SHE WHISPERED I LOVE YOU

"I Love You" is what she whispered in my ear during the restless night. I whispered back "I love you too".   After a few quiet seconds passed, another whisper came..."I couldn't wait any longer to snuggle with you so I left Bubby's bed and came in YOUR bed a little early".  "Did you check in the other bed to see if I was there?".  I answered, "Yes".  Little Missy giggled with contentment as she got the answer she wanted. Earlier that evening, as I gave my goodnight sentiments to my Grands, I had told her that I would check on her before I retired to bed.  I checked on her and her brother before going to bed myself and said a little prayer for our Lord to watch over them.  They are so sweet and bring so much love to my world.

So, I enjoyed every moment of being a Nona while visiting with my kiddos .  I soaked up all of the good stuff which included both Grands sitting on my lap at one time and revisiting the game of Sorry. I drove away with a smile on my face, sharing this story with my best friends by phone and laughing all the way home.

Now that's what it's all about folks!

LOVE STORY, Be Mine, I'm Yours

Be Mine, I'm Yours

Valentine's Day is happening this month and thoughts of little candied hearts with sayings like "Be Mine", "I'm Yours" and "Love You" come to mind.  It gives us a nice warm feeling inside to know you're loved by someone.  The true benefits arrive when the love felt is mutual.

A bond that cannot be broken and unconditional love are a couple of benefits that come from sharing love with someone special.

How great our Lord's love must be for each of us!  He created us out of Love.  His true Love was with us in the beginning because He loved us first!  Since the days of Solomon, people have praised Him saying, "His love endures forever!".

Psalms 2 5:7

....According to Your love, remember me, for you are good, Oh Lord! 

January

January 2017

January has come and gone.  

It was a special month despite the familiar feelings of grief.

Our family tip-toed through the process each day.

Most days it began in the morning.  Then changed to the evenings when things settled down.

With each new day, we heal and remember to be grateful and to love each other in a big way.

January is a big birthday month around here...Brandon - 1st, 

Anna - 2nd, Paul - 8th, Kelsey - 23rd 

and then there's my birthday towards the end of the month.

While sitting at our kitchen counter, Jonathan asked what I would like to have for my special day.

I replied, "I don't need a thing, I have all I need and I'm so very grateful".

With a full heart, I sincerely meant it.

And then, God opened the clouds and dropped sweet surprises at my doorstep for two solid weeks!

I still shake my head in disbelief...it's that formula of being grateful that I've known about most of my life.  I've been content and grateful for many years, however, this year was different.

Maybe God's surprises came at the exact time I needed a pick-me-up.

God knows my heart and my every intention.

He knows what we need to make us smile.  

I give God the glory for showering me with His love.

LOVE CAME FOR ME

Love Came For Me

If You had not come, Tender baby King

And humbly left your throne to reach someone like me

If You had not walked upon this broken ground

Where would I be now?

If You had not come, to seek the sick and lame

To set the captive free, to break the prisoners chains

I'd still be in the dark, grappling for the door

Longing for some way, somehow

Love came for me, Love rescued me

Love called my name, Love took my place

Sweet Lamb of God, I'm bowing down

My eyes have seen

I'm finally free

Love came for me

Lyrics by Shannon Wexelberg

Brandon and Daisy

I cannot begin to write in my blog again without sharing the passing of Jonathan and Debbie's son, Kelsey's brother, Paul's brother-in-law, my step son, Brad and Adam's step brother, Shirley and Geneva's grandson, Jack and Tina, Melinda, Melissa and Sherwyn's nephew, Anna, Kate and Joseph's Uncle, Jasper and Cora's step uncle, Isaiah, Chloe, Sadie, Kirk, Kate, Kristy, Jordan, Parker and Heather, and Mallory and Jon's cousin, Ryan's friend like a brother, Keith, Darren, and Jason's best friend.

You see, Brandon was somebody.  He was huge.  He had intensity and sensitivity that will not be matched.  He walked through this world with a unique energy and a different beat wanting a different outcome wherever he landed.  He faced demons along the way.  At times, he conquered them.  At times, he played with fire.  

Brandon was a beautiful young man.  He understood that he had faith in God who loved him first.  God gave him almost 40 years on this Earth.  Perhaps He looked down and said "Enough, my child".  He called his name, He took his place.  He took Brandon as he was.  "But, oh, the blood of Christ that washes over me, flowing from Your hands and feet".  He indeed set the captive free.  

Psalm 31:4-5

Free me from the trap that is set for me, 

for You are my refuge.

Into Your hands I commit my spirit;

redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.

Learning to live without Brandon in our lives is not easy.  We have to fill the void with positive things.  We're all trying as we remember the good times.  One great story Ryan shared with us recently happened during the Christmas Holiday in Kentucky.  Ryan and his family had gone back home for Christmas.  This happened to be where Brandon was living and where the two of them grew up together.  Ryan picked Brandon up one day before Christmas and they ran a few errands.  While driving down Winchester Avenue decorated with Holiday garland with red bells and jewel toned lights, Brandon asked Ryan to play a particular song from their past.  They decided to roll down memory lane as they rolled down the windows (even though it was a Winter day). They rested their elbows in the opened window area of the door and tilted their seats back as they listened to the Rapper rap to a funky beat.  After the song was over, Brandon said, "Can we play it again?".  Ryan agreed, turned up the volume and two friends like brothers enjoyed some special time together for a little while longer. 

We love you Brandon. The longing to be with you just a little while longer will never go away. So, we'll carry on the best we can and look toward a better day when we will all be together on the other side of the River.  Our days spent rejoicing and praising our Lord with a renewed energy to the beat of a different drum in a better place.

Love Is In The Air

Valentine's Day has passed but Cupid stuck around awhile and ended up on a beach in Florida during a special sunrise on a mid-March day...

My son Adam and lovely Rachael became engaged as the sun greeted the early morning and as the ocean's fluid harmony rejoiced.  Cupid played all day long in the sun as love danced along the shoreline.  This special union was celebrated by phone and at the end of the day with a bottle of the best Champagne with our new Florida family ...

The Dunbar's

Smiles, toasting and well wishes all around for our two love birds, Adam & Rachael...    Love at first sight, Love burning bright, Love in God's light.

 Love, Momma

Feed on God's Faithfulness

"Feed on God's faithfulness to find the strength you need" is taken from a page of a daily devotion calendar I read on January 3, 2015.  It goes onto quote Psalm 37:3..."Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness".

The King James Version reads..."Trust in the LORD and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verify thou shalt be fed". Psalm 37:4-5 then says, "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass".

My true delight comes in doing the right thing in the eyes of the Lord.  I'm human and make mistakes everyday but know the difference in my mind and heart when I've done the right thing. 

Recently, I've been searching for a King James Bible around our home.  Seek and ye shall find...my Mother's KJB, Scolfield Reference Edition was sitting right on the shelf like an old friend.  Some 20 years ago, I switched from King James to New International Version because a family member gave it to me.  It had a deep concordance that came in handy during study time and I felt very comfortable reading this version until recently.   My Sons now study from a King James Bible.  Discussion of which one is best came up and was explained to me in a way I now respect and understand.  But when the subject first came up I was a little taken back.  I prayed for understanding and God gave me the answer in the form of an informational pamplet that explains Bible translations available at the Lifeway Christian Bookstore.

You see, the King James Bible (not the New King James) was originally published in 1611, word-for-word from the best manuscripts available at the time.  I needed to be reminded of this!  It's the Bible I was taught from as a child.  It's the Bible I read from as a child.  The seeds of Christian faith were planted in me from hearing Sermons based on the word of God read from this version of the Bible.  My eyes have been opened now and I'm thankful my children have right intentions of learning from the King James Bible.  The "thee's and thou's" are music to my ears these days...a familiar melody that plays from within.

God's delight must surely come from knowing His children seek Him and contentment comes from His children knowing that God will provide understanding and His will is perfect.

Happy New Year 2015...It's Gonna Be A Good One!

This has been one of the happiest entries into a new year that I can remember.  We spontaneously had friends from Church stop by for a fabulous steak dinner prepared by my husband who has the name of Chef Jonathan in our household.  He loves to cook and share all of his creations with friends and family or anyone else who happens to be passing through.
I enjoy being his favorite helper in the kitchen which allows me to throw in my two sense worth of advice every now-and-then.  It's not often needed though...Jonathan's a great cook!

Some of our favorite friends stopped by to help us celebrate life and friendship with laughter and the togetherness that comes easy when you have like-minded individuals gathered in one place.  I enjoy remembering how we were all gathered around our dining room table telling stories from the past and making plans for our future.  One thing's for sure...we made promises to eachother to have fun in 2015.  We don't want to sit still and let life pass by.  We all agreed that our Lord has blessed us with our Church which includes our Church relationships with friends who are family.  Tomorrow is not promised so lets enjoy life!

On December 31, 2014,  we gathered in our home and made a wonderful memory that night.  As Jonathan and I closed the kitchen door after our friends left, we looked at eachother and smiled.  We have so much to be thankful for...so much that we've been through and so much to look forward to.

I woke up New Year's Day morning with an overwhelming feeling of peace and gratitude for the experience we had the night before and the faith we have for tomorrow.  Yes, it's going to be a good year.  We have a list of things happening already:

1)   We are celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary in May.

2)   We will be welcoming our 5th grandchild into our lives in May.

3)   My eldest son is moving up in his career of Education.

4)   My youngest son is becoming a certified Lawyer soon.

5)   Jonathan's eldest is beginning his new life in KY.

6)   We will welcome another Daughter into our family in the Fall.

7)   We will sell our office building and relocate to simplify our lives.

8)   We will win the lottery (well, someone has to do it!)

9)   Mama will enjoy this chapter of her life in good health.

10) We will begin our next chapter with a grateful heart that includes quiet   time on our deck...enjoying a glass of wine with a plate of smoked fish, cheese, olives, balsamic onions and cherry peppers watching our families of deer stop by to nibble on our fruit trees and grapevines.

11)  We will anticipate the news of Jasper's loose tooth finally falling out!

12)  We will make plans for small trips to visit friends and family.

13)  We will go camping in our camper with friends and family.

14)  We will make healthier choices for our physical and emotional selves.

15)  We will grow veggies, herbs and a lemon tree in patio pots.

16)  We will continue to seek God's will and direction as we use our   talents for Him in our Church.

Yes, it's going to be a great year!