May 7, 1967 – Corinth, Mississippi- day I was born
November 15, 1967 – Memphis, Tennessee – the day Daddy died
January 23, 1985 – Crystal Faith Grimes
5:37 a.m.- time she was born
6 pounds 7 1/2 ounces – birth weight
1995 – the year she was baptized by her father at Fall Creek Falls
June 26, 1987 – Andrew Elijah Grimes
3:15 p.m. – time he was born
7 pounds 15 ounces – birth weight
2001 – the year he was baptized by his father at Fall Creek Falls
January 10, 1994 – Malloree Hope Grimes
6:50 a.m.- time she was born
6 pounds 13 ounces – birth weight
2004 – the year she was baptized by her father at Fall Creek Falls
Room 811 – ICU – Room at Vanderbilt Hospital my husband was in for 10 days following a complicated surgery in 1995. That experience changed my life, because we got to leave the ICU. Most do not.
August 25 – our anniversary
713 Reeves Road – the house that built us
113 Peak Hill Circle – the house we left behind
1210 Belvedere Dr – first address in Nashville, where we moved when I was three years old
831-0611 – our family’s phone number, back when people had home telephones
July 25, 1996 – date my husband began his career with Ford
August 14, 2000 – date I first started working at my current job
December 19, 2001 – date of my surgery for a tumor that turned out to be malignant
John 3:16 – the story, in the simplest of terms
Jeremiah 29:11 – my husband’s favorite scripture
Psalms 68:5 – God’s promise to me
1.4 miles – length of my favorite hiking trail at Fall Creek Falls
18 pounds – amount of weight I need to lose
70,000 words – length of the current novel I am writing
2008 – the year our daughter got the chance to perform at Disney
2003 – The year our oldest graduated from high school
2005 – The year our son graduated from high school
2012 – The year our youngest graduated from high school
2012 – The year we had to reinvent ourselves, becoming empty nesters like no one had ever done before.
2009 – The year we transferred to Michigan. What a terrifying and awesome journey that was!
5 – The size of our family, but when multiplied by extended family and friends, it somehow equals 500 people.
I’m a word person. I love to play with them, roll them around on my tongue, and choose just the right one to convey just the right image.
But sometimes, words are never needed.
Lately, I’ve been playing close attention to all the numbers in our lives. Dates, times, weights–all units of measurement that identify the most important moments of our lives. The date itself brings forth many images. Some miracles. Some wonderful. Some amazingly painful. But those are the times we experience the most growth; the most direct contact with God.
Maybe it’s just me, but I sometimes feel as if I didn’t choose my life. I think it chose me instead.
And today, when I focus on the numbers, I can’t imagine it being any more perfect.
Can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Leviticus 26:9 – “‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you.”
I love this Janet. The number 7 has played a significant role in my life. I think you’ve inspired me to lay out all of the numbers in my life on a new blog page 🙂 It will be interesting to see how it lays out.