BLESSINGS

BLESSINGS

I have two daughters and they are both so very special. When I have the chance to spend time with them I enjoy them all the more. They both have a way of making me feel special and are so great about helping me and taking care of me.

Cathie and her husband, Tim, live here in Memphis and they are always helping me and bringing me things such as groceries or sandwiches – or sometimes just themselves. We often watch movies or sports events together and it is always nice having them here with me. Tim is an expert on the computer and fixing things and I don't know what I would do without either of them.

Barbie and her husband, Steve, live in Southside (outside of Clarksville), TN and it is about a 3-½ hour drive from here. She tries to come about every three weeks or so and she takes me out to eat and to shop at Wal-Mart. Then we often play cards or watch TV together. Steve does not get to come very often because of his job, but I know his love always comes with Barbie and that is special to me.

I have a Bible Study/Share and Care every Wednesday morning and Cathie often comes over and makes sure everything is looking nice. Last Wednesday morning she brought coffee, a chicken biscuit, and cinnamon rolls and we had a time of just sharing and fellowshipping before she did some cleaning Then Barbie drove in from Clarksville on Thursday and we went to eat at Perkins and then shopped at Wal-Mart. That evening Cathie and Tim came over and we all enjoyed bacon and tomato sandwiches – with tomatoes fresh out of Barbie and Steve’s garden. They were WONDERFUL. The difference between home grown and store bought is absolutely amazing. And that is true of the other vegetables as well. Next time she comes she will bring cantaloupes out of their garden. Looking forward to that.

My two girls have been blessings to me all their lives. They were always willing to pitch in when I needed them, even when they were small. I have a picture of them washing dishes for the first time and remember how they thought it was great fun. It did not take them long to get over that, though.

As I look back over the years I have seen them grow up from little girls to young women,to college graduates, and now as mature women who are making a difference in their communities and I am so proud of them. The nice thing is that although they are both my daughters and have a lot of my attributes, they are also both individuals and can enjoy being different from me or from each other. At the same time there is closeness in our family that is truly wonderful and we all know that we can count on the others when we need them. That is truly a blessing from the Lord.

I can truly praise and thank the Lord for giving me not only two such wonderful daughters, but also two fantastic sons-in-law, a loving granddaughter and grandson-in-law, and a super grandson who all love me. What greater gift could I ever have than that?

Of course the very greatest gift of all is knowing Jesus as my personal Saviour – and knowing that He is that to every member of my family, too. No matter what is going on in my life I know that He is always there with me, loving me, guiding me, taking care of me, and blessing me. What a joy and a comfort to know this and realize His closeness every day.

I pray that every single person that reads this blog will come to know this wonderful Saviour and walk daily with Him. You will never regret it.

God bless each and every one of you.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE

Know it has been a while, but there has been nothing to report. But I went to the Doctor and she checked me over. My blood pressure, etc. were all very good, and then she checked my lungs. She was in back of me and I could not see her face, but my daughters were with me and they could. They said her eyes got bigger and she had such a look of surprise on her face and then she said, "Your lungs sound great!" We think she expected some signs of deterioration in my system and that is why she was so surprised. Of course we weren't, because I am doing great (except for my knees and back) and am starting to do more things like I was doing before all this hit me last March. It has been a rough five months, but I know what God told me "that I do not have cancer" and I am standing on His Word. And I am very grateful that you are all standing with me in this.

Even though I do not know how - or when - the proof of this third miracle will come, I know that it will, because of the prayers and love of my family and friends.. You will never know how much that means to me, because even though I am doing pretty well physically, the real battle is in the mind and knowing that you are all there for me makes so much difference.

Because the Doctor wrote "dong very well" on her report, I do not have to go back again for six weeks.

Other reasons I have not written sooner are:

1. Celebrated my 75th birthday (imagine being ¾ of a century old) and it was a wonderful time because ALL my family were able to be here. My daughters, Cathie and Barbie; their husbands, Tim and Steve; my grandchildren, Angela and her husband, Zach, and Ben helped me celebrate. Took pictures, received nice gifts, and enjoyed having them all with me.

The picture at the top is all my family. Standing behind me are, from l-r Angela, Steve, Barbie, Cathie and Tim. Kneeling in front of me are Zach and Ben.

2. The second reason was that I could not find where I wrote down my password so could not get
in to post a new one. But I finally remembered it and here I am.

Also, during this past month, Barbie and Steve celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary on August 18th, Angela had her 26th birthday on the 24th, and Ben his 24th birthday on the 15th. I am sure that Barbie and Steve never dreamed that both their children would be born in August when they set their wedding date. Ha! Although I was not able to be with any of them on their special days, did get to talk to them and that was nice. Think it is very interesting that my daughters are lacking 8 days of being two years apart – Steve and his sister, Deborah, are lacking 10 days of being two years apart – and their children, Angela and Ben, are lacking 9 days of being two years apart. Don’t know what the significance of that is, but do think it is interesting, don’t you?