Entries RSS Comments RSS

Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

A Very Special Day!

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

 

Today is a very special day.

 

On this day, a baby was born several (many?!) years ago.    A baby boy who would grow up and become a wonderful Godly man, a caring man, a gentle man, a hardworking man.

 

And God, in His infinite wisdom and grace, brought this man into my life not-quite-28 years ago. 

 

I am forever grateful.

 

 

Thank You, Lord, for giving him life.

 

Thank You Lord, for giving him to me (or is that me to him?).

 

And, after a very serious accident 5 years ago—

 

   Thank you  for giving him back to me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

urgent! UrGent! URGENT!

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

 

 Voting ends November 21st at midnight….that is…..tonight!!!! 

 

 

Join Me at The Homeschool Post!

 

 

Vote for the Sevensisters blog if you haven’t! 

 

The race is very close!!!! 

 

 

Best Teen Group Blog

 

 

and while you’re at it…..you can vote for them at

 

 

Best Crafts, Plans & Projects Blog

 

 

Thank you to all who have voted!!!!!

 

 

Wordless Wednesday—What Little Boys Take “Night-Night” with Them!

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

 

 

 

 

(If you want to enter the giveaway, click HERE!)

 

And don’t forget to vote for Seven Sisters over at The Homeschool Blog Awards!  (Also on the above post!)

Gratefulness, Continued!

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

I had intended to post yesterday about MY sweet husband, but other things came up!

 

 

 

I am so grateful to still have him with me, as five years ago, I could very easily have lost him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am grateful for his hard work to provide for us.

 

 

 

I am grateful for his quiet, steadiness, and that he is so many times my rock.

 

 

 

I am grateful that he is such a good listener.

 

 

 

I am especially grateful that he has never raised his voice at me—in 26 years of marriage.

 

 

I am grateful that he has been so patient with me as I continue to "grow up".  

 

 

I love you, Dallas!!!

 

 

 

 

(Note the cool bow tie the girls made him?!     )

 

(And note how we are a very REAL family by the background?!   LOL!)

 

Thank you to all who are posting and entering the giveaway!  I love to hear your grateful comments!

 

Here are a few challenges that you might be interested in from Revive Our Hearts (Nancy Leigh DeMoss)– note the FIRST TWO at the top of the list are a Gratitude Challenge and a Husband Encouragement Challenge! 

 

You get an e-mail for each day with a challenge.   Small, bite sized pieces, but meaty pieces!

 

I love Nancy Leigh DeMoss, because, as I like to say, she gets Christianity down where "the rubber meets the road"!

 

I hope you will take advantage of one or both of these challenges….and some of the things you are to be grateful for for your husband might just prompt you for what you can write in your journal! 

 

Blessings!

 

A Beautiful Legacy–A Godly Heritage

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

It’s been a topsy-turvy few weeks.  My mother-in-law had a mild heart attack, but kept having "episodes".  They were going to have to do a heart catheterization to see what was going on.  Problem with that was, her kidneys are only at 20% and the heart cath was going to further compromise them, meaning she’d be on dialysis for life afterwards.

 

 

Praise the Lord that a change in medication stopped the "episodes", so no heart cath!   She is now in a nursing home near us rehabbing and hopefully will go home in a few weeks.

 

 

Added to that, my dear and only grandmother that was left continually worsened.  She pretty much gave up after Grandpa died 6 weeks ago.  Last Wednesday she finished the course, fought the  good fight and laid her burden down in exchange for the Crown of Life.

 

 

Today was the funeral.

 

 

How do you encapsulate nearly 93 years of life in a short, one hour service?

 

 

The pastor who did it did the best job he could.  He’s known her since she and my grandpa got saved 50+ years ago.

 

 

My grandma left a legacy.   

 

 

A legacy of Christianity. 

 

 

Of Godliness.  

 

 

Of Servanthood. 

 

 

Of sweetness and caring.  I never heard her put anyone down.

 

 

Of prayer.

 

 

Oh, was she a prayer warrior!

 

 

Earth is bereft of a Godly saint.

 

 

Big shoes to fill.

 

 

I can’t do it alone.

 

 

I challenged all there–friends, family, lots of my cousins……I said we need to pick up the baton, and carry her legacy on. 

 

 

That is the most beautiful heritage a person can leave.

 

 

 

I am far richer than if she had left billions to us all.

 

 

 

I know her prayers are a BIG reason I am a Christian today.

 

 

And, like her, I don’t want my Christianity to be a "religion".  Something I put on, wear for awhile, and take off.  

 

 

But something I am.  Faith that shines through all I am and do.   For all to know that Jesus lives in the smack dab center of my heart, and all else is subject to Him and radiates from Him.

 

 

No one was around Grandma long without knowing she loved Jesus and she wanted you to, too!

 

 

May that be true of me.   May it be true of me.

 

 

May others see only Jesus in me.

 

 

In light of Eternity, all the petty little things we get our feathers ruffled about, all the things we deem so important (and really aren’t), all the stuff we think we have to have…….well, it’s just not important.

 

 

I want to take this day, these memories, this legacy, and keep it close.   I can’t let the tyranny of the urgent snatch relationships out of my hand.

 

 

Relationship with Jesus.

 

Relationship with my dear, sweet husband.

 

Relationship with my beautiful children.

 

Relationship with my extended family–may it not take another death to bring us all together!

 

Relationship with others–friends, church, even the strangers we cross paths with…..

 

 

After all that, what else matters?

 

 

I’ve decided it’s time to let go of the garbage.  No need to hang onto hurts, to "he saids, she saids", to lies and exaggerations, to the selfish things we all tend to do that hurt one another….

 

 

…let go.

 

 

Just let it all go.

 

 

Because in the end, it won’t matter.

 

 

But it will matter that I let it rob me of precious relationships.

 

 

They won’t be with us forever.

 

 

I choose to focus on the good.

 

 

I choose love which "covers a multitude of sins". 

 

 

And pray others would choose that for me, too.

 

 

Time is short.

 

 

What will you choose?

 

 

Will you please choose to forgive? To forget?  To move on? 

 

 

To love?

 

 

Please do.

 

 

 

 

Ann Voskamp has a beautiful and challenging post that is worth reading (all of hers are)–

 

fine art of subtraction: shift to see

 

 

 

Seven Sisters 5th Giveaway!

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

This is Seven Sisters’ final giveaway!

Anna has knitted 2 dishclothes for her giveaway (and displayed them quite nicely, if a mama can say so herself! ) Head on over and see what you need to do to enter–they are having such fun! (You’ll have to click on their button on my sidebar–I’m on a Mac and can’t figure out how to post a link! LOL!)

Trisch, from Safety Harbor, FL ; )

Seven Sisters’ FOURTH Giveaway!

Monday, September 28th, 2009

Cassia has posted her giveaway at Seven Sisters!   It is a sweet, size 10 girls’ jumper in a beautiful navy fabric with golden sunflowers and brown leaves–just right for Autumn!

 

 

Here’s the link– Seven Sister’s 4th Giveaway.      Head on over and enter!   They just keep getting better and there’s one more to go!  

 

 

I might have to do one of my own here soon–they’re catching up to me on the visitor counter! 

Seven Sisters Giveaway #3!

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Today starts the third giveaway at Seven Sisters!  It’s a beautiful Edwardian Apron–I know you’ll love it!

 

Head on over to their blog and enter as many times as you want, following Leah’s rules!   And yes, she made it!

 

Hey!  *I* haven’t gotten one for Christmas or my birthday yet…..maybe I better put in an order for one this year!  

 

Have fun!

 

 

Second Giveaway at Seven Sisters!

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

Well, I’m a day late here, but Susannah has posted her giveaway at Seven Sisters blog!

 

 

It’s a beautiful hand needle-tatted bookmark–I know you’ll love it!   Head on over there and see what you need to do to enter!  Her giveaway goes through Saturday night, September 19, and the winner will be announced sometime Sunday the 20th.  (We have a wedding that afternoon, so you might not see it posted until later in the day–I know, I know!  The suspense will be killing you!   )

 

 

Have fun!  Two more giveaways to go!

 

 

The Ebb and Flow of Life

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

My mom called this morning to tell me my step-grandpa passed away early this morning.

 

 

It was expected….yet not.

 

 

Are we ever really ready to let go?

 

 

He was 91 and had Alzheimers.  He didn’t know any of us for the past 3-4 years.

 

 

He knew the Lord, so I know he is in a better place now.

 

 

But he sure leaves a big hole here.

 

 

I remember when he married my grandma–the day after we got married!   He took such good care of my grandma.  They traveled and did many things she couldn’t do the last 10 years of my biological grandfather’s life due to his illness.  They worked on the crisis prayer line at their church for years.  They often took people in, helping them out.  Most never came back to do anything for them, but they didn’t care.  They were investing in God’s Kingdom.

 

 

I remember when I was down with one of my miscarriages, Grandpa and Grandma came down to my home, visited with me, brought me food, and cleaned my house.  I mean they cleaned my house!  I distinctly remember Grandpa taking a pen with a cloth over it and going over ALL the baseboards in my living room, dining room and the stairway to dust it!  This is old woodwork with all the nooks and crannies that it’s famous for!

 

 

It was probably the first time it had been done in 40 years, and it hasn’t been done since!!! 

 

 

 

Servant-hearted.  God-loving.  Prayer Warriors.  That’s how I’d describe both my grandparents.

 

 

 

I’ve missed him, as he hasn’t been himself for the past 4 years.  And I’ll miss him more. 

 

 

 

Life.

 

 

 

People get older, pass on. 

 

 

Sometimes, they don’t get a chance to get older.   They go straight to the arms of Jesus from the womb.

 

 

That happened 19 years ago today.

 

 

Our firstborn son, Noah Ross, went from my womb to Heaven sometime between September 6-7, 1990. 

 

 

He was born into this world, in body, on September 8.

 

 

On his grave marker, no dash.

 

 

No memories, but those of flutters and kicks and flips in the womb.

 

 

No pictures of birthdays or holidays or just-goofing-around days.   Just an ultrasound picture from early on.   And some pictures after he came into this world, although they are not good enough to hang on the wall, to commemorate that a son was born.

 

 

 

How my arms ached to hold him then!  I held him just a short little while before giving him up, but the days, the weeks that followed were so hard.

 

 

 

But my Jesus walked with me through that valley.

 

 

 

Then "birthdays" would come.  Sometimes I’d bake a cake, other times just go to the cemetery.  I know exactly where he is buried behind that stone.  Even now.

 

 

 

Yet….he isn’t there!   He is with my Savior–the One Who died for me….for Noah Ross….so he could go straight to Heaven. 

 

 

 

Now I think….a 19 year old young man….he would have graduated this year….probably be working with his daddy……what would he be like?

 

 

Many times since I have been in the Bubble of His Grace…..and He carries me now. 

 

 

Carry me, carry me, won’t You carry me now

I’m too weak, and fragile, to walk on my own.

I’ll rest in Your love until once more I can stand

To journey beside You, and follow You home.

~Carry Me by Christine Wyrtzen

 

 

Today.  A day of memories.   A day of good-byes….for now. 

 

 

But also, a day of Eternity.   Today great-grandson welcomes great-grandfather Home.  Step-son-in-law welcomes step-dad Home.  Jesus welcoming His servant Home with a "Well done, My good and faithful servant."

 

 

Life.

 

 

It ebbs.  It flows.  Like a river, it never stops.  It may slow for awhile, but then it rushes on.

 

 

We dip our feet into it, trail our fingers in it, willing it to wait for us…..to savor these moments just a bit longer.

 

 

But it pays us no heed. 

 

 

We take the memory of it with us, holding it close to our hearts until that day when we never have to part again.

 

 

Thank You, Sweet Jesus, for the hope of Eternity….the hope of seeing our loved ones again, both young and old.

 

 

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments
 when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."
                                         ~Thornton Wilder~

"Don’t let another priceless moment slip through your fingers because
you are ‘too busy’.  While you have the time, take the time."
                                                            ~Crystal Paine~