Nostalgia

I feel nostalgic today. It’s a really good day. Zion and I have been outside all morning. We watered, played with the dogs and planted some daisies, yellow.

As we were playing in the dirt, (those simple things I love) we were “deadheading ” the blossoms and checking out how God made them. I was reminded about those things I did as a child. Things like taking my Mom’s Calli Lilies and coloring them with pastel chalk dust to make them different colors, or digging to China and really planning on what to do when I got there. We collected “rolly pollies” and put yams in bowls with toothpicks and watched them sprout and grow. Things were slower and simple. I miss that. Do you think it is possible to try and bring that back…maybe every now and then in my own life and with my grands? I know I was extremely happy to know that Blue had been the first in our family to see a firefly.

I was excited that he could show me the wonder of that. I will never forget it, though he may. I hope not.

Anyway, that’s what I feel today. Zion wrote his Tennessee cousins a letter and I will mail it today. I do miss my Tennessee kids alot today. That nostalgia stuff, sometimes it feels really good and sometimes, it hurts some.

Happy Birthday…to me!

“The Lord is near all who call out to Him, all who call out to Him with integrity. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry for help and saves them.” Psalm 145: 18-19

It is not my physical birthday…it is my spiritual birthday.

Twenty-seven years ago today, I asked the Lord to take over my life and change me, to make me His.

I was a single mom, Erin and Brody were 2 and 3. I was alone, distraught and scared. They had a wonderful babysitter who took care of them while I worked. She asked me if I knew Jesus Christ as my Savior. I thought, “I’m in this mess and the last thing I need is religion.” I called her about a week later, I needed something. Her and her husband met at our home and let me talk for about 2 hours and then told me there was someone who would love to help me, that He loved me and was glad to take my trials. i could not wait. They introduced me to the Lord, gave me a Bible and that was that.

How do you thank someone for changing your life so completely? I hardly remember that old life. He gave me strength, wisdom and acceptance. He was my best friend, husband (see Is.54:5) and my guide in all I did. I am eternally grateful. I am still a filthy, rotten sinner, but He loves me… and I thank Him for the past 27 years. It’s a really good thing He knows my heart, because words would never be enough.

“Before there is a word on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord. You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me. This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty;I am unable to reach it.” Psalm 139:4-6.

Menopausal, brain fade…..

I meant to add these photos to the previous blog….Sorry.

Positive Post Tuesday– Erin

Simple things/Cheap Date

I was sitting in the yard this am. thinking, talking to the Lord. Now, most of the time, I am pretty hard on myself. I never think I am good enough, I always wonder when God’s gonna say…”just kidding, you don’t deserve this life” . I do know different. I know that I am a child of the King and my Father loves me, I do know that…but truly there is one thing about my character that I really do enjoy…its the fact that I am so easily entertained. I love the simple things in life. Mike says, I am a very cheap date.

I have always felt that whatever house I am in is the best for me. I love where we live, always have. We have never traveled much, but other people do, and I can ask them questions about where they go, and I get fulfillment from that. I truly do.

I love leaves. I love when they change colors and when the trees start to bud. I enjoy the smell of the first rain on the earth and a cool breeze. I also really enjoy the sound of wind chimes. Erin and Harold bought me some new ones from Hawaii. Thanks, babe.

I also really enjoy when our grands can play with simple toys. Noah can make incredible cities out of Lincoln Logs. I promised him I would buy him a new set of logs every holiday to increase his ability to build as long as he used them. (Zion uses them for his talent as a drummer). I enjoy that, I have tried to teach the kids to play jacks. I want them to know those simple pleasures. The Lord has been so good to all of us. It is just so encouraging to me, that there are so many things He created to just take in.

When I came inside today I found this quote from Beth Moore…”When I am feeling down or a little like a brat, I often sense God speaking to my heart, saying “Name ‘em child.” He means start naming a mere twenty to thirty of the thousands of ways He’s shown His goodness to me.” And I say…Amen !!!

My Date with Trin

Today I had a great morning with Trinity Michael. She is our only granddaughter. She is not like any of us, really. It is so fun to see what will come next with her.

I invited her to come to the “Ladies Tea” at our church. I thought it was something that I could do just with her and make her feel special. Well, she was asked to model a little “flower girl” dress and she loved it. She was so excited. Things like that, that would make me so nervous, being in front of people, this kid loves it. She is “Little Miss Auburn”, been in several pageants and loves being on the stage. She has been in several plays and even ballets. She didn’t need me to make her feel special. She already is. The Lord has made her such an individual. She is really a very good little girl, really a joy to be around, especially when its a one on one situation.

We had fancy little sandwiches, too rich desserts and she drank water out of a fancy tea cup. She was a perfect little lady, sat between my dear friend, Lisa and I and ate lots of watermelon. We had a great time.

My prayer for Trinity is,with all that talent and outgoing personality that the Lord has given her, that she will glorify Him in it all. She has a tender heart towards the Lord and really takes it all in. Father, please guide this beautiful child in Your ways, keep her safe and in Your love. Help her to grow to be the woman of God You have planned for her to be. Thank you for the privilege of being her Mammo.

Right Now

There you have it. Our tub full of kids.

That is what is happening right now. Erin and Harold are in Hawaii and we have the kids. Okay, this picture was taken almost a year ago and some of the kids are Brody and Kristins, but nevertheless, our grands are in the tub. Mike has been incredible and I am exhausted.

We are very happy for Erin and Harold though. This is their 10 anniversary. The kids are fun and we laugh alot, but it has been a long time for Mike and I to do the “school thing”, the “Field trip thing” and all the stuff that goes with it. Thank you, Lord for children of our youth, so we have the strength !!!!!

Wait for the Lord

“I am certain that I will  see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be courageous and let your heart be strong.  Wait for the  Lord.”   Psalm 27:  13-14

I have claimed this verse for many years.

This tree is the center  focus of our back yard.  I really thought it was dead this winter, completely bare.  As Spring started to come through, so did this tree.    It was all about waiting on the beauty of the Lord.  We are grateful.

Positive Tuesday

This is my very dear friend and sister, Lisa and her husband, Carter.

“Friends enrich our life. They help us understand ourselves better, both what we are and what we are not. As iron sharpens iron, so our friends help us grow, mature and become more balanced, giving us a greater sense of selfworth… (See Proverbs 27:17)

That is it exactly. I first met Lisa in a Bible Study, on a Wednesday Night. From the time our eyes met, there was a connection. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew it was a God thing. I have been blessed. She is more than a friend, she is family, a sister, a knitted soul to mine. From that very minute, she wanted to know my prayer requests and how she could help my kids in any way.

We have many things is common and many not. It does not matter. When we are together, it is a “knowing” what we are thinking without words. I love that.

This woman, Loves, I mean LOVES her husband. It is in her very being. She speaks of it and shows it. She also loves her children, all adults, as mine are and a grandmother also.

It is hard sometimes to get to her at church to speak, she has so many women who love her that want to just be there around her, mostly younger women really. She is an example to many and then also really respects and honors our elderly saints. She is real, nothing phony about her, and that I know is why she is so attractive to others.

In “my” dictionary, I have words and then peoples pictures next to them…I have mentioned this before..next to the word “generous” my book is a picture of Lisa. She not only is generous with resources, finances, etc. She is more than generous with her love, kindness, care of others, and councel in Christ. She meets with young women at Denny’s Monday evenings for Bible Study and for dinner. They love it and her. She helps those in need with her guidance and prayer.

Have a wonderful day, Lisa….I love you more that I can say. Okay, sing with me…”You’re simply the best…”

DOG TIRED……

Of course, this is our Sookie, but it is how we feel today.

Wow, what a weekend.  Thursday evening started our weekend with Zion’s party.  We went to the park, had hotdogs, played on the playground, had cake.

Friday, was the Wedding Rehearsal of Joey Garcia and Kathryn Joner.  We have been heavily involved in the wedding plans, Mike is giving Kathryn away and it has been a focus of our lives for a few months.  We were excited about the rehearsal, they are always fun.  It lasted from 5:00 p.m. to about 8:30 p.m. because there was an accident on the freeway, so it began late.  We laughed and ate pizza and had a great time, and then we all went bowling.  Okay, I am not an athlete by any stretch of anyone’s imagination, but I tried.  My total score was 28, and I fell down the lane.  (Who knew they wax those silly floors?)  WE really laughed alot that night.

Saturday morning was Bruce Smith’s Memorial Service.  There wasn’t any laughing this morning.  We were somber.  There were over 700 people there to celebrate Bruce’s life.  It is hard to explain in mere words what that was like.  This sweet, soft spoken man, sports enthusiast, husband and father of two sons was amazingly involved in that many peoples life.  This, of course was God ordained.  It began with the chorus, “Blessed Be the Name.” It was uplifting and celebratory until it got to the part …”You give and take away, You give and take away”, we have sung that before many times, it really took root this time.  People spoke from his youth, college days and teaching days.  Slides were shown of this youth, high school, college and coaching and teaching days set to appropriate music.  It was wonderful.  There were friends from each aspect of his life speaking, barely making it through , all of which were Christian men with precious words to say about their friend.  Then, Steven, his oldest at 17 spoke.  After seeing slide after slide of him with his boys, cradling them as infants, fishing, hunting, baseball, tennis, golf, Washington D.C. trips, camping, relaxing, playing games it was evident to see, they were his priority.   I remember every summer, Bruce and Gwen were very happy that they were both teachers, they had the entire summer off to spend with the boys, doing anything they wanted.  I now, look at this as the Hand of God.  He knew it would not be forever, so He filled every summer with memories and good times. What a gift….to Bruce, to Gwen and to the boys.  As Steven spoke of the love of his father, he was strong, and then went a little silent…” I miss you, Dad”….  we were all standing, supporting this young man in his emotional tribute to his father.  It was almost more than anyone could stand and yet we felt we wanted to be strong for him.  Timmy, the younger, 13, stayed by his mothers side…it had been Timmy who was laying next to his Dad in the bed when he went home to the Lord.  He was by his side to the very end.  This was an emotional, triumphant day.  We will see Bruce again, until then we are all here for his family.

Next, was the Wedding…yes next.  Pastor Phil only changed his shirt and on to the next thing.  The church was beautiful…this is the couple mentioned in a previous blog “Barbeque and Friends” . We have been with these kids through each aspect of planning this wedding.  We have done marriage counseling, and spent many an hour with them, loving every second.  They are sweet kids that want to really follow the Lord and it has been a privilege to watch them.  The music was great, (Mike sang), Ariel sang with Loren….The kids were happy.  We were able to meet Joey’s sweet family.  Everything went as they had wanted.  The ladies of the church brought pasta, salad and bread for the dinner.  (They are very generous and gracious).

The kids had wanted Swedish Meatballs for Kathryns heritage…Thank you, Lisa, my sister and friend.  I love you.  And we brought Nachos with jalapenos for Joey’s Mexican side.  So there was alot of food, Matt was DJ to some crazy music….and even Pastor Phil got up and danced to some “clap your hands” song that lasted about 8 minutes.  We laughed and sang and had a great time.

Clean-up came about 9 p.m., with Church in the morning.  We were all tired from the day.

When we looked back on the day…Wow, what emotion.  Yet, I  would not have changed a  thing.

God is so good.  When I think that our Lord created the mountains, and oceans and all that we can survey, that He also created our intricate emotions.  It amazes me.  I felt alot of love this weekend.  Love for friends that are home with the Lord, friends who are left.  Love for a new couple, just starting out in this life, following Jesus, a new family with hopes and dreams they haven’t even thought of yet.

We are tired, but fulfilled.  God is good, and kind and generous and we thank Him for the privilege of loving people.  To be able to be involved in others lives is a gift, a precious gift.  “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.”