Christmas has arrived!!!

It was hanging of the greens at church on Nov. 29th. An annual tradition to kick off this wonderful season. Our children's choir and Senior Adult choir sang. It was so cute!

Here is Meredith with her bestest bud, Virginia. They love each other and are always together. Here they are watching the choir practice before church.Here is my cutie! He LOVES choir and we love watching him! Here he is with one of his favorite friends, Bailey (Virginia's older sister).

The ENTIRE group!

3 years, REALLY??!!

This post is a little early, but since we will be in NC on the 27th I decided to go ahead and post.

It will be 3 years since my sweet, dear Grandmama died. In some ways I think, "3 yrs really?". Then some ways I think, "It has been a long 3 years". Grant you she was 92 with dementia when she died. And by no means do I want her back. She is where she wanted to be in heaven with her Lord and Savior. But she is missed so bad. I think of her daily; often times wanting to tell her something. She adored me and I have no doubt about that. Mer is named after her and she has some of the same facial expressions as Grandmama. Oh, how my Grandmama would have laughed at this child! Christopher was the apple of her eye. She never forgot him, even in the end. But reality is she is gone. I am very thankful ALL the years I had with her. One thing I've learned is you never really stop missing the ones that are gone. The pain is still there in the depths of your heart. I chose to speak at her funeral because I felt no one knew her like I did. In my line of work I had been to 100s of funerals and hated when someone spoke who didn't know the person laying in the casket. Here is a part...

Grandmama left this world very peacefully and quietly at Wilder Healthcare a little after noon on Monday. I had the great honor of witnessing her raise up from her bed, eyes clear and wide open, and a giant heavenly smile come over face about 10 minutes before she passed. At that moment, I knew that she had seen beyond this world and she was ready to go. I was not with her the moment her soul took flight, but as always she told care of me even at that moment. I had left the room to call Kyle at work and just as he got to the phone the hospice nurse entered to tell me she was gone. Grandmama knew I needed him with me when I was told even if only be phone.
In 2 Corinthians 5 it says “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” and today Grandmama is indeed with the Lord. I have had the great Blessing of knowing some wonderfully, inspiring people in my life. Many of them now have finished their work on earth, and the Lord has already called them home. I have such comfort in knowing that our life long friends and dear family members have greeted their newest angel into heaven. I can only imagine the homecoming celebration that has taken place reuniting a child with his mother, a husband with his wife, a family and old friends catching up. It is with that peaceful feeling and wonderful imagine that I am able to stand before you all today.

....The person I knew was just Grandmama. She was a slender white headed Grandmama who loved to play the piano, sew, cook and play outdoors. She and I have walked miles and miles thru the woods talking, swinging on vines, and getting stuck in the mud. She was my best friend all my life. The joy she has brought me is beyond mere words. Grandmama always knew what to say or do. Once when I was in college distraught (about what.. I can’t remember)but I had spoken to her on the phone. She understood me and always guided me. A few days after we had talked I received a letter in the mail with loving words written, but the most precious gift was folded very carefully inside the letter. It was the hymn “God Will Take Care of You”. She had torn the song out of her song book and sent it to me. What a wonderful thing. It meant and means more to me than anything she has ever bought me.
When I stop and think about how I want to remember her I think of… A hot summer day. All the windows in the house are up. The smell of food cooking, the birds singing. I can hear granddaddy in the distance running the plow in the garden. Grandmama is sitting at her piano with her white apron tied gentle around her wrist playing her favorite hymns.

Happy Fall to All!

Crazy times, but watching God working!!!

It has been a CRAZY, but blessed week! Do you ever not feel God or am I the weird one? I know He is here, all around me, but sometimes I seem to not "feel" Him. This past week Chandra came to town. Oh the fun, oh the love, oh the POWER of GOD! This event was born in April at a church retreat. Jamie and I went to lunch on the way home and ran into Chandra Peele (who had been our speaker) having lunch with Joy. We sat down, began talking, and God put into motion an event that was so beyond us. Totally a God thing! Jamie and I came home with an idea about getting Chandra here to speak to our youth about sexual purity. Unfortunately it is something that even "the good kids" have major trouble with. I'm not old, but this will sound old... Being around teenagers (which is often with Kyle teaching HS) I am SHOCKED at what they are doing sexually and how they do not mind telling. And it breaks my heart. So, we came home told Kyle and Matt and went with it! Jamie and Kyle are over Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). They began contacting schools, businesses, and anyone who would listen. God slung doors open and they were on the fast track. After MONTHS of planning, not knowing really the direction they were going it all fell into place. God brought money, GREAT supports who where more than willing to do whatever was needed. It was amazing to see the body of Christ come together. I wish everyone could have heard her! God spoke through her and the kids felt the Spirit move! She spoke at several schools, at a Purity Tea just for girls, and a Youth Rally. Amazing!!! The kids were visibly moved and made commitments to the Lord to stay sexual pure until marriage. It is a not an easy road for teenagers, but with prayer and a relationship with CHRIST it can be done. I'm asking each of you to please pray that the seeds of truth that Chandra spoke (that God created sex for marriage) will be embedded deep into the kids hearts! Praise God for His word and His truth!

Pumpkin Time

I am behind in everything. This month has been one of some unpleasant days, but that's the 1st trimester, huh?! I am having much better days! I am slowing getting back into cooking and cleaning. The month of October was spent on the couch a lot and napping. I had no desire to clean or cook and felt like throwing up many days. But last week I got the cleaning bug back and even began cooking again. Poor Kyle is has had to rely on his mom's cooking and whatever he could warm up - lots of pizza and mac and cheese!

We were able to see the "little one's" heartbeat on the 19th. It was so exciting! With Christopher and Meredith U/S to find the heartbeat was not an option, but times have changed. Now the doctor does a quick U/S to find the heartbeat since you can't hear it on the doppler until much later. So, that's fun and a great relief to see it!

Here are a few pictures of what's been going on...

Prayer Request

I have been shy about discussing some friends of ours problems. It was for awhile not known and then they tended to be on the private side. BUT I've decided to go ahead and ask for prayer on my blog; a more open place. I will still not mention names.
Some friends of mine that I grew up with delivered their identical twin girls on Sunday at 27 weeks. The pregnancy had problems throughout. One twin has hydrocephalus and there was a problem with the blood flow in the cord. They put mom in the hospital on Friday to monitor her, but on Sunday due to preeclampsia the doctors had to deliver. On girl weighs 2lbs 4oz and the other 1lb 6oz. Both are doing well and even came off the ventilator today. The mom has been on medication to help prevent seizures which cause her to be out of it. I'm not even really sure if she has been able to see the twins. Please bathe them in prayer! It is a LONG road for all of them.

Seasme Street LIVE

We spent last Saturday in B'ham. It was loads of fun. We got to see Daniel and Ellen's new baby boy, William, and we saw Sesame Street live. The kids had a great time. I did okay. I had a "lovely" headache that didn't like all the flashing lights in the show and felt like throwing up often. The joys of pregnancy! But we did get to eat at one of my favorite restaurants. It is really weird to want to throw up and eat at the same time. I must say I do love eating this pregnancy!