A Visit to Remember

Some people know and some don't. Roy has two sons from a previous marriage - my stepsons. I am sad that some don't. The "boys" and their families are such blessings. We don't get to see them often, but when we are together, it is such fun. The leaving part is hard...since, in the past, it has been an unspoken truth that it will be too long before we see each other again. But Roy and I have made a commitment to each other to do better. There is such joy in both families, and such sorrow. It has been a hard year for all of them. Roy got to have some great conversations with them while we were in South Dakota. To the kids, I am "Grandma Mindy". Mark, who lives in California with Zachary and Jacob, is a great dad. He is struggling to go it alone, and the wear and tear on him is obvious. But, he takes amazing care of them. We are so proud of him. Regretably, we haven't seen them in over 2 years. But when we walked across that parking lot after we arrived, you wouldn't know it. Both boys ran and JUMPED in our arms, hugs overflowing. Mike and Shelly live in South Dakota and have two precious boys also - Jackson and Logan. Jackson was at the airport with his daddy to meet us. After a few minutes of being shy, he warmed right up. What a cutie! Logan was born, a little early, in September, and so this was our first time to hold him. He has a rare condition where his feet did not develop normally. He is missing bone in his calf that connects to his ankle and and the left foot simply did not form properly. He has been to the Mayo Clinic and will probably have at least his left foot amputated at about one year old. The right foot is small and missing the little toe, however we are more hopeful that he will be able to compensate for that. Further complicating the problems is the real possibility that he has hip dysplasia and possibly other growth issues. But, we couldn't love him more. Mike and Shelly have been so strong, but the road ahead seems almost unbearable to them at times. If you are reading this, please put them on your prayer list...all of them.
While we were in South Dakota, however, we had such fun! It snowed and we all took full advantage of that. Those $4.97 sleds at Walmart work great!!! I spent a great amount of time rocking my sweet Logan and listening to Jackson mimic "Big and Rich" with a full concert. Zachary and Jacob talked about how much they are looking forward to coming to Texas this summer, hopefully for 3-4 weeks. We are excited about that!
The pictures tell the story...Roy Tyndall was born to be a Grandpa. We are so blessed by all our grandsons - Zachary, Jacob, Jackson, Logan and Jack (who we get to see much more often!!!)



Roy meets grandson #5, Logan Michael Tyndall


One Resistol Black Cowboy Hat (carried oh, so carefully through the airports!), one grandpa, and one wanna-be bull rider, Jackson. He likes his music loud, his drums and guitar ready, and his gunfights, well, real!



Zachary, Grandpa and Jacob (l to r)...love abounding!



Since it doesn't snow much at the beach, this was all it took to call the trip successful!



The second day of snow...it just got better!




This is a lot of guys!!! Add in Brad, Matt and Jack, and girls, I think we are OUTNUMBERED!









What blessings God has granted us. My prayer is that you will be blessed by Him daily and the new year will bring much joy and peace into your life!