The Space Between The Worlds

I am part of the Randolph dynasty that is known in the Turlock, CA area. Well, in some circles. My grandparents were very involved in different ministries and had lots of "family" around town. I went to a thrift store where my grandma helped out all the time because they had some really cool stuff. It was right next to the post office. So, every time we went to the post office, my sister and I would beg my dad to take us into the store so that we could spend whatever little money we had. I loved the store because it was in an old house and you could go anywhere and find all kinds of trinkets and treasures. My grandma was not there but we went in just to look around. A woman comes up to me and asks, "Are you Roberta Randolph's granddaugher?" I said, "Yes, ma'am." She said, "I thought so. You look so much like her. You are a very beautiful young lady. Your grandmother is a wonderful woman." I said, "She is the best grandma! I hope to b...

This is going to be a short one but it makes me laugh. My dad was an amazing guy. I loved him so much. He taught me so much but one of the things that I did not enjoy was when he would ask us to get him something. Whenever we got up or even if we were not getting up, he would ask us to make him a sandwich or get the remote or get him something to drink.  It was awful. Well, as awful as it gets when children do not want to do something for their parents. My sister and I would try to not even go to the bathroom so that we could avoid getting him something from the kitchen. It was so ridiculous. We were such pains. My dad was sick and most of the time he would just need us to get him a PB&J sandwich to help with his sugar levels but we didn't care. We were just lazy and did not want to do it. It is funny how now, I would do anything to have the opportunity to get him a PB&J again.

My family is a very musical family and my dad was no different. He used to sing in a quartet. My grandpa was a beautiful tenor. And I can hold a note or two. My dad was the pastor of a very small church. You know, the kind of church where the pastor's family did everything. Well, that meant that we were in charge of the music, too. I would sing, my dad would play the guitar, and my sister would play the piano. My dad was notorious for letting me know the morning of service what we were going to sing. This particular morning was special. We were celebrating the anniversary of another pastor's ministry. I was sitting in the pew just chillin'. My dad looks at me and motions that he wants me up there with him. So, I go up there and stand by him and he whispers in my ear "let's sing Heaven Came Down." I said yes because he was my dad but I was a little intimidated. There were a lot of people there. We sang. We sounded so good together. I miss us singing. I mi...

Here is a memory that will always be in my heart. My family was big on fishing. My grandparents loved it. My parents loved it. My cousins loved it. I loved it. My grandpa had a worm bed that he was so proud of. Our favorite part of fishing was when we got to go out and get the worms. We got to find the biggest and juiciest and put them in our little Tupperware to carry with us to the canal. It was my first time that I would actually fish on my own. I had my own little pole that was pink or something hotly like that. My grandpa showed me how string the worm onto the hook so that it will stay there. It was gross at first but you get used to it. So, I get the worm on there and cast my line. And I waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. Finally my pole started to shake! I got so excited! My grandpa talked me through what to do. He kept telling me that can't just reel them in right away. I had to do a little give and take so they are tired out and will fight less. (I...

You have to love the Lenten season. It's about sacrifice and reflecting on our own lives and how we have put things that we shouldn't before our relationship with God. We reflect on the strength that Jesus had and how we can translate that to our own lives. I have been thinking about what I am going to give up for Lent and it has stumped me. I want to give up hitting the snooze button but I want it to be so much more than that. I want to make my mornings a better place for me. I want to get up and accomplish something rather than just trying to get 10 more minutes of sleep. So, what am I going to do? Yep. I am going to blog in the mornings. I am going to blog every morning for 40 days. I am going to talk about one memory that I have of my dad, grandpa, or grandma. I have so many wonderful memories that need to be shared. Life lessons. I want to share that with you all as well as write them down so that I can actually remember them. I was very fortunate to have such great ro...

I know that I talked about choosing a template in my last post but I just had to come back to it because there was something else that interested me about the picture. If you look at it, you can see that there is a mountain in the background but the picture is focused on the rain. Ain't that the truth. I feel like sometimes I am too focused on the rain that I cannot see the wonderful mountain that is in the background. I know that rain is good for the earth. It helps things grow and brings renewal. It can also bring destruction. Maybe that is why I am so cognizant of the rain. I know that it can hurt and destroy. I know that it comes when you least expect it. I know that it always shows up when you don't want it. Hm...maybe I need to change my perspective. If I were to look at the rain as a blessing rather than an inconvenience I would probably love it a lot more. Rain is great when you have the right equipment. You know, umbrellas, raincoat, rain boots, ability to s...

You know, I was looking at the different templates for the blogs. I went through all of them but I kept coming back to one.  It was the rain. I don't know why I was drawn to it so much but it really spoke to me. I guess I could say that it is kind of what I am going through right now. I am in a huge transition in my life. I don't know what is going to be happening and I am ok with that. I am finally able to feel as though I am beginning to give control to God. It has been a hard journey up to this point and I am just tired of trying to do it on my own. Not that I was by myself, but that I thought I could do it on my own strength. So dumb. I can't do anything on my own strength. I need God. I need my family. I need my friends. I have been crawling in the rain for a long time. Trying to find shelter or an umbrella. I guess I am starting to realize that they have been there the whole time trying to save me from the rain. Hopefully, I will be strong enough to accept the...

So, this day has come around every year for the past 5 years. 5 years. Damn. 5 years ago, I was normal. 5 years ago, my family was complete. 5 years ago, I didn’t have trouble sleeping every night. 5 years ago, the wisdom, love, and laughter of my dad was still there. You know, you think that I would miss the major things about him. It is the little things that were normal to me that I miss so much. The fact that I would always have someone to answer car questions. Being called “Baby Girl.” Getting kissed on the hand. Saying, “Good night, daddy” knowing that I will hear, “Good night, sweetie.” The long talks about life that used to occur at 2am. There are a few things that I miss the most: For those of you that know me well know that I like to laugh. Well, that is definitely a family trait. My dad had the best laugh. It was one of those deep belly laughs that made his whole belly shake. This is where I learned to laugh without inhibitions. To laugh as loud and hard as I could and n...