Wordless Wednesday

What a Great Weekend!

This has been such a good weekend! Michael and Addy spent the day yesterday while Elizabeth worked at the wedding chapel. Jim and Sheila came out to finish packing up everything from the old house, so I kept Ethan and Samuel while they worked. Nick and Candace brought Levi and Joey out to play with the kids for a while. The weather was so beautiful! The kids were able to play outside most of the day and they loved it! They were sweaty and dirty and all smiles when they had to come inside.

My nephew Brad is in the Marines and learned earlier this year that he would be deployed to the Middle East this year. He is leaving next month, going to California for a month and will then be going to serve but will not be told exactly where in the Middle East until the time comes for him to leave the states.

My sister and her husband planned a get together for him yesterday evening, so that we could all be together before he leaves. He was married last summer and he and his wife live in another state. Even though the circumstances for getting together with the family may not always be the best, the feeling is always the same! It’s so great to see each other and to be together even for a short time. This was the first time we had all been together since Mother’s funeral and it was a time to share a few memories, laugh together and know that we are all there for each other always!

Michael, Elizabeth and Addy spent the night last night and then Chance and I went to church with them this morning at LifeChurch. What an experience! I was raised in the Church of Christ and that is where I have always attended, even if in different congregations. This was a totally new style of praise and worship for me! I definitely was uplifted and the singing was amazing! The message this morning was concerning Communion traditions and customs. The Pastor spoke, with an open Bible before him and quoted many scriptures during his sermon. Anytime the minister actually uses the Bible as his guide, it’s a good thing if you ask me! He was a great speaker and presented the lesson very well. The only thing different about the sermon delivery was that it was presented via a large TV screen! He was not present in the building, but the same recording/message was delivered simultaneously to each of the different campus of LifeChurch. There was an on-site Pastor who then led the Communion Service with scripture reading and prayer. Overall, it was a good experience. I miss the congregational singing, even though I did enjoy the music and singing by the band. The words to each song were shown on the TV screens for the congregation to sing along, but the voice of anyone singing along could not be heard above the band. I don’t really think that made my personal expression, through singing, any less effective or any less uplifting!

If you are familiar with practices of the Church of Christ, you know that we are very conservative. We do not use instrumental music; only our voices are lifted to God in praise and in worship! I have been to Contemporary Christian concerts a few times before and listen to this type of music often on the radio, so it’s not totally foreign to me except in the worship service. I will definitely return to LifeChurch again!

After church we went to Chili’s and had lunch together and then from there we went to the cemetery to put flowers on my Mom’s and Dad’s grave since Friday was my Mom’s birthday.

They are buried in Piedmont, which is very close to the town where I attended high school and then lived after I married Elizabeth’s dad. When my Mom, Elizabeth and I would go to the cemetery to decorate my Dad’s grave over the past 12 years, we always go to Cashion to see what’s changed since we left so many years ago! It’s always fun even though Cashion is not really a busy, tourist town! Today was the first time Michael had ever been to Cashion so it was fun showing him the house where I used to live, the school I attended – which by the way, has Kindergarten through 12th grade all in the same building!

We always “drag” Main St, which is three blocks long – and the town doesn’t even have one traffic light! There’s no grocery store there anymore, only one café, the Post Office and the Town Hall make up most of the town! It’s always fun to go there and see if there’s anything new!

We got back home about 4:00 and Michael and Elizabeth left, on their way to Michael’s Mom and Dad’s house where they will feed his parents animals because his parents went out of state for Spring Break. Addy is staying another couple of days with Jody and me so that Michael and Elizabeth can paint her room and get it all set up again once they finish painting.

I have a couple more doctor’s appointments this week and I hope that everything is normal for each of the tests I’ve had done over the past couple of weeks. I will also be called back for a 2nd interview on the job I interviewed on last week. I’m really excited about the interview. It sounds like something I would enjoy and best of all, it will be a paying job! I am definitely in need of that!

I’m looking forward to this week – the kids are all out of school and I’m going to get to spend some extra time with Chance and some time with the grandkids.

When you come to the edge of all the light you know,
and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown,
faith is knowing one of two things will happen:
There will be something solid to stand on,
or you will be taught how to fly.
Barbara J. Winter

My Mother's Birthday

Today would have been my Mother's 77th Birthday! The best thing about this day is knowing that she is no longer suffering. That she is at rest! I miss her, but I grieved for her over the past year because I really lost her to Dementia long before she passed from this earth. I couldn't let her day go by without at least a mention! I will always love her!

My Mothers Hands
Author Unknown
I held her hands in mine last night...they looked so thin and worn...but they held
mine just as tightly...as the day that I was born.
Those gentle and expressive hands...
etched by work and care...have folded over
my bedside...many times in humble prayer.
They've washed for me...they've fed me...
they've helped me be a woman...There's something
of our Lord, Himself...
In every mother's hand.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
Name two things that made you smile this week.

) New flowers coming up in my flower bed - they are so beautiful! I love Springtime when everything comes to life again!
2) I drove downtown to test for a position I had applied for, but after testing was told the job had been filled - then the recruiter told me of another job she thought I might be interested in and is scheduling a second interview for next week!

Soup
Fill in the blank: Don't you hate it when -

You walk into a room, forget what you entered the room for in the first place and have to retrace your steps, going back where you began to trigger your memory!

Salad
When you can't go to sleep, what is your personal remedy to help yourself drift into Lullabyland?

I completely clear my mind of everything - no thoughts drifting in and do deep breathing exercises. Works every time!

Main Course

What is something about which you've always wondered but have not yet found a good answer?
My husband and I have been married for 18 years. My husband is a collector of pocket knifes, model cars and tools! I've often wondered why does a man need four of the exact same tool?! He's a great carpenter but he can't use them all at the same time, so what's the point?

Dessert
What is your favorite pasta dish?
I absolutely love old-fashioned, home-made macaroni & Cheese - not the kind from a box, but made with a combination of different cheeses and baked in the oven until the top is golden brown! Yummy!

Elizabeth has joined Blogspot!

I have talked about my middle daughter, Elizabeth, many times in my blog entries. She had a blog on another forum and has now put her blog on blogspot. I would like to share her site with you - just click on her link at http://homeschoolmommyfromoklahoma.blogspot.com. She's a pretty good writer and she writes about things she is passionate about, one of which is homeschooling! When you have some free time, please visit her site. I'm sure you'll be glad you did!

Thankful Thursday #1

I am thankful that I have a relationship with my Lord. When I think of the suffering Jesus endured so that, even I, could have hope of eternal life, I am amazed! When I am feeling overwhelmed or discouraged, the thought of His selflessness and his faith in God helps me to know that I can get through whatever is put before me - through Him.

I am thankful for my family. My husband is such a kind man and he loves me just as I am - not trying to make me into someone else! My children are amazing! Our three daughters are married and each one is also a Mom. When I see my daughters loving and caring for their children it makes my heart swell with pride. I can see in each one the love they have for their own family and my prayers before God are that they will, not only be happy in this life, but also allow their decisions to be guided by His word. Our son, Chance, is the baby - 17 years old. He is a junior in high school. He is very intelligent, kind and caring and he makes good choices, for the most part, in the friends he chooses and the activities in which he participates.

I am thankful that my job search is going well. I have been feeling stressed over the whole thing, but as in everything else, God is in control and I only have to be still and listen and He will guide me. I had an interview this morning and will be called back for a second interview. I will be praying that if this is the right place for me to be that He will lead me.

I am thankful for each day given to me because I know what an amazing gift it is and each day gives me another opportunity to serve God. Each day, the choices I make matter - not only to me, but also to the Lord and I don't take that responsibility lightly. What greater gift could we have than to be given each day to show this world the peace and the understanding that comes only from Him!

Wordless Wednesday