Christmas Season!

Thank you, God, for loving us so much that You would give your One and Only Son for us. The love of the Lord is overwhelming! Thank you for making a way for us when we were lost and in darkness. You sent your Son, the Light of the world, to walk among us and to make a way out of the darkness. Your Gift of love is our only salvation and You are the Way, the Truth and the Life.

This Christmas, I am blessed to be with Jeremy and Crystal and their children. Our children have called or Skyped and I am thankful for family and friends from all over who have contacted me with loving and kind thoughts. We await the birth of a precious little boy any day now.

Christmas will never be the same because my Lonnie is not here with us. I know I will always miss his fun and witty ways, his kindness and his love, but Christmas will still be sweet and there will be people and things to be thankful for in this life. And if there were nothing else, we have a God whose love is unfathomable!

Jeremy recites the following verse to their boys nearly every night when they go to bed, "The joy of the Lord is our strength!" This is a verse I have sung or said since I was teenager. I am learning in new ways that it is true and it has been put to the test this past year.

Joy to the world, the Lord has come! The joy of the Lord is my strength!

Thank you that you gave us such precious children and grandchildren and more on the way. Such love and joy!

Insight from Oswald Chambers

Jeremy set up my computer so I can read from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. A portion of the reading today said the following: "There will come a time when God will make you impatient with your own experience, and you can truthfully say, “I do not care what I experience— I am sure of Him!”

And He knows! He said not to lean on our understanding but to trust in Him. He knows!

Love in the Christmas Season

Happy Anniversary, Zach and Tiffany! This picture of you and your Isaiah is so precious! Seems like just yesterday you were getting married and now it's been how many years? Your life of love and commitment to each other and to the Lord is a blessing to us all!

ZayZay, such a precious little expression on that face. Gotta love it!

November Birthdays

As we approach the celebration of the most important birthday of all, that of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ, I want to remember some very special precious people born last month. Oh, and we are very excitedly awaiting the birth of our new little grandson any time this month. Thank you Lord for new life!

32 years ago, Lonnie and I welcomed the sweetest little boy to be born up to that time (excluding baby boy Jesus, of course). Well, that's what we felt and thought! We were so grateful to the Lord for this little boy who was born so near Thanksgiving Day. How appropriate! Jeremy Brandon arrived on the scene weighing 8 lb 3 oz and was 21 inches long. He did not cry when he was born and Lonnie always talked about how he had his eyes wide open, just looking around. I believe he is around four days old in this picture. My Uncle John and Aunt Susann came to visit with their two daughters when Jeremy was born and Uncle John just recently sent these pictures to Jeremy. What a proud daddy and mommy! Jeremy has been such a blessing to us over the years and continues to bring joy, love and comfort to our entire family. I thank God for his loving heart and his passion for life!

Fast forward to 2005 and the birth of Logan Brock in the same month of his proud daddy. What a precious little boy Crystal and Jeremy have! He is learning and growing and is an absolute joy to be around! He loves Jesus and talks about Him as he comes and goes....even in the doctor's office yesterday. He was in conversation with another grandmother who was there with her daughter and baby. He was telling her about Christmas and about baby Jesus being

born in Bethlehem. The woman, just out of the blue, said, "Some people say Jesus was a woman." I was taken aback and Crystal said I lightly gasped when she said this to Logan. But Logan immediately responded, "No, Mary was going to have a son because God told the angel Gabriel to tell her that." He spoke the truth so clearly and with such authority and boldness! He is learning about our Savior and is able to witness of it even at his young age. I am amazed by the words that come from his mouth....nuggets of truth. He also has wonderful imagination and creativity! What a Thanksgiving gift from our Lord to his mommy and daddy, and his granmommy and grandaddy as well as the rest of the family!

And now I must mention one more very special November birthday! Terri Rippy....words cannot do justice to what she means to me. She and Mike have been the best of friends to me and also to Lonnie. Terri, who does this....makes amazing cakes (I mean wedding cakes, birthday cakes that are not the kind I make with M&Ms, sprinkles and candles but unbelievable masterpieces), knits stockings, makes quilts, takes beautiful pictures, and is a beautiful singer too? But what is most important is that she is the best grandmom, mother and wife that a family could imagine (I have that on good authority). Then she becomes Auntie Terri to our family along with Uncle Mike! Well, there are just not hours in the day and somehow she does it! And I am just scratching the surface. She is a source of wisdom, kindness, comfort and love to me and to our children. So, as I said, words cannot express!

I celebrate these November birthdays of our firstborn amazing son, firstborn amazing grandson and my (you guessed it) amazing friend! Truly amazing! I am thankful!