The Honor of Veterans Day

I am quite late in my posting for Veterans Day 2016 ...

a day set aside those who serve our wonderful country in our great military.

I personally love reading of President Woodrow Wilson (in 1919) who set aside

November 11 as Armistice Day as our country was healing from The Great War

(later referred to as World War I)...

and then in 1954 (as our great country was again healing from World War II),

President Dwight Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day Proclamation to honor those who not only served our country in The Great War, but also those who served to protect our Constitution in World War II.

 What a blessing and honor and privilege it is to live in our wonderful country...

never to be taken for granted.

Veterans Day 2016 was an honor for our daughter's family...

they were invited to sit on the platform at Arlington National Cemetery for the

Veterans Day Ceremony.

What an honor! So (like any proud Momma would do), I recorded C-SPAN as I watched to see if I could catch a glimpse of our kids (I know, such a long-shot)...

but I did ...



Our daughter with her "Jackie-O" style dress and sunglasses...

hand over her heart as she sets the example of her respect for our great country.

Words cannot describe how proud I was to see her at that moment --

tears flowed rapidly down my face.

And if you look closely in the right-hand corner behind the C-SPAN logo ... that's our Tag! And the dark shadow close to Tag's head ... that's our son-in-law Michael.

Lucy was actually sitting on the other side of their friend in the tan coat. 

(As an aside, their friend is on staff with a non-profit that does amazing work for wounded warrior families!)

I'll share another amazing God-filled Veterans Day story with you later ...

but suffice it to say ...

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you ...

Romans 8:28

And we know all things work for the good of those who love God and

are called to His purpose

Life changes with every second that goes by ...

2017 is Granny's year to live my moments

intentional



2017 ... Intentional

I've been looking back on 2016 with some self-admitted guilt.  You know, the guilt of not...
not losing the weight that I had promised myself
not writing more on my blog
not completing my house painting
not tapping into my creativity
not cutting down on my caffeine (consumed solely in soft-drink)
not ________________
not _____________
not ____
well, you get the picture... don't you???

So now we've closed the year of 2016 and I look ahead to this new year of 2017.  I've really never been a person to make a resolution for a new year...

I've broken tons more than I've kept ... and have simply forgotten more within the first few weeks of any new year than I could ever remember for the entire year.

So now I'm looking ahead at 2017 not with a resolution but rather with a focus.  Sometimes it's so easy to move through the motions of each day. We all can get so caught up in our daily routines, that sometimes we (I actually refer to myself) allow the days to slip by us.  I am so very much guilty of this!

 Hence my endeavor to live daily in being

intentional

To those who already live everyday life by being intentional, I applaud you -- you are truly my heroes! 

I am learning.

 

I know that being intentional will take diligence --  discipline -- determination

But --- (through God's grace)

I'm up for the challenge!

Dan & I have had some eye-opening conversations over the past few weeks as to how we as a couple will be intentional together in this new year.

We will be intentional on what we feed our bodies as well as feeding our minds. 

We will be intentional on how we spend the finances that God has trusted to us.

We will be intentional on what we do with our time (relationships, work, recreation).

We will be intentional with how we spend our time together.

  

I'm looking forward to see what God has in store for me (Dan & our family) in 2017.
I will post some personal updates on our family in the next day or so ... it's been a very busy time in our household since I last posted!


Until I post again ...


~~ May God continue to shine His light on each of you and your family ~~

(The photos on this post are ones I have found online.  Ann Voskamp & inCourage are 2 of my favorite women's ministry connections)