Dear Friends and prayers,

It's hard to believe that Gladys and I have been in the USA for three weeks now, and it has been a fuller than full and wonderful time with family and friends. We landed in New York City on June 1st., and then Monday flew with our daughter Grace to Savannah, Georgia, where we met our youngest son Richard and his wife Emily and our first grandchild Sylvie Grace. We settled into our rambling 5-bedroom house at the beach on nearby Tybee Island, and then the following day we were joined by our middle son Michael and his wife Lauren who drove from Louisiana.

We were together for 5 days and it was a celebration of Sylvie Grace's 1st birthday, Gladys's 70th birthday, Grace's umpteenth birthday, and our 46th wedding anniversary all rolled into one. None of the dates were exact but shortly before and after our time together. What made it most special for us all was that it was the first time that our two daughters-in-law actually met face-to-face rather than an online group call, and it was precious to see. Add to the mix everyone's fascination with baby Sylvie and watching her adorable antics, we were all pretty much overhelmed by so much love and jollity. And of course I can't fail to mention the super-abundance of great home-made food by all and snacks and goodies from many places.

After our special time with our kids, Gladys and I took a week off for some extra beach time to ourselves in Florida, we jetted back to New York.An overnight train-trip to Noank, Connecticut, to visit my older sister Nora, her husband Bill, who are just between their 83rd birthdays and 60th wedding anniversary! Their daughter Meredith (with her very busy 11-year-old twins (absence explained!) lives just around the corner, and it was so nice to catch up. The very short but sweet visit was the icing on the cake.

We have just been in the sweet flow of God's tender goodness, and are extremely thankful for such an opportunity. There are so many stories left out of divine encounters along the way, but they will have to wait till heaven!

God bless you and your loved ones, and may His fullness surround, uplift, and empower you always,

Dick & Gladys