Wednesday, November 24, 2010

A Thanksgiving Prayer Request

Many of us are frantically making preparations for Thanksgiving --- shopping, cooking, cleaning, baking. We do not want to miss even the tiniest of details for our friends & families. Some of us may even be preparing for an early "Christmas" with family coming in from all parts of the world. At our house, we're just praying that Lucy will soon be over the cold and sniffles -- the runny nose and congested chest -- the restless days and sleep-deprived nights. We know she is on the mend, but she still needs a day or so to heal her 'less than 30 lb.' body. But, we know that with the proper rest, lots of water and of course banana popsicles (the perfect 'medicine' for a scratchy throat -- Mommy recommended & Granny approved), Lucy will be bouncing around the house like her normal 2 year-old-self this weekend. And for this, we are thankful.


However, there's a very tiny little boy I want to introduce to you. His name is Brody Christopher and he was born 3 months premature (yes, THREE WHOLE MONTHS premature). Brody and his parents, along with the rest of his family really need special prayers. Please follow this link to Mrs. GI Joe's blog post that will give more information on this special "tiniest" miracle. God is the God of miracles and healing, and we just ask for a special Thanksgiving prayer for Brody & family.



ACU's, Stiletto Shoes, and Pretty Pink Tutus: Our family's newest/tiniest miracle: UPDATED: "I would like you all to meet someone very special.... On Saturday night my cousin Matthew--who is more like my big brother-- welcomed his..."

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Veterans Day 2010

A simple message on Veterans Day 2010 ... 

Our freedom is never without a price.  
Our veterans and their families sacrifice daily not only on our behalf, 
but for those they do not even know ...
Yet God knows each and every one. 


We honor our men and women who served yesterday and who serve today. 
We honor their families for their sacrifices and devotion to our country. 
We honor God for His protection and daily guidance to our military families.


 "Thank you" just doesn't seem enough ...  





Monday, November 8, 2010

November Thanks ...

So many friends on Facebook are posting each day one thing they are thankful for.  I haven’t really posted anything, but just want to share here on the blog 30 things that I am thankful for.  They are in no certain order, some are deep, some are shallow.  And although I have so much more than “30”, here’s my November 2010 thankful list:


My salvation through Jesus Christ Who died for my sins.  I can't imagine life without Jesus.

My loving husband who is always there for me, standing beside me, encouraging me … and loving me for who I am.

Lucy’s hugs, kisses & "Hey Granny, what are you doing?"  (Okay, who can blame me? Click here & find out why)

Lucy’s giggles & scrunchy nose expressions. Oh how she reminds me of her Mommy at this age (and Mommy still scrunches her nose!)

My daughter, son-in-law & granddaughter … being a Godly family … serving our country. They are living for something more than themselves.

My parents who took me to church every time the doors were opened. I actually was baptized in the creek that ran behind our church.  Wonderful memories of church activities & our youth group.

My Mother who prayed with me every night. This was a nightly tradition for the 2 of us that I will always remember.

My Daddy who always took time to spend with me.  We always took a yearly 'family vacation' to get away from the busy-ness of everyday life.

My Granny who instilled common-sense values in me & taught me the importance of relationships. You won't get far in life without common sense.

Our family relationships. Although my family & I moved several hours away from "home", everyone still made time for us when we went home for visits. Our daughter was able to develop the bonding relationships with aunts, uncles and cousins that last a lifetime.

Morning breakfast times with Granddad.  Our household may get hectic, but we make time most mornings to catch up on what's going on with each other.

Food, shelter, clothing, safe vehicles.  And so much unnecessary 'stuff'.  God always provides above & beyond what I need and most definitely more than I deserve.

Our health. Granddad & I may have a few little quirky things that we need to watch and attend to, but compared to so many others, we are very blessed with our health. And we have a healthy family.

God’s new mercies every morning. Thank you, God, for a new day to start all over again & walk with You.

A sink full of dirty dishes. We all have had enough to eat, and provisions to cook, eat & clean up with.

Lucy & her parents are still living with us. It gives me & Granddad more opportunities to know our granddaughter and have her know us. Since we're not sure what the future holds, we will take the time we have with them & make the most of it.

Walking over toys scattered throughout our house.  Lucy is still here!

Our timeshare that we bought into 17 yrs ago when we had no idea how we would pay for it.  We knew it was not a financial investment, but it was an investment in our family time ... just Granddad, the future Mrs GI Joe, and me. And we still use it every year with the GI Joe family and will continue to do so.


Social media that has allowed me to keep in touch with family ... brought me back in contact with childhood friends, neighbors, teachers ... and given me new friends through the blogging world.

Granddad & Mrs. ‘Joe’s support & encouragement when I returned to college 15 yrs ago. Without them, I couldn't have earned my degree.

Pizza rolls. A great (albeit non-healthy) & quick dinner when life happens.

Our doctors who don’t treat us as an “appointment slot”, but will take the time to call us when necessary.

The movie theater for our church’s multi-site location. God never said He only 'shows up' in a traditional church building. We are reaching our community ... and Lucy wanted to "go to church" when her parents pulled up to the theater today to buy advance movie tickets --- at 2 yrs old, she knows that we experience God at a movie theater, at home, at the church building ... He's in our hearts.

Granddad’s high school teacher who inspired him to his career path. He took one class from Mr. Browning and never looked back ... even returned for his master's degree while working to support his family.

The lessons in life I’ve learned over my 46 years … some easy ... some hard ... all worthy to bring glory to God for bringing me through.

Water & laptops. So that I can work/play/be mindless while increasing my water intake ... even while Granddad works on our desktop.

Those who have encouraged me, supported me, believed in me. 

Hairspray and make-up. Even if I'm just 'around the house' for the day. I know, I know ... "Granny is so vain."  These I'm not sure I can go without.

My Granny & my parents for modeling to rise every morning before dawn breaks. My idea of “sleeping-in” is 6:30am … I'm burning daylight any later!



Although these may not be earth-shattering, I am very thankful for everyone who has endured to the end of this post.