Heavy heart of praise

I am under the weather.  Since I was a baby (I am told), and mostly since I can remember I get EXTREMELY emotional when I am not feeling well.  So, this post is a bit heavy.  But heavy with praise.


I read a couple of children's Caring Bridge pages.  Have you heard of this site?  It is a website where people going through any kind of difficult time can journal it and share it with friends and family, or in my case complete strangers!  There are about 5 or 6 pages that I read, a couple of them are parents writing about the grief and loss of losing a child.  A couple more are about the courage and struggle and FAITH of parents going through the ordeal of a seriously ill child.  I cry every time I read them.  But I also PRAY hard, and that is the primary purpose, I think, for this site.  I think it is the primary purpose for a lot of people posting on this site as well.

Prayers.  I was talking to my sister the other day and somehow the topic of praying came up.  I can't remember exactly who or what brought up the subject, but we both realized that not everyone prays everyday or in every hard situation (or blessed one!).  I don't exactly remember how we were taught to pray.  I don't remember my mom preaching about saying our prayers.  We didn't have a meal time prayer per se.  But is was always just known that my mom prayed...in many situations.  And so, we grew up praying.

It brings me so much peace and joy and comfort to pray.  Whenever I am feeling sad, I try to pray thanks for all the blessings I have.  Whenever I see someone struggling, I feel sad and troubled, but if I pray for them I am filled with comfort.  When I am feeling bitter and angry, prayers can calm me down and ease my hostility.

Back to the topic above.  The main site I have been reading is about a little girl, 5 I think, who was diagnosed with cancer, scheduled for surgery in a weeks time.  Her surgery was scheduled for the days before her mom was due to deliver her 3rd child!  What a heavy load the Lord has given them to bear.  However, they are a true and honest inspiration.  They are honest about their questions, but faithful that the Lord has a plan for them, for their family, and most sure that He has a plan for their beautiful daughter.  I pray everyday for this family.  I pray that others would see their actions and know that the Lord is good, even in the bad.

m

Blessings

Today has been a day of blessings. 

I found $22.00 in a purse I haven't used in 6 months.

My kids got to spend an evening away from me and with their grandparents.  (They had a GREAT time!)

I get to go to bed early and get up late.

Enjoying every blessing,
M

Counting my blessings...

This is just a random post.  I have just had a LOT of stuff floating around in my head.  I have been following a reading plan on Crosswalk.com to finish the Bible in a year.  This weeks readings have me thinking a lot about blessings.  I am reading the last chapters of Genesis, and this week we started off at the story of Jacob and Joseph their heritage. 

I have a really big issue with heritage and tradition.  I long for it, I strive to draw people together if just for the sake of tradition.  I used to be awful.  I didn't speak to my father for the better part of a decade or more.  I am not saying that I was so wrong in that.  What was wrong is that I let that anger I had towards him keep me from family functions where I would get to see other family members that I wanted to see.  I missed out on several holidays with my cousins and sister just to avoid him.  I think that those years, looking back, have made me long for tradition and family togetherness even more for my kids. I want my kids to grow up having their family around, knowing and playing with their cousins, enjoying the stories and wisdom of their grandparents.

Jacob lost his son.  His favorite son.  How awful must that have been?  To just not know what happened to him.  To wonder the rest of your days if he is dead or alive?  I think that would make me draw closer to all my other children.  (Hopefully I wouldn't have a FAVORITE!!!)  When Joseph is found to be alive again and moves Jacob to Egypt, Jacob had 70 descendants with him.  Can you imagine??  70 people that you are the head of?  All of your heritage?  Amazing.  I don't even know if I have 70 family members, so I can tell you we are not all living in the same vicinity. 

I don't know if I could even handle living with all my siblings and their spouses and kids.  But I do wish that my kids would have a close relationship with those family members that are living nearby.  I pray that we don't let time just slip away, separating us from each other, over things that won't matter when we meet our God in Heaven.  I feel sad for those people that won't and don't step out of their comfort zone to be involved with their families.  Jacob moved to a foreign country at a very old age just to keep his family all together.  I wonder how far I would go to keep mine all together?

Blessings in Christ,
M

Winter..who says it can't be fun?

I am NOT an outdoors girl.  My poor kids have been out in the snow ONE time...yes I said ONE time.  And, that one time was with their dad.  Poor kids. : (  However, there are plenty of fun things to do.  Like and indoor tractor pull.

 Max was thoroughly enthralled!

 Checking out the tractors with Daddy.  Can you tell who is more interested??

 

A nice lady let them sit on her tractor.  Lexi had time to pose, but Max was way too in to the tractor to focus on me or the camera!

Playing playing playing

I am thankful for kids who can entertain themselves....sometimes.

Please ignore the mess in the background.  If anyone can tell me how to stop messes from happening while I am working at my desk...I am all ears!


M

Never a dull moment.

Yesterday while eating dinner (a delicious slow cooker chicken and dumplings), Lexi was refusing to swallow her bite of chicken.  I told her in a very menacing voice that she was going to swallow that chicken.  She looked at me and coughed a little, fake choking maybe, and told me, "I can't, I think I am 'lergic."  She was dead serious.

I made her eat the chicken anyway.

This little cutie gets smarter and funnier by the day!

Here is what happens when you leave your camera on the desk and your daughter climbs in to your chair and tries to take a picture quickly before she gets caught.  Yes, that is her lap.

Today while playing hide and seek Max looked at me and whispered, "Sshhh, be cowet."  Such a cutie!
Here is a picture of him I just love.  He was eating some cupcakes his sister made.  (with the cupcake set he got her for Christmas!)

Enjoying these amusing moments,
M

Bible in a Year!

My sister-in-law, Heather, has challenged me (among many others) to read the Bible in a year.  She has an amazing blog, where she is posting this challenge.  I started on Jan. 1st.  It is a Chronological Bible in a year challenge.  I do not own such a Bible, but I logged on to www.crosswalk.com, and you can sign up there.  They provide you with your list for the year, and track your progress.  It is FREE and pretty awesome.

Here is the link to Heather's challenge!



Today I read Job 1-5.  (I sure hope I'm on the right track as everyone else!!)  I've read Job before, but it is AMAZING how you can read something in the Bible over and over and it means something different, or tells you something new, each time!  Today while reading these passages, it really hit me that God is proud of us.  He also never leaves us.  Here is the verse that just gave me an overwhelming sense of comfort today:

"My advice to you is this:  Go to God and present your case to him.  For he does great works too marvelous to understand.  He performs miracles without number."  Job 5:8-9

This sort of goes a long with another challenge offered us at church this Sunday; the challenge is to track the miracles you have witnessed...here goes:

Miracle:  My husband.  Since I can remember I wanted to be married.  I dated A LOT of guys, and tried to make each one "the one."  I had all but given up finding someone by the time I was 24 (which may seem odd to some!)  I was a new Christian and just decided to let the search for a husband go.  Within 7-8 months of doing so, I met my husband on a blind date.  Kevin has taught me so much, more than he even knows...and I know he was sent to me from God.  So, there is miracle number one.

I hope you will take on this challenge - either one. 

Enjoying this time of learning,
M

New Year's Resolutions...

2011 has been an interesting year.  For my husband and I it was a year of learning lessons.  Some of these lessons involved great hurt and disappointment.  But out of the pain blossomed gifts and blessings we never imagined.  God is good and never fails to lead us down the path He has for us, as long as we are faithful and trusting in His good will.

I don't have resolutions for 2011, just a few prayers.
1.  Prayers for health and happiness for my husband and babies.

2.  Prayers for success in our business.  And by success, I don't necessarily mean financial success, but success in terms of happiness, contentedness, and joy from doing this work.

3.  Prayers for me to let my fears and insecurities go, to completely trust God with my failures and shortcomings.

4.  Prayers to not hold on to bitterness and discord, but give it to the Lord and let it go.

5.  Prayers to forgive those who have hurt us.

Enjoying my blessings,
M

2011, a good year.

We rang in the new year the same way we did last year...at Chuck E. Cheese's.  OK, we didn't ring in the New Year there, but that is where we held our celebration.  My sister Leslie came along to enjoy the fun!

 The picture above is funny.  Max was pretty nervous about it, but when I told him to look at me, he seemed more at ease.  Ha!

 The were both completely unimpressed with this ride.

 Riding a horse.

 Riding a horse.

Leslie and I both rode the horse, too.  She has the evidence of my skills on her camera.

It was a pretty fun ride.  By farm Max's favorite.

 Enjoying some sweets on our way home.  Nothing like a couple of $2 suckers!!

Happy 2011 Everyone.  God bless!

Enjoying the new year,
M

Christmas Love.

Christmas was just love this year.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  We have all been given the wonderful gift of Jesus Christ, how can we not feel love on this special day!

Enjoying my loving family,
M