Seeing is Believing ...

And then today -- Sunday -- Dan & I just needed to make the trip to their house ...

 

 

 just to make sure they are all okay ...

anxiety

soreness

apprehension

 

... but in the middle of it all ...

thankfulness

it could have had a completely different ending ...

 

 

Still need prayers for the days ahead ...

physical -- mental -- emotional

insurance ... replacement van

Thankfulness to God & His angels for

protecting our kids ...



And in a Flash...

Weekends are getting pretty busy in our household...

Jacqueline & the grands come down Thursday afternoons for Tag's karate class followed by Lucy's two-hour intensive dance classes.

Then it's homeschooling on Fridays followed by two more intensive dance classes for Lucy.

 

 

 Lucy & Tag worked on some Halloween projects this week.

 

And then gave their Grandad a lesson this morning on making spiders...

then back to their house to get ready for their fall festival on post...

..

Dan & I were doing some outside work when my cell phone rang.  It was Michael's phone... but Jacqueline on the other line. 

"First I need to say that the kids and I are okay but... we've been in a wreck."

I sunk. 

They were rear-ended at such a high impact that forced them into the vehicle in front of them.

Lucy & Tag were in the back seat excited to go the military fall festival -- dressed up in their costumes and looking festive.

And then the impact...

scared ...

shaken ...

extreme anxiety

Please keep our kids in your prayers ...

they had waited for several months on the transfer of their donated van -- and now the wreck...

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

 



"Love Isn't About Agreeing... It's About Sacrificing"

I found this nugget of truth when I signed on to my Facebook this morning.  It's so refreshing when God brings hearts & minds together even through people we may never know or meet this side of heaven.

I have been thinking on this very subject for several days (actually longer, but contemplating a blog post for several days)...

I have Ann Voskamp starred as a "see first" in my newsfeed.  She is so encouraging with her devotions & messages...

and yet this can be a challenge as well.

"Love isn't about agreeing with someone"

I love my husband dearly... and I love my daughter & her family dearly... I love my parents & family dearly...

but we do not agree on everything...

and that's okay.

God made each of us as unique individuals who have minds of our own...

and we use them.

"It's about sacrificing for someone"

I grew up physically surrounded by my family... my Granny & Aunt Karen lived in the homeplace in the center -- with my family, my aunts, uncles & cousins a stone's throw away (each of Granny's children were given part of the homeplace to build their homes).

In such a big family, we all loved each other...

but we didn't necessarily agree on everything...

but we all loved each other (and still do).

I watched as sacrifice after sacrifice was made in each household... and collectively as one family.
And I've also seen the opposite side of this --

"if you loved me, you'd agree with me"

or

"since I don't agree with you, I'm withholding my love & support from you"
There's a scene from one of the UPtv movies that hits this nail right smack on its head. 
Ed Asner played the old grandfather who had disowned his daughter when she married the son of his "arch enemy".  Years had gone by...  then his granddaughter came back to the hometown to take care of her Mother's estate.  The young lady had never met her grandfather... no relationship... no bond... no anything.

Here's a closing scene from the movie that brings Ann Voskamp's message into perspective.

We don't have to agree ...
and if we don't, it's still okay.

Sometimes it's our own pride that we must sacrifice in order
to cultivate our relationships with others.

in families

in friendships

in the workplace

in our communities

in our churches

Just because we may not agree with someone...

it certainly does not give us God's permission to withhold from them.

After all,

didn't God give His One & Only Son for us?





33 Years Later... A Grand Birthday Weekend

And so in the middle of a busy birthday weekend ... there's Granny's pneumonia.

I had thought (wished) that when the doctor told me "early stages of pneumonia" that she actually meant -- well, there might be a "tinge of something but you'll be good as new by Friday" (Lucy's birthday).

However ... that was not the case. But as I sit here in a quiet house, this weekend was so much more than me missing out on some of Lucy's birthday activities.

Yesterday (Saturday) marked the 33rd year of my first date with Dan.  I'll be honest -- I had been head over heels for him since I first saw him at my high school.  He was the new guy at school in his junior year and I was a freshman (with 3 cousins who would graduate with him).  So when he asked me out on a date 3 1/2 years later ... yes, I was over the moon.

... and then we fast-forward 33 years ... 

 

 

~~~ we celebrate our granddaughter's 8th birthday ~~~

Heaping upon heaping of God's grace in between

September 24, 1983 to September 24, 2016...

lots of life

lots of grace

lots of God

{{Lucy's birthday September 23, 2016 ... since I was recovering from pneumonia & her Momma had a doctor appointment that morning, Lucy & Tag spent the morning at the mall with their Grandad (who rearranged his work schedule to be available to hang out with our grands while I recuperate) ...

then on with Momma for special birthday treats & Lucy new tap shoes ...

then 2 dance classes Friday evening ...

then on Saturday, her Daddy brought Maci down for more birthday celebrations --

Maci is Michael's new service dog & is already part of our family}}

... and Life is Good ...



Happy 8th Birthday!!!

Happy 8th Birthday to our sweet granddaughter ~~~

Lucy Michaela



She's a 2nd grader!



It's so remarkable how fast time flies by with our grands...

and we try to get in as much "grand" time as we possible.

She stayed up late to see him ... tax season 2009

Big smile when we asked "are you talking to GG?"

 God is so good and I just know that He has some mighty big plans

for this girl. 

Welcome to our family, little brother! February 2012



I've got sunshine on a cloudy day... with my girl, Lucy, my girl!

She lives to dance ... May 2016

 And she always wears her heart

on her smiling face!

An early birthday bouquet ... September 2012

Introducing Tag to Krispy Kreme ... March 2013

Granny & Grandad love you,

Miss Lucy Michaela

Disney 2016

May you always allow God to direct your steps and

always show the world your

big heart and big smile!

Me & my girl ... Fall 2014



Dancing at the "Top of the World" at Disney... December 2012



Time flies when you blink ...



 



Inopportune Motivation

I don't know if this has ever happened to anyone else...

when motivation hits like a ton of bricks!

 

Maybe not to anyone else, but certainly to me...

just since 10:45 this morning, I have renewed motivation to tackle my list --

** ramp-up my workouts and healthy eating

** return to my blogging community

** revitalize our household projects

... and ALL of these I feel a refreshed desire to accomplish soon ...

as in by the end of the week

or the end of next week (at the very latest)

But then there's that little doctor appointment from this morning ...

early stages of pneumonia

and since I had pneumonia 8 years ago just before Lucy was born ...

well, I need to take it easy for the next week or so.

I just started my antibiotics this afternoon, so I'm winding down right now.

We're beginning a new dance & karate schedule this week ...

and

we will celebrate Lucy's 8th birthday on Friday the 23rd

so Granny needs to spend the next couple of days completely resting...

or my doctor said I'll probably land in the hospital.

Since the hospital is not an option for our exciting week,

I -- SHALL -- REST

Hope you all have a wonderful and healthy week!

~~~ I'll check in soon ~~~