WE TOOK LEXY SKATING THE OTHER NIGHT. SHE HAD A BLAST!! SHE DID NOT WANT OT GET OFF THE ICE! IT WAS HER FIRST TIME OUT. WHAT FUN

Preston and Deidre's little girl has finally arrived. She is just beautiful and Perfect. What an amazing miracle!!

The Holy Bible: King James Version. 2000. The Psalms 100

An Exhortation to Thanksgiving
A Psalm of praise.


1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

2 Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.


3 Know ye that the LORD he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.


4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him,and bless his name.


5 For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations

I am thanking God for all His mercies and love today!!

I'm dedicating this post to David, John, Kenny and whoever is lucky enough to marry Angie, in honor of Daddy (aka: PaPa Pops). He was and is a wonderful father!
I'm watching you dad

Tribute
I want everyone to go here and then tell me if you're not having a fantastic day!!
It's time to get out of ourselves!
Read the update and then watch the video "A tribute to bishop Willoughby"
Warning: Be somewhere where you can put your dancing boots on!!

These 2 parts of scripture have been going around in my mind today!


The Excellence of Love
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love in my heart, I am only a noisy gong.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love in my heart, I am nothing.

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love in my heart, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not arrogant.

Love is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered, or resentful.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

For where there are prophecies, they shall fail, where there are tongues, they shall cease, where there is knowledge, it shall vanish away.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.


1Corinthians 13

THE EIGHT BEATITUDES OF JESUS

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."


Gospel of St. Matthew 5:3-10

Whatever you lose, do not lose joy. Keep the spirit of spring in your heart and keep sweet!

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the
way
one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask
to be
taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, ‘Can’t you see I’m on the
phone?’
Obviously not; no one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or
sweeping
the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one
can see
me at all. I’m invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a
pair
of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open
this??

Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being.. I’m
a clock
to ask, ‘What time is it?’ I’m a satellite guide to answer, ‘How do you spell hippopatomus?’ I’m a car to order, ‘Right around 5:30, please.’

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the
eyes
that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -
but now
they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.
She’s
going, she’s going, she’s gone!?

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return
of a
friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous
trip, and
she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting
there,
looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard
not to
compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic,
when
Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, ‘I
brought
you this.’ It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I
wasn’t
exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription:
‘To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are
building
when no one sees.’

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after
which I
could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals
- we
have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives
for a
work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and
expected
no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith
that the
eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a
tiny bird
on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, ‘Why are
you
spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be
covered by
the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied,
‘Because God
sees.’

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was
almost
as if I heard God whispering to me, ‘I see you, Charlotte. I see the
sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No
act of
kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve
baked, is
too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great
cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a
disease
that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own
self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder.
As one
of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished,
to
work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the
book
went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our
lifetime
because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend
he’s
bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, ‘My Mom gets up at 4 in
the
morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey
for three
hours and presses all the linens for the table.’ That would mean I’d
built
a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come
home.
And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add,
‘You’re
gonna love it there.’

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if
we’re
doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will
marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has
been
added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Author unknown

For all you readers out there, You may enjoy this new author.

http://emilyannbenedict.com/

Here is the last chapters of my Mom's story that I received in the mail the other day. I hope you enjoyed the little glimpse into her life and were some how blessed by it.

The hardwood floor and newel post all installed. No stain yet. they tell me the 24th now.

Weeping may endure for a night, but Joy cometh in the morning
This is a promise.. This is God's word!

Yesterday,I finished reading through the booklet of the stories mom told to Patsy. There is so little. I wish she'd had more time to tell her story in it's entirety. What there is, I am posting.

My Mother's story
I just received this in the mail this afternoon and have decided to share it with the world. It is not written fancy. It is mostly in her words straight from her heart, written with the hope that it would encourage someone else even after she was gone. She did not have an easy life, but she loved God and He was her all in all. I hope you are blessed. I have only read the first page and the tears are streaming down my face. I know some of what she faced. I have been blessed and did not really understand or appreciate the mother she was. She was a very special person who loved deeply and I miss her very much. If I can be half the person she was, I will be happy. I will post the story in segments. You may have to click on the picture to enlarge it so you can read the words.
Fonda, I love the letter from Destiny and the pictures of Destiny and Preston. The letter goes in my treasure box. I love you all!

This struck my funny bone....

Below is an excerpt from Sis. Bertram's blog.She is the pastor's wife in Lakeside Ca. and seems like a very neat person. I post it here because I relate to it. I blog because I find it encouraging, uplifting, thought provoking and a way to connect with special people I would not otherwise have the opportunity to "know" and talk to. My prayer and hope is that my blog can also be encouraging, fun, and a way to stay in touch with family and old friends and a venue to meet new ones. So for now, until I get a life, I blog on!! LOL

Sis Bertram says:
"Although I have been the recipient of scornful mocking this week, I blog on. Rain, sleet or snow. The blog has to be published. As one great singer so passionately sang...'You can rattle me shake me'......BUT you have not broken my will. I WILL BLOG ON.
(LOL)"

HOUSE FOR SALE


http://wandascountryhome.com/forsale/index.html

Follow the link. This is a great place!! I think I want it. I think you will want it too!
My grandmother sent me the link. Thanks Grandmother!

This was sent to me from a friend. Just a reminder of the responsibility we have when a child is entrusted to our care. It's a real little person that we have the awesome responsibilty to raise and teach!! How we handle this responsibility will determine their destiny to a large degree!

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING


A message every adult should read because children
are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.


When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my
first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately
wanted to paint another one.


When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a
stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind
to animals.


When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my
favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little
things can be the special things in life.


When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a
prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always
talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.


When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a
meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
learned that we all have to help take care of each
other.


When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of
your time and money to help people who had nothing,
and I learned that those who have something should
give to those who don't.


When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care
of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have
to take care of what we are given.


When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you
handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't
feel good, and I learned that I would have to be
responsible when I grow up.


When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come
from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things
hurt, but it's all right to cry.


When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you
cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.


When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of
life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and
productive person when I grow up.


When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and
wanted to say,'Thanks for all the things I saw when
you thought I wasn't looking.'


I AM SENDING THIS TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE I KNOW WHO DO SO MUCH FOR OTHERS, BUT THINK THAT NO ONE EVER SEES. LITTLE EYES SEE A LOT .

I thought this was funny watching this bird and the dog. I couldn't believe how close they were to each other, minding thier own business and scrounging for leftovers from the dress up party.



This is Ken's idea of a great breakfast. Sardine sandwiches! Sorry babe, but that is disgusting!!

The scripture that God gave me today:
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weaary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.

This I found on another blog and thought it "simply profound"

MIRACLES BEGIN WHILE IT IS YET DARK

In these shaken economic times, (or any other situation that has you shaking in your boots),fear not, but put your trust in your heavenly Father. You are of infinite value to Him and He will take care of you.


Matthew 10 (KJV) –

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows