Thinking about Family Ties

Today it is warm and sunny and has been for several days. I thought I should probably note this fact since I spend much time complaining about the weather. I doubt that my wishing for warmer climes will cease, however, so don't get too excited about today!

What I am thinking about more is various family members who rarely get notice in this blog. It occurred to me that I have not mentioned Dan, even though I wished a public happy birthday to each of my other kids in 2009! That was just an oversight that I thought I would correct before we celebrate another Thanksgiving - wouldn't want him to pretend that I am not his mom because I snubbed him. And, after all, he is the one who set up this blog site in the first place so that I could complain to my heart's content! His birthday was in June and I promise that next year I will note it properly. He is such a good kid and deserves many blessings!

I have spent many hours in prayer this past week for my sister in New York. She is my only surviving sister of the 7 girls that God gave to my mom. She lost her husband 2 years ago and has had a hard time getting through that loss. Each passing of a family member has been hard on me, as it is for everyone. I have 2 brothers left and at least one of them has had a rough year with family and finances, so I have been thinking much about all of them lately.

I also have 2 daughters-in -law who are a treasure to me but who get little notice in this blog. Stacy and Katy, I love you both and thank God daily for the support and love that you provide for my sons and for your love and care of Dad and me! May God give you peace and joy and any other requests you currently have out!

Holly, Julie, Claire - I love you much and pray for you daily, for your present and for your future. May you find Jesus sufficient for all of your problems today. I think that covers everyone that I have not mentioned previously - just so you know that I do think of you and thank God for you. Please take time today to thank God for our family - all of them - and remember that as life goes on you all will become ever more important to each other. Don't let anything get in the way of your love and care for every brother and sister you have been given. I know that I really miss all of mine, and I also know that I did not treasure them all while they were around. I was too human all those years and I would want better for you kids and grandkids and great-grandkids of mine! So, God bless and be ready for Thanksgiving Day this next week - make it the best one yet!

In all things, give thanks

It's not like I have been so busy lately that I don't have time to write. I just have other things on my mind! Lots of friends and family have been sick with this flu-like stuff and everyday more people succumb. So far, all are recovering and I pray that it remains so. October has not acted like October this year - people getting sick too early, snow coming too early, hardly any beautiful Fall weather! I know, I know - I have been counting my blessings in the midst of all this, but let me have just a few moments to wish it were otherwise. Our coffee buddies are heading South this week and that gives me pain. We have used up all the available room in our living area and really need more room or more creativity. Lately we have too much month for the money, as someone once said. I was hoping to be someplace warmer by the time cold weather really settled in, but it is not to be. Okay, that is enough complaining for awhile.

The good stuff is that Damion's tubes in his ears seem to be coming along nicely. I have been learning all sorts of new things about family members living in California, Oklahoma, Texas, and New York, because my Facebook site finally came back up after 14 days. Also, my weight seems to have stabilized and I have perhaps even gained a pound or 2 in the last few months. My newest grandkids and great-grandkids continue to get cuter as the days pass and I have the assurance that God has good things in mind for each of them! I keep seeing Gaither videos that I have not seen before and the songs bring joy to my heart. Many answered prayers remind me of God's love for me and mine. I have a new Journal to record my private thoughts and praises in. I guess I could keep on and on because I have many more good things to say. This Blog site reminds me regularly that life consists of good and bad, happy and sad. In everything, though, Jesus is enough! I hope that you are finding it so.

The future looks good

This month has been full and it is only 12 days old! First of all, my Facebook site has been down for a couple of weeks while they work on some problem on their end. I really miss being able to check up on friends and family far away and feel really out of the loop! Here in Custer we have been seeing much sickness and lots of cold snowy days - and that is not a good thing. We never did get any Summer here and Winter is usurping our Autumn days. So much for global warming, as they say. We did have some fun Summer days, but it seems like they were few and passed too quickly.

This last weekend, though, was a very satisfying one. Jenni and Ashton got married in Minnesota on Saturday. It was so sad that none of us could be there, but the pictures are good and we wish her all the best! It is exciting to see your kids embarking on a new life, but this grandchildren stuff is all new to us. So, 2 down and at least 4 more to go. Just look at Zac's most recent pictures and you can see what a heartbreaker he is destined to be - too, too cute!
I should mention that Jenni has her new teeth now. We pray and trust that this will make life just a bit easier for her. Next, on Sunday we had a young missionary family in the a.m. service, a very satisfying pot luck afterwards, and then a baptism and fellowship time in the p.m. We all agreed that it was a wonderful day, except for Dad's gimpy knee (caused by the 5 miles he walked on his Saturday hunting trip). So, life is a little bad and a little good, but there is always promise and always hope for the future - especially as we entrust the next generations to God's wonderful care and provision. As my mom used to say, the g'g'kids are worth living for if only to watch how God can make our mistakes come out right! Maybe we didn't do it all right, but we leave it all in God's hands.

I was only 28, then. Where has the time gone?

Just a short while ago, this day, my only daughter officially became 39 years old. She is not too keen on noting birthdays, but her mother is! It was a very happy day for me when God blessed me with a little girl to dress in pink and I have never regretted that day. Her birth was the easiest and quickest of the three, and she was a model baby who slept long hours. Until the time that it became clear that she was allergic to her formula, and also to milk, she brought only delight to us. The pictures from those few months of allergic reactions show many tears on her cute little face. And when she was just a little over three years old it also became evident that she was born with a congenital problem that would make her life difficult for the next 12 to 15 years, at least. God became her fortress and song early in life and I have always been proud of her triumphs and her caring, loving nature. She is a real joy to me, though I don't tell her that often enough. I could wish for her today that her life was a little easier, but I entrust her to God and His loving provision. He has a plan for us all and we don't want to get in the way but you know what they say about a mother's heart....So, Lisa Jo, I'll tell the world today that I love you and thank God for you! I hope your birthday is a happy one, full of peace and hope!

God is good!

Today is a beautiful day in Custer - not too hot, not too cold, not too wet, not too dry. And I've been out to coffee twice this week (it doesn't take much to make me happy). I got to hear from Josetta this past week and my husband finally got a newer tire for the Explorer and all four tires are balanced and whatever else you do to make the car run smoother. The monthly bills all look to be paid in a timely manner, and Jennifer has set a wedding date for October 10 (I pray "the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise"). I also got a new phone so that now I can talk more than a few minutes before the battery runs down. Now, if only my curly perm I got last week was really curly, I think I might be totally happy, but it is pretty close to 100% today! So, I think it is a good time to testify to God's provision for me and mine. Not everyone has all they seem to need, and not everyone feels really healthy today. Still, we can thank Him for all that He has done and is doing to make us more like Him and to be a beacon for Him in this world. We still have a few really important prayer requests out for family members and friends, but we have the assurance that He hears and answers according to His perfect will if that is what we really desire, and we do! God is good, and today I reaffirm that, loud and clear!

September is a favorite month

When I was younger, September was so exciting because it meant the start of a new school year with new children to teach and fun things to do. Today, September still feels good but for different reasons. I have always loved Autumn, even if it brings different allergy problems and even if it means Winter is on the horizon. The feel of the air is still pleasant and September is when it all begins. Today is Labor Day and it should be a relaxing day with no real pressure. Before the day is out I hope to have arranged for a new phone, which is desperately needed. I will plan out my week and perhaps plan out the whole month. I will plan and then God will overrule as He sees fit. That's okay with me! Then tomorrow we will spend most of the day in Rapid at the Heart Doctors for Rol's yearly stress test and to set up a research study he plans to participate in. Stacy and I will use that time to get our hair done at the Beauty College and we will all finish up with lunch out. On Wednesday we get to have coffee out with Carl and Miriam again and on Saturday Stacy and I will have coffee with some of our friends. Add to all this the fact that Husker football has begun again and the week is shaping up to be good!

In church these days we are concentrating on Holiness and Sanctification and Solitude - three heavy and wonderful subjects. God is drawing me closer to Him and I am amazed at the love I still feel when I turn to Him. I still believe in the truths that drew me way back when I first heard the good news of salvation and meaningful life in Him. I have been seeking new purpose in my life lately, and I believe He is showing me that my new purpose is just a renewal of the original purpose I was assigned when I first began to love Him. That purpose is to give glory to God and tell others the "old, old story." Pray for me as I pray for you that "God will give you a complete understanding of what He wants to do in your lives...to make you wise with spiritual wisdom...that you will learn to know God better and better...that you will be strengthened with His glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father..." (Col. 1:9-12a)

On our way to 50!

If ever there was a day to blog, it would have to be today. When we think back to 44 years ago on this date, our first thought is that it seems so long ago. The second thought, of course, is that it seems like just yesterday. It would have been impossible to look this far into the future, and we did not try. Now that I look back, though, I think how young we were and how little we actually knew about what we were getting ourselves into. We took on that future with hope and confidence and trusting in the Lord. It is a good thing that we can only live a day at a time. Some of those future days would have scared us, and some would have been so sad that we would have wanted to not continue on with life. But here we are at 44 years and we both agree we would not want anything to be different. If we had it to do over, we would not change a thing, except to serve our Lord better and bring Him more glory than perhaps we have. Each stage of our journey so far has had its struggles, but also its triumphs and joys. The current stage is no different, except that we both agree that old age is not for sissies! There are two things that I especially want to say on this page, on this day, for all the world to see. One is that I love my husband today even more than I did 44 years ago, and in a deeper and more mature way. The second is that we want all the young people in our family to know that it really is possible and desirable to have a long and lasting marriage. The committment must be there and God must help you. Don't settle for what the world offers you and don't buy into their misunderstanding of what real marriage is. Happy anniversary, my sweetheart! May God give you many more years of good health, peace, love, joy - and may all of them be spent with me!