January Happenings

January is such a special month with new beginnings for the year, a new calendar with pictures of the family from last year, special dates to remember, and the promise of the presence of the Lord for each new day we face. We have new days to live and new memories to make and we know that He is here and "He is near to all who call on Him in truth" (Lonnie's favorite verse--Psalm 145:18).

January started out with the release of Serenade and Strum. The music and songs Jennifer and Benji wrote and produced are really touching hearts and blessing so many! Thank you for your labor of love and for your precious songs, especially the tribute to "Dear Daddy."

Happy Birthday to Sunnie! You are a treasure! We love you so much and thank the Lord for you! You are so precious to me and to our family and especially to your husband and children. Thank you for your love and kind and gracious ways!

Happy Anniversary, Jeremy and Crystal! I think Cadel enjoyed your anniversary date very much! You are amazing and I thank you for your love and hospitality and making me feel so at home with you. Home sweet home!

Our children are so supportive and good to me and I am thankful for the love and welcome I have received in each of their homes. I am a blessed woman! Thank you!

As a sweet friend once said, right now I have "Home sweet homes!" It will probably remain that way for awhile as we welcome the birth of new babies this year and a possible adoption. I know the Lord will lead me and direct my steps as He has promised and it is my desire to learn and follow His ways...

Logan and Elijah's Little Brother

Jeremy and Crystal rejoice in the birth of their little boy at the end of 2010 and what an awesome boy he is! His big brothers love him so much. His name is Cadel (pronounced Kuh-dell) which means "Spirit of the Battle." He is a strong big boy and has brought so much joy to his family. His amazing mommy and daddy are thrilled with his arrival! His granmommy is too!

"Our Father in heaven, please bless little Cadel and his brothers and his mommy and daddy! Thank you that his parents love and desire to serve You with all of their hearts. Thank you that they seek Your guidance in raising their precious children. Please keep Your hand of safety and protection over Cadel and bless him as he grows to learn of Your ways and to walk in Your paths. Please keep watch over him and his precious family. We rejoice in this new life and know he is a gift from You. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Thanking God for this new precious life!

E-mails from God

I know that is a funny title but this past year I have been reading through the Bible with my I-phone (thank you, Jeremy, for my I-phone and for teaching me how to use it). As I have read through the Bible I would send verses to my e-mail address when I felt I needed to dwell on a particular idea or promise or it was just what I needed to hear at that moment.

This morning I went to my e-mails and found an encouraging and helpful message from a friend. I am so thankful for the many kind and loving messages throughout this past year. They helped me on my journey and I want to remember to be an encourager to others as well. Thank you.

Then I went to read my Bible on my I-phone and read the following verses in 2 Peter 1:3-9:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises...make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Seemed like a good new year's resolution to me so I sent it off to my e-mail account and said to myself, "I just received an e-mail from God." You know, it's true. We have letters from God that we can read every day. He loves us and sends us words of encouragement and instruction.

We are not alone. He is with us. Emmanuel! I hope you read an "e-mail from God" today.

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!