Happy Birthday Sis

I should have warned you that May is a busy "celebration" month for our families.  Today I want to honor my sister, Kelly.  My mind is wandering today (Thursday) as it's been a hard day for Tom.  As I continue to "cast my cares on Him" I have been pondering what to write about my super sister.  So here we go...

S is for Stable - if there is ever a better word that describes my sister...this is it!  She is as stable as they get...except for having an "un-stable" sister like me!  As sure as things are stable (or seem so from my angle) for her...my life has proved opposite.  She consistently had stable grades, friends, schooling and character to bring such stability in her life.  Nothing seems to rock her world that is firmly built on the stability of knowing Jesus Christ personally as her Lord and Savior WHO is her ultimate Stabilizer.

I is for Inspiring - I have always been and continue to be inspired by my sister.  Is there anything she can't do?  If there is a will...she'll find a way.  Can't is not in her vocabulary.  She inspires me with her vigor for life...and life more abundantly.  She makes the most of her time and can do it all because she makes time for everyone and everything.  Being the mother of 5, the mother-in-love to 3 and the best nana to 1, I'm inspired by her nurturing spirit.  She is inspired by the Lord of Inspiration.

S is for Servant - I can tell you she will get the job done!  She has stepped up to the plate and produced great results over this past year with us.  Not only has the trial we have been in brought out her servant's heart, but it was there before...the trial has given her a great platform for her to stand out and shine.  It's all the "behind the scene" things that may have gotten overlooked, but not with Kelly on our team.  We are so grateful for her heart that has served, over and above, with never a complaint.  She is a shining example of the greatest Servant of all...the One Who came "not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many."

T is for Trustworthy - I can count on my sister.  It is as good as done if she has is involved in any way.  No dragging her feet or finding an excuse, she just follows through.  Proverbs states that one who is trustworthy "brings refreshment", my sister refreshes me.  She has a way to make me look at life with a perspective of hope.  The Bible also says that a trustworthy person speaks what is right, Kelly speaks what is right, God has given her great insight.  Proverbs 21:12 says "the Lord delights in one who is trustworthy", I delight in my sister because she delights the One Who is Trustworthy.

E is for Efficient - I think this could have been her middle name!  Honestly there is no point from A to B that is not filled with making the most of steps taken.  In case you're not familiar with the term:   Achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.  Another word for efficient is competent.  II Corinthians 3:5 says, "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God."  Kelly's competence comes from her vibrant relationship with our efficient God.

R is for Reliable - a synonym of trustworthy, what can I say...she's reliable!  You ask...it's done.  You don't ask...it's done!  She's on top of it.  Love her for many things, but the reliability is awesome...it's her character.  God's character placed in her through His Holy Spirit that indwells her...awesome.  In case you couldn't tell...I love her VERY much and too often don't let her know how much.  Thank you Kelly for being the best sister ever and for modeling Jesus in all you do!
Praying your birthday is as special as you are to me!


For those of you who were so kind to pray for our parents...they are all safely to their destinations!

Travel Mercy

Will you please join us in prayer for our parents?  Both sets of parents are traveling today and tomorrow.  One set South, the other set North!  Tom's parents are ending their 5 week adventure and flying from Chicago to Atlanta today and then driving from Atlanta back to Clermont (Orlando), Florida on Wednesday.  My parents are driving from Venice, Florida to Columbus today and tomorrow.  It is a little unsettling knowing they are all traveling at the same time!  We know God will be with them guiding and directing their paths.  Please pray especially for my mom who ended up with embolisms in her lungs after traveling last time.  She should be fine now that she is on a blood thinner.

Zac & Sarah

LOVE these people!

Also, Sarah traveled out to Grace College yesterday with Zac to enjoy the day with friends.  They too are traveling back today.  The house has been extra quiet while they have been gone...we miss them greatly when they are not here.
Confessions of a tough weekend:  Saturday we received the tough news that a recent WCHS graduate went home to be with the Lord.  This family is near and dear to our hearts.  I had the pleasure of serving in the middle school ministry with his mom and Tom has had many occasions getting to know and love his dad.  We grieve with them and pray that God, His Spirit and His Word will bring them much comfort as family and friends surround them to help them through this tragedy.
Sunday...Mother's Day...what a privilege to be a mother, however it was a hard reality for me as I adjusted to the fact that over the past 24 years it had been Tom who has made my Mother's Day special.  I know it sounds selfish...but I think I took for granted all that he did to make the day so special.  I have no complaints about Sunday...all three of our children worshiped with us, all three children were with me for Sunday lunch and each (well two of them) wrote the nicest notes and gave me sweet gifts.  It is still the nagging understanding of how Tom would make it special that I realized wouldn't be anymore.  I feel/felt so badly as I cried at breakfast and he thought he had hurt my feeling somehow, not realizing it was Mother's Day.  I couldn't hold it in and now realize how Hallmark can put a special day on the calendar and evoke emotions that are not god honoring.  I've sought Tom's forgiveness and I'm "coming clean" of my selfishness...but I do live in my flesh and that denying myself is a daily practice.  So those of you who hold me too highly...another confession...I didn't even call Tom's mom or my mom on their special day.  I did send a text...that wasn't enough...I was wallowing in my own selfishness.  Tom's mom did call us!  I did call my mom on Monday...I believe all is well.  Reality of a real person...me...sinful and self absorbed...working through life...praising Him for the opportunity to forgive and be forgiven when I fail.

This week we celebrated our sweet Sarah's 24th birthday.

We had a surprise visit on Thursday from my Uncle Jim and Aunt Joanne who were in town!  They brought us some of our favorite treats...Great Harvest Wheat Bread and Cinnamon Bread...yum...thank you!

Uncle Jim & Aunt "J"

We continue to be blessed with more meals...so here we go:

Lasagna, Garlic Bread, Salad

and

Strawberry Shortcake

Thank You, Mae Myers!

Stuffed Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

and

Chocolate Chip Bars

Thank You, Beth Fields

Thank you too Beth for your sweet spirit and praying with us...you are special!

BBQ Brisket, Corn Bread, Green Beans

and

Peanut butter Brownies!

Thank You Burns Family

What a special treat to have time to visit with this dear family.

Tom, Christie, Turner, Everett, Sophie & Garrison Burns

Both Tom & Christie teach at WCHS

Happy Mother's Day!

Tom and I believe we are the most fortunate people in the world because God placed us in the arms of our moms!  Our moms are the best fit for us...once again God knows what He's doing!  We love them both dearly and trust that He will bless their special day since we can't be with them to bless them in person.

"Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying

“Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.”

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates."

Proverbs 31:28-31

We bless you today and every day for choosing to give us life...and not just any life...real life...a life with Christ at the center which brings purpose, fulfillment and joy everlasting!

We love you both...TONS!

Happy Birthday to our Sweet Sarah!

“Many daughters have done nobly,

But you excel them all.”

Proverbs 31:29

We have only one daughter, but she does excel them all!

What a beautiful girl, inside and out.

She loves her dad!

He loves her...

We are so thankful Sarah & Zac have given up their life in Indiana to come and share their love, time and encouragement here with Tom & me.  What a blessing and help they have been to us.

Always full of life, love and laughter...Sarah keeps us smiling and always ready for any game to play, piano music to uplift us and serve us with cheer.

Thanks Sarah for your love for us...

We love you TONS and pray your day is blessed beyond measure!

Our Love,

Dad & Mom

God Provides

Tom and I enjoy our visits with Doug & Carylee Meyers

"He has made His wonders to be remembered;

The Lord is gracious and compassionate.

He has given food to those who fear Him;

He will remember His covenant forever.

He has made known to His people the power of His works,

In giving them the heritage of the nations."

Psalm 111:4-6

A delicious Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole, Roasted Asparagus

AND Strawberry Shortcake

(I didn't get a picture)

Thank You Ingrid Morris!

Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Carrots

AND

A Plate of Warm Cookies

Thank You Bob & Jan Johnson!

Chicken Tahiti over Wild Rice, Broccoli Casserole, Mixed Fruit

AND

More YUMMY Cookies

Thank You Becky D'Onofrio!

Cowboy Chicken

(chicken, black beans, rice, corn, cheese & sour cream)

Fresh Watermelon & Key Lime Bars

Thank You Pete & Karen Huling!

"Who gives food to all flesh,

For His lovingkindness is everlasting."

Psalm 136:25

Thank you to all who have so generously given, over and above, to meet our physical needs.  What a blessing it has been to have such delicious meals provided on a regular basis...I truly am spoiled!

Yesterday Tom completed his third Avastin infusion.  It was our fastest infusion yet, we were back home by 3:30.  Once again Carrie Houts met us there and provided another free valet parking pass!  We met a very nice gentleman on the elevator the last visit we had and yesterday he was there getting his chemo and came by our room for a visit.  He travels all the way from Wisconsin for his treatment!  We are thankful that it is just a 20 minute trip for us.  If you are ever in Hartford, WI stop by Douglas Jewelers and meet our friend!

www.douglasjeweler.com

56 Years of Marriage!

Today Tom's parents celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary!  What a privilege to have them committed to our Lord and the vows they made before Him so many years ago.  We are so thankful to them and their love for our Savior, each other and their family.  In 56 years their heritage has grown!

3 sons - Terry, Tim & Tom

3 daughters-in-love - Joyce, Julie & Lisa

10 grandchildren - Hannah, Ben, Abbie, Rachael, Sarah, Timothy, Luke, Leah, Matthew & Cherith

6 grands-in-love - Jason, Ashley, Alan, Zac, Britney & Jessica

 5 great grandchildren - Makenna, Max, Brinley, Kyle & Nellie

2 continents - North America & Africa

2 Countries - US & Madagascar

5 states - FL, IL, SC, OH, IA

all representing Jesus!

Interesting Facts from 1956:

Average Cost of new house:   $11,700.00
Average Monthly Rent:   $88.00
Average Yearly Wages:   $4,450.00 
Average Cost of a new car:   $2,050.00

Gasoline:   22 cents/gallon
Ground Coffee:  85 cents/pound

Sound good?  As much as we'd like to go back to the 'good ole days'...we can't, God didn't design time to stand still.  Our lives are but a "vapor"...

"Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."

James 4: 14-15

In other words:  time is short, spend it wisely!  We are so thankful to the wisely spent time of Tom's parents.  Teaching the importance of God's Word, the vows we make before Him and the value of people are lessons they have taught and modeled so well.  Thank you Pops and Granny for making your "vapors" rise up as a sweet aroma to the Lord.

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."

Ephesians 5:1-2

Happy Birthday Mom!

Yesterday I spent a good portion of my day composing the perfect tribute to honor my mom on her special day.  Today I logged onto my computer to post the special tribute only to find that it was gone!  I'm sure it is floating around in cyberspace somewhere and now I am writing from recall and I pray my recall will capture the heart I put into it yesterday.  Maybe this process of what we are going through is teaching me something...I don't get "worked up" like I used to over the small stuff.
Anyway...Happy Birthday to my amazing mom.  She is my role model and the reason why I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom.  When I reached the final year of high school people would ask me what I wanted to do, I would reply "be a wife and mother".  When I decided on Bryan College and declared "business" as my major, no one knew I meant "wife and mom business"!!  God did know and provided me with an incredible husband, and no degree, so I could start my real degree of being who God created me to be!  My mom modeled what I wanted.  I remember mom reading me Bible stories and making church a priority, which set my feet on a foundation that wouldn't mean much until I turned my heart and life over to Jesus when I was eighteen.  Thank you mom for leading and guiding me in the "way I should go" and always keeping what's important first.  Her servants heart is so big.  She is always helping and serving others.  If you have the pleasure of knowing my mom, you know what I mean.

Facts about my mom:

she is the second of four children

(I love hearing her childhood stories, especially of her big brother, Bob!)

she twirled a baton

she played the trumpet

she married at nineteen

(not because she had to, but because that's what you did back then!)

she had three children by the age 24

(with only two maternity outfits!)

she is a beautician

(but never went to beauty school)

she is a decorator

she paints

she wallpapers

she stencils

(but doesn't have a degree in interior design)

she is an artist

(but never went to art school)

she is a seamstress

she is a quilter

she is an upholsterer

(she learns by doing)

she can crochet

she can knit

she is a gardener

(she learns in her garden and listens to God)

she always told me..."there is no place closer to God than in a garden"...

(I guess I didn't want to be close to God when I was a child and had to weed!)

my mom taught me what a joy it is working in the dirt and hearing God

she taught me to swim

she taught me the importance of neatness

she taught me cleanliness

(if your house is "picked up" it will look clean to others!)

she taught me how to be thrifty

she taught me the importance of heirlooms

(things are special because of who they belonged to)

she taught me how to find sharks teeth

she taught me the fine art of searching...for something special

I found Tom

(or he found me!)

I found Jesus

(He really found me!)

Thank you mom for teaching me what's important

I love you!

"Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you."

Proverbs 23:25