friend from school, Lindsey Walker. She was probably THE youngest one there! I've written about her before. Joshua would not have made it through school without her friendship. His face LIT UP when he saw her!
One gentleman, Mr. Coy, is a sweet and precious friend to our family. He has a special bond with all of our kids...but especially with our 3 boys. Today, he told how he came to know and love our family. It was all because of Joshua! He said that when Joshua was in Kindergarten, the pastor made a plea from the pulpit about needing a MAN to volunteer in the Kindergarten Sunday School department. And he didn't say it was because of my
We saw person after person like that today. And it was so encouraging to us. Not only a reminder of where we've been...but also of the ones who walked with us during those hard times.
It also challenged us to try and be that type of friend and church member to others...because it has meant so much to us.
We were so blessed to honor the Yarnell's today. Their influence over our family has been immeasurable.
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11
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