1. God's grace and salvation
2. Ben
3. Bailey
4. Darby'
5. Kally
6. Rainey
7. Rawley
8. Friends
9. Family
10. our house
11. Bible study
12. Being at our friends' house for Thanksgiving
13. Safe travel
14. Darby is better
15. Rainey can read
16. Fun trip up to Little Rock
17. All the help we have received from friends
18. Amy Childs being so encouraging
19. Lisa Alsop being so caring
20. The love of so many people
21. Our old SS class
22. God's provision in so many ways
23. Shopping the day after Thanksgiving
24. Our health
25. Stephen's RV
26. Generosity of others
27. Bailey growing into such a beautiful woman
28. Darby helping Kally with Bible study
29. Rawley being so entertaining
30. So much food daily
31. How much Ben loves me
32. How much Ben loves the kids'
33. How kind Ben is to my family
34. How much my Daddy loves me
35. The great friendship of my mom
36. Older women in my life who mentor me
37. Younger women in my life who challenge me to be closer to Christ
38. Laughter
39. Dates with Ben
40. Ice Cream Nights!
41. Being fulltime missionaries
42. Janie Cole's love and acceptance
43. Karen Fergason's challenging me to be better
44. Being American
45. Being able to travel in my life
46. Seeing friends' children maturing
47. Extended family who believe in Christ
48. Seeing people live out their faith
49. Seeing spiritual growth in myself over the year
50. The political ads are over
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
As I sit and type, we are in Little Rock visiting our dear friends and taking life easy. What a gift to us! My boys are playing the game of LIFE with Nick, Ben is listening to Christmas songs downloaded free from www.oprah.com (free for the next 48 hours only!), Bailey is visiting a friend and probably at Starbucks. Darby and Kally are playing, and I am loving the whole thing!
God is so great to allow us this time of refreshment. This Thanksgiving I am so grateful for the way He cares about our littlest concerns!
God is so great to allow us this time of refreshment. This Thanksgiving I am so grateful for the way He cares about our littlest concerns!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Headed Out of Town!
We are packing as we speak to head to Little Rock for Thanksgiving! We always underestimate the time it takes to get seven people packed for a trip...why do we do that? You'd think we'd have it down to a science by now....but, noooo!
We will inevitably forget something-hopefully not something really big like Darby's diabetes supplies, but maybe something easy like a toothbrush or socks.
The two oldest girls both have ear infections with ruptured eardrums, so medicine is coming with us and we are leaving bright and early...about 5am! We are thrilled to be heading up to see friends once again.
Hopefully we will see some of you while we are there. We love you dearly and miss all of you so much. Your smiling faces and warm embraces will be a welcomed respite from life here. So, until tomorrow, may God reveal Himself to you so very clearly!
We will inevitably forget something-hopefully not something really big like Darby's diabetes supplies, but maybe something easy like a toothbrush or socks.
The two oldest girls both have ear infections with ruptured eardrums, so medicine is coming with us and we are leaving bright and early...about 5am! We are thrilled to be heading up to see friends once again.
Hopefully we will see some of you while we are there. We love you dearly and miss all of you so much. Your smiling faces and warm embraces will be a welcomed respite from life here. So, until tomorrow, may God reveal Himself to you so very clearly!
Story of the Lost Sheep
I had the scare of my life the other night.
Bailey was at a retreat for church and she was going to come home on Saturday night to be able to be at work on Sunday morning. At about 3:45am I woke up and looked out the window and didn't see her car! Where was she? I went downstairs, cried, prayed, tried to get her on the cell phone...She wasn't answering...again, where was she?
For several hours, I was praying, crying out to God. What I found myself not doing was bargaining with God. I was pleading, but He seemed to place a bit of a peace in me at the same time. Not a peace that said she is ok and will come home safely, but a peace that said, whatever happens she will be ok...I (God), will take care of her one way or the other.
About 6:30, I finally felt like I could wake some people up to help me in my search for Bailey. Ben and I called several people from church to get cell phone numbers for others attending the retreat. Within several minutes, we heard back that Bailey was safe and sound. She had decided to stay at camp and not risk driving home late at night. The cell phone service was spotty, hence, no phone call telling us.
Relief, joy, overwhelming amount of gratitude set in! It happened, this time, that the peace that God provided me was just the peace that I wanted to have. What I realized, though, was that as hard as it would be, I was ok with whatever God allowed knowing that He was watching the whole situation and would turn all things for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Ben, Bailey, and I certainly all fit in that category!
Praise God, our lost sheep had come home! She was restored with our other sheep and we have one more thing for which to praise God this Thanksgiving week.
Bailey was at a retreat for church and she was going to come home on Saturday night to be able to be at work on Sunday morning. At about 3:45am I woke up and looked out the window and didn't see her car! Where was she? I went downstairs, cried, prayed, tried to get her on the cell phone...She wasn't answering...again, where was she?
For several hours, I was praying, crying out to God. What I found myself not doing was bargaining with God. I was pleading, but He seemed to place a bit of a peace in me at the same time. Not a peace that said she is ok and will come home safely, but a peace that said, whatever happens she will be ok...I (God), will take care of her one way or the other.
About 6:30, I finally felt like I could wake some people up to help me in my search for Bailey. Ben and I called several people from church to get cell phone numbers for others attending the retreat. Within several minutes, we heard back that Bailey was safe and sound. She had decided to stay at camp and not risk driving home late at night. The cell phone service was spotty, hence, no phone call telling us.
Relief, joy, overwhelming amount of gratitude set in! It happened, this time, that the peace that God provided me was just the peace that I wanted to have. What I realized, though, was that as hard as it would be, I was ok with whatever God allowed knowing that He was watching the whole situation and would turn all things for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Ben, Bailey, and I certainly all fit in that category!
Praise God, our lost sheep had come home! She was restored with our other sheep and we have one more thing for which to praise God this Thanksgiving week.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Once again, Rawley has come up with something only a two year old could say with a straight face.
He was on the couch and I was changing his diaper. He has been very congested lately, so as any good mother would do, I leaned over and got what he lovingly refers to a "guckers" out of his nose. Being so very proud that he made something, he insists on seeing what I pulled out of his nose and then says, quite loudly, "You may NOT eat that guckers, Mom!"
So that's it...I have been told! (Was there REALLY a question?)
He was on the couch and I was changing his diaper. He has been very congested lately, so as any good mother would do, I leaned over and got what he lovingly refers to a "guckers" out of his nose. Being so very proud that he made something, he insists on seeing what I pulled out of his nose and then says, quite loudly, "You may NOT eat that guckers, Mom!"
So that's it...I have been told! (Was there REALLY a question?)
Q: What's better than having your child having read his first book all by himself?
A: Knowing that you taught him to read that book!
Our Rainey, age 5, just sat down on my lap yesterday and read his first book! He didn't even need to sound out any of the words...he just knew how to read them! It's amazing to know that I taught him how to do that. To think that I helped his world open up and that he is beginning the process of being a life-long learner...astounding!
Q: Why would I want to give that privilege to someone else?
A: I don't know...I wouldn't!
A: Knowing that you taught him to read that book!
Our Rainey, age 5, just sat down on my lap yesterday and read his first book! He didn't even need to sound out any of the words...he just knew how to read them! It's amazing to know that I taught him how to do that. To think that I helped his world open up and that he is beginning the process of being a life-long learner...astounding!
Q: Why would I want to give that privilege to someone else?
A: I don't know...I wouldn't!
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