Hostas part 2

Back to the lessons I was learning this weekend from my hostas...

If you look close, you can see the beautiful new hosta pushing its way through all of the dirt, leaves, and weeds becoming a new hosta again this year.

Remember the promise, He willl make all things new.....

As I look back at my life, it is so freeing to know that even though I make mistakes, wrong decisions, wrong words, wrong turns in my daily walk, I still belong to Him.  I am a child of God and there is no denying that fact! 

As I look at my adult children trying to make their way in the world today, I can rest assured that they too belong to Him and just like the new hostas, they may be surrounded by people who can try to choke the life out of them, they may be knee deep in dirt, and they may also have some leaves around to protect them. 

No matter what...I and my children will be okay.  Just like my hostas...
We will all be beautiful in His time.

Thank God for hostas and all of the other things being made new again as spring is here.
Don't forget to look for those miracles of His love everyday!

I got tagged...

My dear friend, Love Being a Nonny, knows all about this blogging stuff, and I think knows half of the blogging world.  I am just learning....so I got tagged to answer some questions and I am supposed to tag 11 people with some questions too. The only problem I have is that I don't know 11 bloggers??? But here goes.

Tag, You're It

Here are the rules:
•You must post the rules.
•Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you; then create 11 questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
•Tag 11 people and link them in your post.
•Let them know you have tagged them

My questions from Nonny:

1. If you could live anywhere in the world for one year, with all of your expenses paid, where would you live?   On a beach....no particular one--I like most of them. But probably, one of the more secluded east coast ones....

2. What is your favorite musical? Or do you not like musicals?

Sound of Music---I could watch it a million times and never get tired of it!

3. Are you better at singing or dancing?

I like to do both, but I guess I would have to say dancing...mom didn't pay for 10 years of dancing lessons for nothing.

4. If you had the choice of getting dressed up and going out on the town or staying home in your PJ's on the couch, which would you choose?

Well, since I rarely get dressed up, it looks like I frequently choose staying home in my PJ's but if an opportunity presented itself, I am not at all opposed to getting dressed up and going out!

5. If you could win an Olympic gold medal in any sport, what would it be?

Swimming

6. What is your weirdest or most annoying habit?

Probably, and I really hate to say this...but it is being very critical of others...and I also bite my nails.

7. Tell us about your first best friend.
My first best friend was probably a girl named Diane, that I met in the 4th grade.  We were good friends through high school, and we always laughed about how we met.  I walked up to her and said, "I don't believe I caught your name"....what a thing for a 4th grader to say...lol!

8. What is your favorite show on TV right now?
The Voice
9. What is your favorite show from the "old school" TGIF or Nick at Nite days?
The Partridge Family
10. What is your favorite season of the year, and why?
Summer...the beach...a suntan...a good book...a chair in the ocean.
11. Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names and what kind of animal(s) are they?
Once again, I am not sure why Nonny and I are such good friends...I LOVE ANIMALS!  and have had a variety of them in my lifetime. From the normal kittens and puppies, to chickens, rabbits, a rooster, goats, a weasel, birds, frogs, turtles, fish, to the present....a bengal kitten named Cagney and an English Mastiff named Gracie. Some of the outstanding names thru the years....

Jim Jam--a Siamese cat

Morpheus--the stud goat

Clover--another Siamese cat

Pujo--the first dog we got after we got married...a cocker spaniel named after a urologist I worked with...but unfortunately, he bit Zac when Zac tried to join him for a snack at his bowl and ended up with 13 stitches in his face.  Pujo had to go to doggie heaven...or hell that day.

Fur Piece...we thought a baby girl kitten and named after the country saying, "don't you live a fur piece down the road?"  but ended up fur piece was a boy so his name got changed to furr balls....lol

Roosie the rooster who befriended our Weimarainers  and ate out of the same bowl as Cooper and Cota. 

and the list and memories could go on forever....

Now for my 11 questions for whoever i tag...and my answers...

1. Where were you born. Town, state, hospital....?

Cedar Bluff VA at the Clinch Valley clinic in a blizzard on Feb 15, 1960.

2. Were you breastfed and for how long.

Unfortunately for me, i was bottlefed. I still can't believe my mother would have done something like that to me.

3. What did you really want to be when you grew up?

I really wanted to be a missionary to Africa and actually would still like to do that.

4.  Who is or was the most influential person in your life?

That is a hard one for me...i guess it would be my grandma...because i always wanted to please her and never disappoint her. What she thought meant everything to me.

5.  What is different about your life now as an adult that you didn't expect to happen?

I knew when I went to college to be a nurse, that I would have a job and work some, but I never thought I would work after I had kids...I thought women were supposed to stay home and raise children.....well crap...there went that dream...I am still working....

6.  What is you absolutely most fun thing to do?

I love to sit on the beach and read a book.

7.  Can you still write in cursive and read cursive?

Yes and I think we should all start doing it more since they are no longer teaching it in school.

8.  What are the three things you really don't ever want to do without? (don't include food!)

Mascara, toothpaste, Bible

9.  What is your favorite old time hymn?

Trust and Obey....for there's no other way

to be happy in Jesus,

but to Trust and Obey.

10.  What is the best thing about you?

I hope the people who know me would say I am loyal and always willing to help. 

11. Did you have a wedding?  big, little, elope, courthouse, beach??? long dress, short dress, veil, train, honeymoon???

I got married on Dec. 11, 1982 at Va Ave Methodist Church in Bluefield, Va.  About 175 people were there, and I wore a beautiful long white gown, with a floor length veil, and had 6 bridesmaids and 4 honoary bridesmaids, and 2 junior bridesmaids a flower girl and ring bearer. The bridesmaid dresses were the ugliest things I have ever seen and looking back, i am not sure what I was thinking. Otherwise, my wedding was gorgeous.  We were supposed to leave the church in a horse and carriage but it snowed so much from the time we entered the church, that even the horse and sled couldn't get there. The caterer and most of the out of town guests had to stay with our friends and families because it snowed 12 inches in about 4 hours that night. WOW

And now I tag....

dana @ somewhereovertherainbow

 jess@jesschambers

and i don't know anymore right now....but i will work on it...

hostas part 1

This past weekend was beautiful and a perfect time to get outside and start pulling weeds.  A job  I am really not very fond of but always enjoy the results...
Here at the cabin, I have lots of flower beds and of course, this time of year...lots of weeds.
So, as I walked over to the side yard and looked at my hosta area I was quite overwhelmed with all of the weeds and leaves that had pretty much taken over.

Right at the beginning of the row, there were 2 or 3 that were up and coming, way further along than any of the others......
so I began to pick and pull and weed and during this quiet time...God started showing me some things....

Remember the verse in Revelations 21 that promises He will make all things new...?

Well, that verse kept resounding in my head.

And so, as I looked at the the stuff around my hostas, 

I just kept thinking....

He makes all things new.

As I started thinking about all the things around my hostas, I saw weeds that might choke the hostas out.

I saw leaves that covered them for protection.

I saw worms that helped to provide air, water and nutrients.

and in the midst of all of this, 

I saw 

new growth!

What was the message here....?

Next time...Hostas part 2

"the message"

Still FAT

Okay, I have to come clean.....

I have not been TRYING as hard to lose weight as I should.

I have lost about 4lbs.

I haven't been exercising.

I haven't been looking in the mirror saying FAT, FAT, FAT.

I have been dreaming about being skinny again.

I look at dresses that I would have looked good in around 1995.

The good news...

Tennis season starts Monday night....

That answers the exercise component.

Now I just have to limit the food component and pray.

and one last thing...

I have even been looking through the 

plus size pics of summer dresses.

Those plus size women look so much better than I do in plus size clothes.

Therefore that confirms it...

I really am a skinny girl surrounded by extra fat tissue.

 This is the skinny girl.

This is the skinny girl surrounded by extra fat tissue.

I really need to lose weight!

 

My Weekend

Old friends, new friends and country music and Pearls!

Mike and Angela came to visit.

Food, Friends, Golf, Country Music and Jesus.

What an abundant weekend. 

The Pearl Event was actually the reason for the weekend.

and you may ask....

What was the Pearl Event?

Well, I initially thought when I signed up for this event it was going to help me learn to be as good a blogger as my freind, Ang...aka Love Being A Nonny.

I never knew how much more it was going to be...

What a blessing.

I got to spend the day listening to some amazing women,

talk about how Jesus is teaching them, 

using them,

and molding their lives

all in His time 

and 

all to expand His kingdom.

Sometimes we get caught up in looking at others lives

and measuring ourselves by what others have and do.

But like we saw this weekend,

what we look like on the outside 

is absolutely NO indication of what is going on inside. 

We never know what each day will hold. 

We only have one promise.

Jesus is our savior. 

We have to believe in Him. 

We have to trust and live for Him.

 Believing His way is Perfect.

Each of the women who spoke this weekend, 

told their stories.

Their daily walks....

Each building their testimony.

Thank you Jesus for working in each of their lives.

And for giving each of them the desire and courage to
STEP OUT 

for YOU.

Check out their stories on each of their blogs....

Pearlsandgreace.blogspot.com

Lifeingraceblog.com

paigeknudsen.blogspot.com

Be Blessed!

Being a parent...

Most of you know I have two sons....they are 24 and 26 years old.

November 7, 1985

September 26, 1987

spring 1988

I am now speaking to you from my heart.

My boys have been the sources of unbelievable joy--

Never  in my wildest dreams

did I ever think

I could have so much love for another person.

Just as Our Heavenly Father loves us.

Enough to give his son 

to die

on a cross 

for me

and 

for you...

Unbelievable love.

Unending compassion.

Grace everlasting.

If he loves me that much, I have no doubt how much he loves my boys.

My boys are men now.

I have done my part.

My Father entrusted me to 

love

teach

play

enjoy

and bring them up in the way  they should go.

I did the very best I knew how.

As I look at them today,

I know they are 

"unfinsihed" 

people. 

(in the words of Sean Brown)...

I know they are saved.

I know they are nice people.

I know they are not walking with Jesus right now.

 

 I never expected them to make some of the choices they make.

I am not happy about them.

I am sad.

Unmet expectations.

 When I look back at their pictures as babies, we had so many hopes dreams, plans, expectations for them to have the best of everything.  We wanted to make sure they had it better than we did growing up.

And they did.  They had two parents who loved them and only ever wanted the very best for them.

What happened?

I can no longer "parent" them.

All I can do is

 pray without ceasing.

and love them...

Honestly,

some days that is hard.

so will you pray with me?

for them?

 

 

 

Who do you take with you?

I go to one of those churches that doesn't have traditional Sunday School classes anymore...

We have Life Groups.

In many ways, I miss Sunday School.

We have been going to the same church for about 5 years 

and for the first time in our married life, 

we  really haven't been involved.

So after visiting some other churches, and trying to listen to what God's will is for us,

we went back to where we have been going but with the resolve

to get involved!

So we joined a Life group.

we went the first week together and I went this week by myself.

(Blue eyes was working late.)

The verdict is still out on what we think about Life group vs SS.

But this week, one of the Life group leaders

 started talking about some things she had been reading about 

Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit..left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wild.  Luke 4:1

...Jesus rejoiced, exuberant in the Holy Spirit. Luke 10: 21

Jesus told them, "You don't get to know the time....What you'll get is the Holy Spirit," Acts 1: 7&8.

All of these verses talk about Jesus as a man walking with the Holy Spirit.

Just like the old American Express commercial which said,

"Don't leave home without it..."

Jesus gave us examples to follow. 

As I embark on each day,

 I am trying to consciously remember

 to make sure I am taking the Holy Spirit with me.

Who are you taking with you?