My mom and dad have often said that they can't afford to retire because with seven kids there's always one of us returning home! Well, this summer it was my turn. Let me introduce myself. My name is Kelly and I am child number six out of seven. This means I am not the oldest, nor the youngest, neither the middle or even close to anything significant when analyzing the birth family order! My husband, Mike, and I are in the process of moving to Virginia with our seven-year old daughter and our soon-to-be-adopted 22-month old son. Due to legalities in the state of Texas we are not able to leave the state until the adoption is finalized. To make a long story short, we sold our house in Dallas in June and the adoption will not be finalized until the end of October, leaving us "homeless" for a good four months.

That's where my ever understanding parents come into the picture. In their excitement to see two grandkids 24 hours a day, an invitation was extended to us to live in San Marcos for the whole summer. It seemed quite simple, just move into the back bedroom with all of our vital belongings, say goodbye to my husband for a few months, and just blend! Three months and eight days later I can tell you it has certainly been a summer of blending all right . . . never before have I learned so much about my parents, my siblings and most of all myself!

For many years the city of San Marcos has had the opportunity to read my dad's thoughts every Sunday in this article. A few weeks ago I had just finished with my daily run when my dad asked me out of the blue "What is your goal in working out so much?". After I explained to him that working out was my way of relieving stress and giving me something to focus on, he suggested that I sit down and help him edit his articles. You see, my parents are never idle and "lack of focus" is not in their vocabulary. I think this suggestion was a gentle nudge from my dad to let me know that it shouldn't be part of mine. As always, his wisdom and guidance were well-meaning and well-taken.

Obediently I sat down at the computer and started opening up files with titles like Breaking Habits, Criticism, Tolerance, Gossips, Parenting and How to Be Happy. Suddenly I became aware of the volume of wisdom that was at hand. As I started reading through and editing these articles, it dawned on me how smart my dad really is. Now don't get me wrong, it's not that I thought my dad was dumb. It's just always been understood between my brothers and sisters that my dad is the one with common sense and my mom is the one with intelligence. Divorce was never a concern for us kids, it was separation in a grocery store that worried us! Dad would come out smiling with his ten bags of sugared orange slices that he bought for a bargain at 66 cents. His smile would soon turn into a full-fledged laugh when my mom would turn the bag over and show him that it wasn't 66 cents but 99 cents and she'd send him back into the store to return the candy he didn't need in the first place! We always assumed that that's how they made it through life and were thankful that they kept each other because we were sure they couldn't survive on their own. It also gave us great stories to tell our kids when they think we're dumb!

It is with this humor and insight that I read each word. I marvel at his intelligence in the common everyday occurrences in life. On the subject of stress he writes, " I enjoy watching people under stress. That is when you see the real person come through. I enjoy watching the way service people handle these situations. That is where real quality training comes through. I guess my philosophy about glitches comes from Paul's injunction to rejoice and to give thanks no matter what happens. I know that if there is nothing I can do to immediately change the situation, I may as well become a spectator and enjoy." As I read this, memories of a certain Christmas Eve came to my mind. My two brothers were roughhousing so hard that they pulled the bathroom sink off the wall and flooded our house, hardwood floors and all. Now most dads would be livid, but not mine. I'll never forget watching him with the mop in hand singing silly songs as he cleaned up the mess. I can't tell you how many times I have thought of this incident when my daughter spilled milk all over the table and I'm about to lose it. I learned through my dad, life was just like that.

And in my awkward teenage years, it was this wisdom that helped me through. In his article titled "Bald Heads" he writes " ...We would all be better off if we learned to laugh at ourselves instead of worrying about the things we cannot do anything about. We will always lose when we compare ourselves to others in any realm or undertaking. If I go around worrying about it, I will never enjoy the very unique things about me and the wonderful gifts that God has given to me and to no one else in all the world." This was great material during my teenage years, not that I listened.. but it sure did make sense as I grew older!

There is one article that's my favorite and makes sense especially after this unusual experience this summer. It is titled appropriately "Act Your Age". In this article my father writes. "Living with the older generation is also an opportunity that should not be passed over lightly. There is one word that I believe sums up what our attitude should be to the older person living in our midst. That word is respect. We need to respect their years of knowledge and experience, to listen to them, and to share ourselves with them. We need to respect the changes that are taking place in their lives. Most of all, and this is the high point of respect, we need to love them and to let them know they are loved....". What a great charge I have found as I read these words.

Even though it's not something I say all the time, I think that my mom and dad know how much I love them. I thank the Lord that He gave me these months of "homelessness" with the two people who love me most. My respect for both my mom and dad has grown immensely as they provided us with a home. As this time comes to a close my prayer is a simple one. I only hope that I can raise my children with the same wisdom and love and teach them quite simply "life's like that".