hips, hearts,and hands

My dad, 82, fell last night and broke his hip. He is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday, so I will be out of town and away from my computer for the rest of the week. He has many other health issues, so this is more serious than it sounds. We have prayed and are trusting God in this situation. He promises that He will "never leave us or forsake us", that He will "supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus", and "that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose". We know that God always keeps His promises. We are in good hands.....His!

a special day

Today marks the twenty-third anniversary of one of the happiest days in our lives.... the birth of our precious daughter. We had two sons and were hoping for a girl, but expecting another boy. They could have told us from the sonogram, but we wanted it to be a surprise .....just like the boys had been. When the doctor said, "It's a girl!" I said," Praise the Lord!', but couldn't say anything else for a long time because I had this huge lump in my throat! When J called the waiting room to give them the news, the crowd there erupted with celebration! To say she has been a joy is really an understatement. I can't even imagine what my life would have been without her. We have had the best time, the sweetest time growing up (for her) and growing old (for me) together! God knew I needed her not only as a daughter but as my best friend. She is lovingly and faithfully committed to her Lord, her family, and her friends. I am so very proud of her. So, Happy Birthday, Sweetie!
I love you!

do you know what a cheval mirror is?

Well, I didn't until I started shopping for a bedroom floor mirror that is mounted on a stand. I didn't know it had a special name. I just thought it was a bedroom floor mirror that..... well, you get the idea. :-) Our daughter will be 23 on Saturday and she asked for a bedroom floor... I mean a cheval mirror for her birthday. I shopped around and found three different styles at a home decor store here in our fair city. One was $59, one was $71, one was $129. Guess which one she liked..... you got it, the $129 one ! Of course I did, too. The others were simpler. The one she chose had more personality and was more to her taste. There was a problem, however, the right foot pad was missing, so it didn't sit level. We knew we could replace the foot pad or just take the left food pad off. But, I asked if they had more in stock. Unfortunately (well, not really), they did not. (Let me interject something here... if you read the earlier post about the Lord directing my husband (J) to bargains because he is a giver.... well, we reap the benefit of that giving heart, too. Now the rest of the story...) So, the lady says, "would you take it for $69?" Oh, let me pray about it.... YES!!! As you might guess, we were very happy. J and I picked it up this morning and, just as I suspected, the man who never throws anything away, had just the right pad. Within ten minutes of getting it home, it was fixed and perfect! Yea Dad! and Yea God!

spring is "springing"

The first sign of spring in our yard is the daffodils. Sadly, they have come and gone. But, now our Bradford pear tree is a ball of white blossoms and the dogwoods are teasing us with a few open buds . Today I noticed that our next door neighbors' cherry trees are in full bloom. They are Yoshino Cherry Trees... imports from Japan... just like the ones in Washington, D.C. and in a neighboring city where they are celebrating their annual Cherry Blossom Festival as I write this post. There are over 300,000 cherry trees planted there. The organizers are always anxious about whether the trees will be in bloom for the party. This year,the timing was perfect. When you get up close, the blooms look white, but from a distance, there is a pink glow from the branches that just makes you smile!
When our neighbors planted their trees, they were just tiny saplings... sticks really, about 2 feet tall. They have now grown to about 30 ft. It is a pretty sight to drive by them as they line the street. Those neighbors have been gone for years, but we get to enjoy the fruit of their labors every spring. Thanks guys and thank you God for your handiwork!

my first comment

Thank you Rebecca at Turned Loose for posting my blog's first comment. That was a very thoughtful and encouraging thing to do. I was so happy to see that #1 by comments on not one, but two of my posts. You made my day! And I will definitely try the cookies.
And if anyone is interested, here is the recipe for the Derby Pie..... with the sugar :-)

1 stick margarine (melted)
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour (plain)
1 regular pie crust

Melt margarine in a medium size mixing bowl. Add eggs, vanilla, AND sugar :-) Mix. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Mix. Add flour and mix well. Pour into crust. Bake at 350˚for 30 mins. Cool on rack for 15 mins before serving so it has time to set. Be sure to serve with something to drink (we like milk or coffee) It is too rich to eat by itself. Enjoy!

hometowns

Yesterday, I spent the day with my dad while my step-mom went on a shopping spree with her three daughters. He lives in the town where I was born, grew up, married, and lived until I was 22. Much has changed since I left in 1976, ( a lot more fast food places... we had two, the Dairy Queen and the King and Queen..ha! ha!) but much has also remained the same.
The town was established in 1832. The quaint downtown is anchored by a large, turreted, red brick, Victorian hotel (EST. 1892) where some pretty famous people visted in its "hey day". It closed when I was a child but has been been restored in recent years and is now a beautiful place to stay and dine.The sidewalks, in about a nine block area, are lined with crepe myrtles and street lamps. There are some empty storefronts, but they have done a pretty good job of recycling old spaces. An old gas station is now a bike store and the old police station now houses offices. One of my elemntary schools is in disrepair, but the other has been converted into the headquarters for some non-profit organizations.
The older residential area that is closest to downtown (and where I lived) is a treat to drive through. The streets have great historic names like Hancock, Taylor, Bell, Lee, and Jackson. They are lined with beautiful old antebellum homes surrounded by Bradford pear trees, dogwoods, camellias, azaleas, and magnolias. Several of the churches date back to the 1800's as well, including my home church where I was married in 1973. An interesting side note about the churches that I only noticed a few years ago. There is one church on Church Street and there are eight on Lee Street, including the one on Church St, because it is on the corner of Church and Lee... kind of funny, I think! :-)
I never really appreciated the beauty and history of my hometown while I lived there because it was all I knew. I didn't have anything to compare it to. I now live in a city with very little history. It began as a train stop for farmers and became a town in the 1940's. So, there aren't any really old houses or buildings... no downtown. And though the Clean Community Commission has created some green spaces, there still aren't any really pretty places to see.
So, do I love my city? Am I attached to the place I call home? Not really. But what I am attached to are the people we love that live here and to the history that our little family of five has here. We have many lifelong friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, that keep us here. They are the ones we call on when we need help or advice or comfort. They are the ones who have shared our joys,... been there when our babies were born and when they married. We have lived in the same house for 34 years and it is the only house our children have ever lived in. We have welcomed three grandchildren in this home. We were in the same church for 25 years. So, our three children grew up there. They were taught and loved and made lifelong friendships themselves. We believe God brought us here and we know He has blessed us here. So, until He calls us to another place, this is where we will be.
So, my hometown is prettier and richer in state history, but my children's hometown is richer in our history and that is much more important to me.

something for nothing

I spent some time outside with our 3 year old grandson today. It was a beautiful spring day....warm and sunny with just enough breeze to make the leaves dance. I noticed that our wood pile is almost gone. This is the closest we have come to running out of wood in a long time. We have been heating our house, primarily, with a wood burning stove for about 25 years. We have had a cold (well, for middle Georgia, anyway) winter this year. So, we have burned lots of wood. As I was looking at the small stack of logs, I was grateful that spring is here. But, I was also reminded that, in all those years, we have never had to buy firewood. My husband, J, has the motivational gift of giving. That means that God has given him the desire to help meet the needs of others financially. Character qualities of a "giver" are: they are very careful with their money, they don't throw things away unless they are ABSOULUTELY sure they can't use it for anything, they rarely buy anything until they have shopped around for the best price (on everything from a car to toothpaste!),and they take great delight (as my mom use to say about J) in getting "something for nothing"! Part of the motivation for this is that the more they save, the more they have to give away. So, because God has promised that "faithful is He who has called you, who will also do it" (1 Thess. 5:4), He directs him to bargains and freebies.... including firewood. It will be interesting to see where the next load comes from! How often I take for granted all the ways God provides for our needs. Thank you, Father, for the reminder.

talk about being "blindsided"

I just read that Sandra Bullock's husband admitted to being unfaithful . I really like Sandra. She is a likable actress and, from what I have read, she is a down to earth person who cares about people. She starred in "Blindside" this year and won every award possible for Best Actress. I don't usually watch those shows, but I did happen to tune in just at the moment she was winning the Golden Globe. In her acceptance speech, she said the movie was about "someone having your back". Then she thanked her husband. She said "marrying you was the smartest thing I have ever done and, for the first time in my life, I know what it is like for someone to have my back." Wow! I wonder how he felt hearing her say that when he knew he had been having an affair while she was on location shooting the film. Just think how she feels now that she knows he was actually stabbing her in the back. Maybe he should get the Best Actor award.

how 'bout a slice of humble pie?

Well, it was Derby Pie, actually. A few nights ago I made one for my family. It is one of my specialties and one of their favorites. We were all anticipating the rich, gooey, chocolate and nut concoction for dessert. I knew it looked different when I put in the pie crust and when I took it out of the oven, but I also knew it was impossible to mess up this deliciously easy pie. So, I didn't think much of it. We sliced it and served it and took our first bite....hmmmm, "tastes different" they said. "Tastes terrible!" I said. They were kind enough to eat it, but I could not finish mine. I couldn't imagine what went wrong. I was disappointed because I knew they were. And a little embarrassed that I had goofed up. It has been bugging me ever since. Today I figured it out. I was going over the recipe in my head and it hit me. So, how do you mess up a Derby Pie...... you leave out the SUGAR!!!!! Boy, do I feel dumb.

ouch!!

For many years, I was involved in ministry in our church.... children's Sunday school, women's ministry, church hostess. I loved seeing how people were helped and blessed as God worked through those ministries to make a difference. About 5 1/2 years ago, we moved to a different church. I have tried to find my niche there, but it just hasn't happened. As a result, I have been disappointed and frustrated. We sang this song at church this morning. It is one of my favorites. Today, the Lord used it to convict my heart of how "me centered" I have been. I talk about wanting to be involved in His service, but my actions say I haven't really been open to what God wants me to do. I have my own ideas about where or how I want to serve.I was reminded that I, as a believer, am called by God to serve by the power of the Holy Spirit. I am saved by grace alone to bring glory to God alone.

"Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee;
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love.

Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing, always, only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from Thee;
Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold.

Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise;
Take my intellect and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine, it shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is thy own. It shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour at thy feet it's treasure store;
Take myself and I will be ever, only, all for Thee."

Lord, help me to remember that it is all about You and what You have designed for me to do. Open my heart to Your direction. Fill me with Your love for Your people and for the lost and dying world around me that you might receive glory. Amen.

the beginning

I've been thinking of starting a blog for a while now... almost a year. Finally decided to give it a try. I don't expect a large following. Truth is I don't know anyone who would care to read what I have to say. :-) It is really more for me..... a hobby, therapy, something that is all mine! Time will tell where this takes me, what I will learn, what new things I will experience and how long it will last. But for now, I'm a little excited. So, if you are reading this.... I am surprised but pleased. Welcome.... to the beginning!