Under His Wings

I love to sit by water. There is nothing more relaxing to me than to sit by the water and think. Even during a bit of rain like in this picture. The pitter patter of raindrops... ahh I could have spent hours sitting by the lake, but with 3 active kids, that wasn't possible. I came away from our recent nature vacation with a new appreciation for God's creation and also an appreciation for what wonderful blessings God has given to me. I wish Green Lakes State Park wasn't 2 hours away. Guess where I'd be if I lived closer. I loved the chirping of the birds, the pounding of the woodpeckers, and the sunshine hitting the lake first thing in the morning.  The peaceful moments sitting by the lake added to the wonderful experience. I'd love to be there in the fall when all the leaves are changed. That would be a breathtaking view!

It has been a while since I have blogged, but now that I have some quiet time to think, I will start writing again. Yes, quiet time! It is hitting me pretty hard today that I am the mom of a KINDERGARTENER, 1st grader and 6th grader. Yes, my oldest child is in Middle School! I know I shouldn't be, but I'm really emotional today. I guess it's just the fact that my last child is in school. I guess from the birth of my daughter nearly 5 years ago until now the reality of no more children really hit me this morning for the first time. No more buddies to keep me company during the day. Sigh! To be honest here, I've been struggling with some very strong emotional stuff the past few weeks and I've been at my wits end literally. I lost perspective on my blessings. See my beautiful family below? They are truly gifts from God (as our middle son Nate's name means) I was fed up with the kids fighting, my house always being a mess and many other things. I was to...

I shared these thoughts with my MOPS friends in the newsletter"The Announcer". It sums up my feelings of the tragic shooting in Binghamton NY, near my hometown and all the other violence and unrest in the world today. The shooting really shook me up. My mom drove past the Civic Center less than 24 hours before the shooting. I walked around the area countless times throughout my life. The teacher killed was the wife of one of my former doctors (a ear/nose throat specialist). My thoughts and prayers are with the victims families, the surviors, the emergency personnel who responded and the whole community. What a shock! Adventures in Mothering Because He Lives "How sweet to hold a newborn baby and feel the pride and joy he gives, but greater still this calm assurance this child can face uncertain days….Because He Lives" Bill and Gloria Gaither Copyright 1971. As I sang that song on Sunday in church, those words brought tears to my eyes. I chose the song in ...

I've made the habit of praying with my little ones before they go to bed. It's been a big lesson for me listening to my 6 year old son Nate pray. First he prays he doesn't have any bad dreams. Then he proceeds to tell God what is on his mind. Tonight he told God he couldn't wait to taste the cake I made today. He doesn't usually eat chocolate stuff, so it will be interesting to see the answer to that prayer. One Saturday night recently he was telling God he was looking forward to going to God's House the next day because it was a good thing to do. My prayer is that his tender heart for God will grow and stay with him all of his life. That's a prayer for all 3 of my kids.

I had a wonderful day celebrating my husband's birthday today. Tim and I went to our boys' "Special Person Day" at school. Then we met Tim at work at 2:45 and went to a playground with the kids. We took a nice walk, ate beef stew and watched a video for a while. Yesterday was the 12th anniversary of our first date. Tim walked up to me after the morning service and told me he wanted to get to know me better. Hmmm! Sometimes I wonder if regretted that statement LOL! I read the journal of our first month together. It is still amazing to me how long I waited for Tim (I was 27 when we met) and then how quickly things happened after we started dating. It only took about 2 1/2 weeks to know we wanted to get married. We were married about 5 months later. Tim was the man I had been looking for. I'm more convinced of that now more than ever. He's a loving, caring, patient husband. He's a wonderful daddy too! I'm so thankful God sent him to me.

I came across one of my friend's blogs today. I totally forgot I had one. I haven't posted since September. I have some updates since then. My mom just went to her endocrinologist and thryoid surgeon this past week. She is still cancer free. She's even on lower doses of thyroid hormones. However, she was just diagnosed with a sinus condition. Part of it is a deviated septum plus she has a blockage in the front top part of her sinuses that will require surgery next month. Again, it was found in a test not specifically for her problem (swollen lymph nodes), but it showed up. Another happier update, I now have over 350 on Facebook. I have found some more relatives, some college friends, some former neighbors and my mom even joined! It's been so neat catching up with people I haven't seen in years. Some of them are shocked I even remember them. I'll be more faithful in updating this blog