Gran Jan's JOY

I was raised in a houseful of girls…we had no brothers, and with just two males in the family, our Dad and our dachsund “PJ.”  [My poor Dad has endured a lot through the years but I know he wouldn’t have it any other way (and he had eight sisters)!] Besides, he was a Career Marine, so we knew he was tough.  Ooorah!  A few weekends ago my mom and my sisters and I spend a long weekend in Tybee Island, Georgia with a day trip to beautiful historic Savannah, Georgia. 

Right before we left Dad brought back an old tradition that we dearly love…he gave us some cash money for the trip! Woo-hoo! Here we are right before we began a long journey in my mom’s car with her wacko GPS.  That’s another post for another time. Needless to say, we had some extra time in the car together (and a late night stop at the Dairy Queen in a little country town) which was actually okay with us.  We made some pre-trip rules that began with “we are not on a schedule.” We settled in our room, ROOM I said – all four of us in one room. Actually we wouldn’t have had that any other way either. What’s the point of going away to spend time together and then staying in separate rooms?  We arrived late due to the wacko GPS, so we went to bed and laughed and giggled like girls (grown women) do.  My youngest sister Jo had us up early with requests for coffee and a walk on the beach.  It was a beautiful morning and we walked a long way. We spent that Friday morning in Tybee Island visting some shops, did lots of  walking, and had brunch at a great restaurant called “The Breakfast Club” that is wonderful (they even catered for JFK Jr.’s wedding).  That afternoon we went to the Tybee Island Lighthouse and I am really proud to say I overcame a lifetime fear of heights and conquered climbing the lighthouse! I’m still scared of heights, but for that day…I  made it! And here is my youngest sister Jo “mocking” me climbing said lighthouse. As you can see above, I didn’t step outside on to to the railing, I just peeped outside. Jo was actually pretty close to my “flair for the dramatic.” A nice older man on his climb to the top stopped and checked on me at one of the landings as I was processing (hyperventilating) my fears…I kept quoting Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ…”That evening we enjoyed some delicious seafood for supper at a local restaurant and we sat outside to eat, the weather was perfect.  We walked back to our hotel and settled in early and planned our trip to nearby historic Savannah for Saturday.  We were exhausted from climbing lighthouses and laughing at each other. Mostly from all the laughing.

Here are some pictures from Savannah, Georgia’s oldest city, a city rich in history with beautiful old homes and moss-draped live oak trees.  We took a trolley tour and it was really good.  Even though I know most of the highlights of Savannah history, it was great to hear it again and learn some new things.

We went to River Street and had breakfast at Huey’s on the River. My mom and sister Jo had their wonderful beingets, while Joan and I had a delicious breakfast of grits and omelettes. I love Savannah’s “River Street.” It is really neat, especially if you love history as I do.  It is centuries old. It was a bustling seaport that housed most of the cotton and tobacco grown in the South that was shipped from the plantations nearby all over the world from the wharfs there.  My husband and I went to Savannah and Charleston, SC for our 25th wedding anniversary back in 2002, and we stayed at the River Street Inn which dates back to 1817. This is the view from the inside looking up at all three floors. Here is my mom beginning her descent down to River Street.  I love the cobble-stone streets there.  They were built from old ships’ ballast stones— as the ships would have to balance their cargo and would deposit the ballast stones there on the street – I love that little tidbit of history too. Back last year when our father was in ICU for over 40 days (a hospital stay of 54 days), and my sisters and I came together to support our mother and each other, I grew to love them more than I ever had in the past. Even though we don’t see each other every day, we connect through texting, phone calls, Facebook, and e-mails. And when times are hard as they were during that season last winter, they proved what family means. THEY WERE THERE! It really was lots of fun to spend this weekend with them. It passed way too quickly…I love you Jo and Joan.  You both have quick wits to go along with your big hearts and big blue eyes.  I’m thankful to be  your big older, brown-eyed sister. I really am.  And I will leave you with one last picture of beautiful Tybee Island, Georgia.  There’s just something special about the beach, time with family, and the JOY of knowing that God is very much in control of our lives.And I will leave you with one last picture of beautiful Tybee Island, Georgia. There’s just something special about the beach, time with family, and the JOY of knowing that God is very much in control of our lives.

The sea is His, for He made it…Psalm 95:5

Gran Jan