Another Thanksgiving holiday has come....and gone. But, as for me, I am always thankful. I thank God daily for His blessings and His grace and His love and His guidance and His forgiveness and His patience and His understanding and His presence.
God has truly been with me and my family through so many trials and issues over the past years. I can not begin to thank Him enough for everything He has seen us through and continues to get us through.
My life is by no means perfect and care free but it is a life full of love and blessings. And I am so thankful that I see this and realize this on a daily basis. We all make mistakes and we all fall short of God's expectations and the expectations of those around us. We are merely human and mistakes and sins are in our nature. I believe it is how we deal with our human nature that sets us Christians apart. We acknowledge our mistakes and strive to make them right. We learn from them. We ask for forgiveness and we try to seek God's way for our life.
However, I do believe that God expects us to take responsibility for our actions. Even though we make mistakes and realize that mistake and ask for forgiveness and ARE forgiven, there are still, sometimes, consequences for those actions. So, deal with it.......
Back to Thanksgiving. My guest list was a very random list. Liz and family are in Florida so we had our big family gathering a couple week-ends ago at mom and dad's. So I had "the feast" at my house. I had family, neighbors who have absolutely no family anywhere, a cousin and her hubby whose mom and dad are in a nursing home and a teenage boy whose family is having major problems, my sister and her boys with their dad in Afghanistan, my mom and dad and a couple other "random" kids. I loved it. Catherine was here early to help, thank goodness. My home was so full of love and laughter. It was so wonderful to look around and be so happy and feel so blessed. And the food wasn't half bad....
Thank you God for your presence in my life.....Where would I be without you?
Friday, November 26, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
The Mysteries of Life
Twenty-three years ago today, my precious little boy was taken from my arms. Do we ever get over these things? Do we ever understand these things? Do we ever accept these things? I don't know. Maybe we just go on about life with these things left to haunt us.
I don't know if "haunt" is the right thing to say. Maybe just remember is the right thing to say. But if you have ever lost a child, you know exactly what I mean. With the recent celebration of Veteran's Day, I was reminded and shared with my students, the night we were awakened to be told my cousin had been killed in Vietnam. I also remember when another cousin was mysteriously killed while hanging out with friends one afternoon at some quarry. I also remember when friends from church lost their son to a cruel disease and then I remember the day our pastor and his wife lost their precious son to complications from DMD. Have any of these people accepted this?
At the beginning of school while trying to get to know my kids, I was standing at my door as the students entered and a boy walked up to me and I noticed a scar on his chest. I asked him about it and he said that he had had three surgeries on his heart and would undergo another one in a couple years. I asked him what was wrong with his heart and he said that when he was born the left ventricle of his heart was not developed. Hyproplastic Left Heart Syndrome. I was stunned. This is the exact defect my precious son had. Isn't it amazing that some 14 years can change things. This child in my class is being cared for and will live an almost normal life. He can't play contact sports but we did manage to get him the position of manager for the wrestling team. He lives with his grandmother and she and I have spoken on several occasions. My friend at school knows this family and told her about my son having the same defect. So this child and I have a special bond. I think God put him with me for a reason.
My hubby's oldest sister lives in Columbia and is not doing well these days. She has various ailments and issues. We decided on Wednesday to go down for the day and visit. She called on Thursday and said she just did not feel well enough for our visit. I called back on Friday and she felt some better and I convinced her to let us come on. This morning I got up with a fever of 100.4 and, well, other issues. So hubby called her and told her we would have to postpone our visit. If I had a bug, she didn't need to get it. I have stayed on the sofa all day but feel fine right now. Since things had been so up in the air bout our trip to Columbia, I can't help but think that this was God's way of keeping us from traveling today. Thank you God for making me listen.
I think this is just another example of God guiding our lives. We just need to listen and pay attention to what goes on around us. Be it a child placed in our care at school, or a reason to stay put. God is in control so let him guide.
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8
If you have kids, go hug them.....
William Alan Logan 10-12-87 to 11-20-87
I don't know if "haunt" is the right thing to say. Maybe just remember is the right thing to say. But if you have ever lost a child, you know exactly what I mean. With the recent celebration of Veteran's Day, I was reminded and shared with my students, the night we were awakened to be told my cousin had been killed in Vietnam. I also remember when another cousin was mysteriously killed while hanging out with friends one afternoon at some quarry. I also remember when friends from church lost their son to a cruel disease and then I remember the day our pastor and his wife lost their precious son to complications from DMD. Have any of these people accepted this?
At the beginning of school while trying to get to know my kids, I was standing at my door as the students entered and a boy walked up to me and I noticed a scar on his chest. I asked him about it and he said that he had had three surgeries on his heart and would undergo another one in a couple years. I asked him what was wrong with his heart and he said that when he was born the left ventricle of his heart was not developed. Hyproplastic Left Heart Syndrome. I was stunned. This is the exact defect my precious son had. Isn't it amazing that some 14 years can change things. This child in my class is being cared for and will live an almost normal life. He can't play contact sports but we did manage to get him the position of manager for the wrestling team. He lives with his grandmother and she and I have spoken on several occasions. My friend at school knows this family and told her about my son having the same defect. So this child and I have a special bond. I think God put him with me for a reason.
My hubby's oldest sister lives in Columbia and is not doing well these days. She has various ailments and issues. We decided on Wednesday to go down for the day and visit. She called on Thursday and said she just did not feel well enough for our visit. I called back on Friday and she felt some better and I convinced her to let us come on. This morning I got up with a fever of 100.4 and, well, other issues. So hubby called her and told her we would have to postpone our visit. If I had a bug, she didn't need to get it. I have stayed on the sofa all day but feel fine right now. Since things had been so up in the air bout our trip to Columbia, I can't help but think that this was God's way of keeping us from traveling today. Thank you God for making me listen.
I think this is just another example of God guiding our lives. We just need to listen and pay attention to what goes on around us. Be it a child placed in our care at school, or a reason to stay put. God is in control so let him guide.
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8
If you have kids, go hug them.....
William Alan Logan 10-12-87 to 11-20-87
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Peace and tranquility..not
The past two days of my life have been, well, challenging. I am desperately trying to change my attitude in hopes of a better day tomorrow. My fellow teaching friends will totally understand. I have just wanted to get these two days over with and I really hate feeling that way. It makes it so hard to teach with the passion I have for the job. I have to constantly remind myself on days like this that somebody loves the kid that is giving me a fit. OK...I'm over it...Let's move on tomorrow to a great day....
Liz and the babies are leaving for Florida tomorrow. Liz'smother-in-law is coming to get them and Ryan is joining them next week. They will be home the Monday after Thanksgiving. I am so worried about what I will find to do withmy hands.....I will miss them terribly so I have devised a list of things to do:
1. Shop
2. Cook Thanksgiving dinner for 18
3. Go to Colunbia and visit in-laws
4. Organize my sewing studio
5. Clean and organize Addie's play room
6. Visit my aunt and uncle in the nursing home
7. Decorate for Christmas
8. Paint my guest bathroom
Since the kids are leaving, Lane and I decided to meet them for dinner in Charlotte this evening. So, we decided to meet at The Open Kitchen. This will be my last visit there. We like to go the on occassion for a calm and relaxing place to take the babies. Catherine joined us. Addie, who inevitably has to go to the bathroom during each and every meal, insisted that I accompany her. And I did. Now, I don't normally like to discuss these things, but this is a very interesting story that must be told. I, too, decided to potty and just as I was "finishing up" some crazy drunk man opens the LOCKED door and walks into the tiny bathroom that plainly says "Women" on the door and slowly backs out apologizing the whole time. Addie and I just die laughing and return to our table. In a few minutes crazy drunk man returns to his table which is directly beside us. Addie looks up and at the top of her lungs says, "Look, that's the crazy man who cam in the bathroom with me and Gamma." Needless to say, I wanted to crawl under the table. Finally, the meal complete, we stood to leave and when I picked up my purse beside me, a big brown bug crawls across the seat. Catherine and I scream so loud, everybody looks at us.....again. I couldn't get out of that place fast enough. Never going back.....
Next adventure...Lane and I, rather Lane, decided to have Liz's 2001 Escape tuned up and some things repaired for her for Christmas. LANE also decided that tonight would be a good time to bring it to KM since they would be gone tomorrow. I was the fortunate one to be able to drive said vehicle home. Did I mention said vehicle is about to fall apart and that it was a bit smelly and that there was a tornado and that every truck in 5 states was on 85 in Charlotte and that Catherine rode with me and thinks everybody should drive 80 miles per hour on the interstate and that the gas light was flashing at me and that I couldn't get the wipers to work and I couldn't get the rear wiper turned off and that everytime I tried to find the wipers the squirter squirted water INSIDE the window and that Catherine had the heat on and it was about 150 degrees in there and I couldn't figure out how to get the window down??????
I love my new car.......
Liz and the babies are leaving for Florida tomorrow. Liz'smother-in-law is coming to get them and Ryan is joining them next week. They will be home the Monday after Thanksgiving. I am so worried about what I will find to do withmy hands.....I will miss them terribly so I have devised a list of things to do:
1. Shop
2. Cook Thanksgiving dinner for 18
3. Go to Colunbia and visit in-laws
4. Organize my sewing studio
5. Clean and organize Addie's play room
6. Visit my aunt and uncle in the nursing home
7. Decorate for Christmas
8. Paint my guest bathroom
Since the kids are leaving, Lane and I decided to meet them for dinner in Charlotte this evening. So, we decided to meet at The Open Kitchen. This will be my last visit there. We like to go the on occassion for a calm and relaxing place to take the babies. Catherine joined us. Addie, who inevitably has to go to the bathroom during each and every meal, insisted that I accompany her. And I did. Now, I don't normally like to discuss these things, but this is a very interesting story that must be told. I, too, decided to potty and just as I was "finishing up" some crazy drunk man opens the LOCKED door and walks into the tiny bathroom that plainly says "Women" on the door and slowly backs out apologizing the whole time. Addie and I just die laughing and return to our table. In a few minutes crazy drunk man returns to his table which is directly beside us. Addie looks up and at the top of her lungs says, "Look, that's the crazy man who cam in the bathroom with me and Gamma." Needless to say, I wanted to crawl under the table. Finally, the meal complete, we stood to leave and when I picked up my purse beside me, a big brown bug crawls across the seat. Catherine and I scream so loud, everybody looks at us.....again. I couldn't get out of that place fast enough. Never going back.....
Next adventure...Lane and I, rather Lane, decided to have Liz's 2001 Escape tuned up and some things repaired for her for Christmas. LANE also decided that tonight would be a good time to bring it to KM since they would be gone tomorrow. I was the fortunate one to be able to drive said vehicle home. Did I mention said vehicle is about to fall apart and that it was a bit smelly and that there was a tornado and that every truck in 5 states was on 85 in Charlotte and that Catherine rode with me and thinks everybody should drive 80 miles per hour on the interstate and that the gas light was flashing at me and that I couldn't get the wipers to work and I couldn't get the rear wiper turned off and that everytime I tried to find the wipers the squirter squirted water INSIDE the window and that Catherine had the heat on and it was about 150 degrees in there and I couldn't figure out how to get the window down??????
I love my new car.......
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