Some things never change....

The wind is howling outside and I am working on my annual March job.....TAXES!!! Today, I took Brittney to the doctor for an ear infection and as she lay on the bed I was taken back to 13 years ago when I use to dress her up in her little dress and tights. She would have some pretty shoes to match and a bow in her hair. I would carry her in the office in her
beautiful blue and white car seat carrier all bundled up.
Fast forward 13 years. We drove to the same office today, he long, thick, beautiful, brown hair was pinned up in some crazy ponytail. She had black yoga pants and a hot pink sweat shirt on. Those feet are no longer in cute patten leather shoes, they were in size 8 UGGs. No make-up on the beautiful girl today....She is now 5'5" and I cannot carry her.....she could carry me!!
As she was laying on the table, my heart skipped a beat just like it did when she got those dreaded "shots" when she was a baby........ it was still my crazy baby that was "my only sunshine" that God blessed me with all those years ago. She played with the paper on the table, told me how she hated doctors, she wanted to go home...........it was good to know that even though she was growing up that SOME THINGS ABOUT HER HAVE NOT CHANGED AT ALL!!

Signs that summer is drawing to a close

It's 95 degrees today and we got up at 7am to head to football equipment pick-up. Last Sunday we got back from vacation and tomorrow we head to the year end baseball picnic. Signs that summer is coming to a close.
I actually like this time of year because it means that fall is coming and CHRISTMAS around the corner!!
Have you had a good summer? Have you taken the time to enjoy your family? Have you stopped to read a book, spend time with a friend, sit on the deck, enjoy the sun, go for a walk, smile at the kids as the play? I have.
Now, we still have a few more weeks to go before the kids head back to school. If you have not, stop and take a minute and enjoy........The word says: "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good...". You see the Lord is good to us in so many ways and He allows us so many blessings, don't forget to take the time to enjoy them!

Spring has Sprung

It's spring break here at the Wilson home and I love the sound of the kids being home. This morning everyone was in bed late and I listened to the quiet of the house as another spring break had come to our home. This one was important because my son realized that taking a bath and smelling good is important........why???? I want to know.......Is there a girl who has caught his eye? What a thought that my baby is getting older. AND some girl might be catching his attention. I know that he is cuter than pie but no girl is suppose to know that!!!! Where does the time go?

I guess it's not just spring for the birds and the bees but it's spring for my little birds and bees!!!

Part 4 -Why December 25th?

For the church's first three centuries, Christmas wasn't in December—or on the calendar at all.
Elesha Coffman
It's very tough for us North Americans to imagine Mary and Joseph trudging to Bethlehem in anything but, as Christina Rosetti memorably described it, "the bleak mid-winter," surrounded by "snow on snow on snow." To us, Christmas and December are inseparable. But for the first three centuries of Christianity, Christmas wasn't in December—or on the calendar anywhere.
If observed at all, the celebration of Christ's birth was usually lumped in with Epiphany (January 6), one of the church's earliest established feasts. Some church leaders even opposed the idea of a birth celebration. Origen (c.185-c.254) preached that it would be wrong to honor Christ in the same way Pharaoh and Herod were honored. Birthdays were for pagan gods.
Not all of Origen's contemporaries agreed that Christ's birthday shouldn't be celebrated, and some began to speculate on the date (actual records were apparently long lost). Clement of Alexandria (c.150-c.215) favored May 20 but noted that others had argued for April 18, April 19, and May 28. Hippolytus (c.170-c.236) championed January 2. November 17, November 20, and March 25 all had backers as well. A Latin treatise written around 243 pegged March 21, because that was believed to be the date on which God created the sun. Polycarp (c.69-c.155) had followed the same line of reasoning to conclude that Christ's birth and baptism most likely occurred on Wednesday, because the sun was created on the fourth day.
The eventual choice of December 25, made perhaps as early as 273, reflects a convergence of Origen's concern about pagan gods and the church's identification of God's son with the celestial sun. December 25 already hosted two other related festivals: natalis solis invicti (the Roman "birth of the unconquered sun"), and the birthday of Mithras, the Iranian "Sun of Righteousness" whose worship was popular with Roman soldiers. The winter solstice, another celebration of the sun, fell just a few days earlier. Seeing that pagans were already exalting deities with some parallels to the true deity, church leaders decided to commandeer the date and introduce a new festival.
Western Christians first celebrated Christmas on December 25 in 336, after Emperor Constantine had declared Christianity the empire's favored religion. Eastern churches, however, held on to January 6 as the date for Christ's birth and his baptism. Most easterners eventually adopted December 25, celebrating Christ's birth on the earlier date and his baptism on the latter, but the Armenian church celebrates his birth on January 6. Incidentally, the Western church does celebrate Epiphany on January 6, but as the arrival date of the Magi rather than as the date of Christ's baptism.
Another wrinkle was added in the sixteenth century when Pope Gregory devised a new calendar, which was unevenly adopted. The Eastern Orthodox and some Protestants retained the Julian calendar, which meant they celebrated Christmas 13 days later than their Gregorian counterparts. Most—but not all—of the Christian world now agrees on the Gregorian calendar and the December 25 date.
The pagan origins of the Christmas date, as well as pagan origins for many Christmas customs (gift-giving and merrymaking from Roman Saturnalia; greenery, lights, and charity from the Roman New Year; Yule logs and various foods from Teutonic feasts), have always fueled arguments against the holiday. "It's just paganism wrapped with a Christian bow," naysayers argue. But while kowtowing to worldliness must always be a concern for Christians, the church has generally viewed efforts to reshape culture—including holidays—positively. As a theologian asserted in 320, "We hold this day holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of him who made it."

Part 3- Gift Giving

There is no disputing that Christmas giving has become a very big business: a strong holiday selling season often means the difference between a good and a bad year for a retailer. In the shopping frenzy that lasts from the opening of the Christmas buying season to the closing hours of Christmas Eve, it’s easy to forget what all the fuss is for.
It was not always like that. There was, not so long ago, a time when Christmas involved no gift giving at all, and in some countries that is still the standard. The union of Christmas and gift giving was a gradual one; actually, the full story of the bright packages beneath the tree begins in the days before the birth of Christ.
In ancient Rome, gifts were exchanged during the New Year’s celebrations. At first these gifts were simple, such as a few twigs from a sacred grove and food. Many gifts were in the form of vegetables in honor of the fertility goddess Strenia. During the Northern European Yule, fertility was celebrated with gifts made of wheat products, such as bread and alcohol.
While most of this giving was done on a voluntary basis, history has had its share of leaders who did their best to ensure they would have plenty of gifts to open. One year Emperor Caligula of Rome declared to all that he would be receiving presents on New Year’s Day; gifts he deemed inadequate of his stature were ridiculed. Then there was Henry III, who closed down the merchants of England one December because he was not impressed with the amount of their monetary gifts.
Like many old customs, gift exchange was difficult to get rid of even as Christianity spread and gained official status. Early church leaders tried to outlaw the custom, but the people cherished it too much to let it go. So the church leaders sought a Christian justification for the practice. The justification was found in the Magi’s act of bearing gifts to the infant Jesus, and in the concept that Christ was a gift from God to the world, bringing in turn the gift of redemption and everlasting life.
Even though the roots of the Christmas present extend to ancient times, the gift giving tradition we are familiar with today owes perhaps the most to Victorian England. The Victorians, who brought a renewed warmth and spirit to Christmas after it had experienced a long period of decline, made the idea of family part of the celebration. Friendliness and charity filled many hearts during their Christmas season, so giving gifts was natural. The ultimate reason for giving a gift was as an expression of kindness, a sentiment that went nicely with the historical tradition of the holiday.
The Victorians surrounded the act of gift giving with a great deal of ingenuity and merriment: simply tearing into a cache of wrapped boxes would have been to miss the point. Far more thought and preparation than that were in order during the holiday season. They had cobweb parties, which was a lot of messy fun. Each family member was assigned a color, then shown to a room crisscrossed with yarn of various colors. Each person was to follow an assigned color through the web of yarn until he or she reached the present tied to the end.
The Christmas pie was another favorite diversion, although it was not exactly edible. Small gifts were hidden in a large bowl of grain. After everyone had eaten Christmas dinner, they would gather around the pie and they took turns taking a spoonful. Whatever treat was in their spoonful was theirs to keep.
The American Christmas was greatly influenced by the Victorians, gift giving, tradition and all. America expanded on the concept with the addition of Santa Claus: the association with gifts was a natural one. Soon Santa or one of his earlier models became responsible for the presents left in an ever-increasing number of stockings.
By the late nineteenth century the simple and non-materialistic gift giving tradition had began to wither away. Christmas had come face to face with commercialism, and the new message was to buy. It was not long before shopping and the idea of gifts had made its way into the meaning of Christmas. This transition was highly encouraged by merchants who stood to benefit from a year-end buying binge. It was and still is a question of whether or not this development did more harm than good to the holiday. Some people wonder whether the emphasis on buying, shopping and getting brings more happiness or disappointment, especially to those who can afford very little. But, many others argue that Christmas, through its many culture changes, would greatly be affected by the modern consumer culture in which we live. In the end, it is likely that the best way to approach Christmas gift giving is with both viewpoints in mind. Most parents of young children are unwilling to do away entirely with what might be called the gimme Christmas, but that is no reason some of the spirit of past holiday can not be incorporated in the modern Christmas as well.

Part 2 - Poinsettia

A charming story is told of Pepita, a poor Mexican girl who had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita walked slowly to the chapel with her cousin Pedro, her heart was filled with sadness rather than joy.
"I am sure, Pepita, that even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes," said Pedro consolingly.
Not knowing what else to do, Pepita knelt by the roadside and gathered a handful of common weeds, fashioning them into a small bouquet. Looking at the scraggly bunch of weeds, she felt more saddened and embarrassed than ever by the humbleness of her offering. She fought back a tear as she entered the small village chapel.
As she approached the alter, she remembered Pedro's kind words: "Even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes." She felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet at the foot of the nativity scene.
Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw them were certain that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle right before their eyes.
From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season.
Today, the common name for this plant is the poinsettia!

Christmas Traditions - Part 1 The Christmas Tree

Ever wonder where certain Christmas traditions come from? For the next few weeks, I will try and answer some of those questions. Hope you enjoy!

CHRISTMAS TREE

The Christmas tree is a mandala, a bundle of symbols showing what creation has to offer: light and the movement of angels, the gifts of orchard and field, forest and sea, all topped off by the star that pointed to the end of the journey, the place of peace. During Advent in the XIth century, scenes called mysteries, including one about Paradise, were very popular. A tree decorated with red apples symbolized the tree of Paradise. During the XVth century, the faithful began to put up trees in their own houses on December 24, the feast day of Adam and Eve.
However, the first Christmas tree as we know it, but without lights still, appeared in Alsace in 1521. It was introduced in France by the Princess Hélène de Mecklembourg who brought one to Paris after her marriage to the Duke of Orleans. In the XVIIIth century, the custom of decorating a Christmas tree was well established in Germany, France and Austria.


In 1841, Prince Albert (originally from Germany), husband of Queen Victoria, set up a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in England. From the royal court, the custom of Christmas trees spread quickly to the middle class and then to working people. For Victorians, a good Christmas tree had to be six branches tall and be placed on a table covered with a white damask tablecloth. It was decorated with garlands, candies and paper flowers.
The Christmas tree was introduced to Canada around the end of the XVIIIth century even before it became a common practice in England. The various ornaments with which it was decorated were first made at home before being commercially produced. In the middle of the XVIIth century, Christmas trees were illuminated with little candles. These were replaced at the beginning of the XXth century by electric bulbs. Other variations like outdoor and artificial Christmas trees as appeared around the beginning of the XXth century.

Signs of the Season

Thanksgiving has come and gone and it's all about Christmas in the Wilson household.
Yesterday, we (poor Allen had to help) had our first job for my new decorating business. Every muscle in my body hurts today. That 12 foot tree seemed so big at 9PM last night after 6 short hours of decorating. Signs of the Season?
I must admit that as a family, we had a bit of a stressful Thanksgiving and I was glad to see everyone go back to school today. Signs of the Season?
When we arrived home last night about 10PM, our house was a living mess........decorations still out waiting to be put on our trees, dishes in the sink (our dishwasher is broke), Matthew waiting for help on his project, stuff everywhere from his project, Brittney laying on the couch in pain because of her wisdom teeth coming in, my father-in-law doing dishes for us, and to top it off.......we were hungry because we did not have dinner. Signs of the Season?
Allen and I are both getting our Christmas cold and we are about to hit some very busy days ahead again. Signs of the Season?
We can all think of all the things we need to do and get done this holiday season, there are parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, caroling out in the snow.....WAIT that's a song!!
Really, all of these things are Signs of the Season.
We need to keep in focus that the Sign of the Season is that a baby came to save the world. It was the most important single event that would give you and I everlasting life. What a gift...How's that for a Sign of the Season!!
So this Christmas season, put the stuff aside and take time to remember that there is STILL a REASON FOR THE SEASON and WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM!!

What is your job?

It began sometime in late July. What is "it" you ask? It is my jobs. This year is different for me because I am working outside of our home for the first time in years. Now, I am not working a "40" hr. a week job but you would never know that. I have added hours outside our home in addition to being a wife, mother, daughter, ministry manager, board member, football and baton mom, and whatever else fills my day.
Life is so busy and I find it hard to stop and smell the roses or take in the beautiful fall in the making.
Today, I need to pack for a ministry trip this weekend and catch up on things around the house. There are never enough hours in the day. Does that sound like most moms?
I was reading in the book of Job today and found this verse: 1:21....."The Lord gave me everything I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!"
Now how many people can say that they are thankful for what the Lord gave them.....I bet a whole lot could. How many can say that they are thankful for what the Lord has taken away. I believe that one is a little harder to swallow.
Around our house, lot's of things are breaking, need new carpet in family room, a new van, and all the stuff that has been let go for years needs attention.
I have to admit that I have been a crank about these things and frankly don't feel thankful for much at this point. It's not even important to ask God when anymore. My spiritman is tired.
Job had much more to deal with yet he was always faithful. He was so bold to question God's wisdom. Have you ever done that? He put God on the same playing field has himself. Have you ever done that? Yet, Job chose to worship God daily. Are you living a life of continued worship IN SPITE of what is going on in your life?
When we worship, we learn about God's character, we cling to the fact that He is God and He does not change.
The word tells us that His ways are not ours..........Oh really!?!?!
We need to continue that beautiful communion with Father that expresses worship and teaches us about WHO GOD IS.
Many times we think that we have these things figured out in life and everything is rolling along just fine. If it has not happend to you yet......mark my words.....it will........you will question God at some point in your life. You will want to know why. When you reach that point.....worship. Fill your mind with things about the Lord and KNOW HIM for His majesty, power, and wisdom at work!

Labor Day

Today is Labor Day.
Did you know.......Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.
Well today, I decided that we (as a family) need to contribute to the Well-Being of our home.
I made the declaration that we were not going to any picnics and declined invitations to very kind people who invited us to their homes. During the fall we are never home for more than 2 hours at a time so today......we are staying home.
Much to every one's dismay, the day began with cleaning of the playroom portion of the basement. It is still not finished but at least we can now see the floor. Big progress.
I moved everything in the formal living room and dining room and cleaned walls, baseboards and all that stuff that I used to do monthly.
As I was cleaning, I noticed that we have more weds than mulch in the front flower beds. I think that will be next Saturday.
So today we LABOR as a family and tonight we sit around like SLUGS!!!

Cheerleading..and other different worlds!!

Today was day # 2 in Geneva....training......getting ready for the new cheerleading season.
Already, I am beginning to get the feeling that life in Chardon cheerleading is much different than life in the cheerleading world in Geneva.
What in the world have I gotten myself into?
It seems that for years things have been a free for all. Not so in Hilltopper land.
Tumblers and high octane cheering goes on up here on the hill.
Just beginning to wonder if these people want to strive for a #1 first class program....don't really know and thinking that it will be met with opposition.
We will see.......everyone is thrilled that they are getting a coach from Chardon but.....FOLKS....it's just little old me!
I'm not kidding when I say old either because the Varsity coach is young enough to be my daughter...
So, we will see!!
GO EAGLES

A New Baby

Baby # 4 hatched today. Mommy is sitting on her nest faithfully and........funny thing....my plant is doing well these days.

We had a moment

Sunday night I was having one of those nights that I could not sleep. It was only the 3rd night that week.........about 3PM I took a small trip to the bathroom and when I came out there were 2 beautiful big eyes glaring at me. LOL!! There was my little buddy Matthew smiling in my spot.
He could not sleep either. So Matt and I moved daddy over and watched TV for about an hour until he fell asleep and then I went to sleep at 6:15.
Yesterday, I wanted to take a nap SO BAD but just I was ready to wonder off into dream land...Matthew came yelling up the stairs...."COME SEE.....COME SEE....MOM"
So I headed down the stairs (my eyes ready to roll back in my head) and as I looked out of the window in my office I saw the most beautiful site.
For 2 months now, I had been upset that there were 2 birds invading my English ferns on the front porch. I had tried everything to get these stupid birds out of my plants because they are killing them.
Anyhow, we have babies......yes....the most beautiful site was 2 baby birds that have hatched and 2 more eggs waiting to hatch.
The birds obviously thought that Matthew was mom and they opened their moths for some food.
I made sure that Matt did not touch the nest but he found 2 worms and fed the birds. We talked about why he should not touch the nest and then the question came......."would you ever leave me alone mom?" The mommy heart strings were struck and I hugged him and told him all about that I would always be mom and would keep him forever if I could but there will come a time when I will need to push him off the nest so that he can fly. Can you hear The Circle of Life from Lion King playing in the background?
It was a very sweet moment.
This morning, #3 hatched and mommy bird is still taking care of her babies.
Matthew is such a "boy". He loves all the things that little boys should love .....yet......he has such a gentle side. I say he is my other daughter at times.
It was one of those "Mommy" moments that I will never forget.

Vision

Vision inspires.

Vision allows you to see the unseen.

Vision gets you doing things you never dreamed

of accomplishing.

Vision creates an environment in which a team operates at its very best.

Vision pushes you to look past the obvious

and look to the supernatural.

-Darlene Zschech, Hillsong Church

Overboard

Has anyone ever seen the show "My Super Sweet 16"?

Oh my goodness.....are there really people who have daughters (that they created) like this?

Now, I will be the first to admit that we spoil our daughter and there have been times that I have wondered if we have gone overboard.

This show is about girls and their Sweet 16 blow-out parties. They stomp, swear, rage, pout, whine,.....you name it.........they do it.....so that their parents will give them the party of their dreams. I had that party when I got married....what do they have to look forward to?

I had never seen this show before until today and I have been in awe of the stupidity of parents.

This one family spent $ 89K on the party alone. That was not counting the gift of a car. I don't know what the dad did for a living but their house was not really that big. You have to wonder if they went into debt for this party.

Now, I like nice things.....I enjoy many designer things......I love the smell of Sax Fifth Avenue and Nordstroms. And......we all know that I LOVE SHOES. Alright...........I am shallow but I do always buy on sale and do not run up credit cards.

I think we are a society of "overboard" thinking and that is why our economy is in the trouble that it is.

I grew up in nice homes that had one bathroom and my parents made sure that we had nice things and some really nice things. We managed to survive. My children live in a home with 4 bedrooms, rooms we only use when we have company, and 2 1/2 baths and we think we need more room.

If you can afford a over the top party......why not?.....but you have to ask yourself about these girls stomping their feet to get what they want. Who is going to marry this child and what is she going to be like when she is adult? I hope that she marries money because it will be a very hard adjustment on her part.

Enough of my ranting.....what are your thoughts. The show is on Style Network.....watch it sometime.

She came into my life today

12 years ago today I was blessed to meet a girl that would change my life forever.
7:41PM on July 10, 1997, Brittney Nichole Wilson came into our lives. She was our first born....happy, easy to take care of, full of joy, full of personality, and beautiful. 12 years later, she is all of those things and more.

Brittney and I spent this morning together and I could not help but find myself thinking back to what this day felt like 12 years ago. Oh yes......it was filled with pain but the overwhelming joy when she was born is just hard to explain to someone who has not experienced it themselves.
Over the past 12 years we have certainly made some mistakes but we have done a few things right also.
First and foremost in my mind is that we have (and continue to do so) taught her WHO JESUS IS. At the age of 3, Brittney sat at a Missionette Honor Star Crowning and listened to Pastor Don Hammer preach a simple message about salvation and Brittney responded to the altar call all on her own. She followed Pastor Hammer from one end of the altar area to the other (it was funny) because she did not want to miss her opportunity.
Brittney is kind and caring. One of the things I love about Brittney is her compassion for people. I don't know what she will do with her life but I pray that God will continue to guide her and use that compassion for His plan and purpose in her life.
Brittney has a sweet spirit. There are so many young people today that are just plain "mean". One of the things that stands out about her is that people always tell us about how sweet she is. I believe that is a gentle spirit that only God gives.
Brittney is bright. I have never met a kid that loves school and spends part of their summer wishing that school would start. She gets exceptional grades and the world is hers .......she can write her own tomorrows with God's guidance.
There are many more things and qualities that come to mind when I think about my baby girl today but I think besides for Jesus in her life the next most important is that I was given the honor of being "Brittney's Mom" on this day 12 short years ago.

Don't grow up to quickly baby......I will always be here for you......Mommy loves you!!

Break it Apart

"If it looks to big, break it apart."
We are often faced with obstacles that seem far too difficult for us to tackle. We will be making great progress, and then all of the sudden we run into something that stops us dead in our tracks. A common response to this is to turn around and go another way or to just give up, but there are more than two options when you are facing challenges. You can break apart the challenge in front of you and then work through it! When I am faced with challenges I have the habit of wanting to give up before I realize that if I break down the challenge into smaller parts it is very manageable and accomplishable.So how do you break apart a challenge or problem and defeat it? Here are three steps. First, you have to take a step back and look at the challenge from a distance. If you do not take a step back it is too easy to let yourselves get wrapped up in it and become overwhelmed. Second, find out how you can work on a part of the challenge at a time. By working on small parts and succeeding at fixing them you will be encouraged to keep going on; as you fix small parts you will get closer to overcoming the whole thing! Thirdly, do not lose perspective, most of the time the challenges we face are not the end of the world as we know it, remember that you can only fail if you stop trying.

Life, Death and moments with your sister

Sunday was Father's Day. It was a very busy day for us.

We ministered in Garrettsville for 2 services (9 & 11AM), lunch with Pastor, and then a visit to my in-laws for a belated birthday party and Father's Day celebration. Got home just before 8PM.....12 short hours later. I was whipped. My sister came over and brought the kids some ice cream....about 9:45pm a phone call came from Trinidad...my grandfather had just passed away at the age of 97.

Saying that grandpa was 97 is all relative because back in those days...... they did not register a birth right away......so the thought is that grandpa was somewhere around 103. Wow....what a long life. He rode his bike 20 miles per day well into his 70's. He was a very healthy man until a few years ago when his memory started to go and his body began to fail.

Back to the story....I fell asleep around 11:15 and the phone rang 15min. later. It was my sister, she had found a flight for dad that was not $ 1,200, did not leave out of Toronto, Canada, in fact it was only $ 350 but dad had to be at Cleveland Hopkins at 4:00 for his 6AM flight. All this would not be that bad if your parents did not live 3 and a half hours from you.

So I got dressed and headed over to my sister's house since her husband was out of state on business. We had not had a sleepover with just the 2 of us since I got married 14 years ago.

There are some things in life that just is made better because you have a sibling.....there is someone with whom you have an exclusive history with and things to laugh about.

We also realized that we have gotten use to sleeping with our husbands because I could not sleep because she is a heat machine and moves to much. She had issues with me because I don't sleep once I have been awaken. Therefore.....I want to talk and she wants to sleep.

We got out of bed at 2AM, got dressed, and went to Wal-Mart because dad needed a few things picked up. What a hoot!!! We laughed because it was just us and the workers at 2:30 in the morning.

Picked-up mom and dad in Mayfield and headed to the airport......dropped dad at 3:55 and went to park the car. Yea....we made it!!!

We stayed with him until he did the security thing at 5:15AM. Left the airport, picked-up his car in Mayfield and was back home in my bed by 6:30AM. But the story did not end there......

After just 1 short hour of sleep...people in my house were up and very surprised that their Grammie was in their house asleep. IT WAS TOOOO FUNNY!!

The kids could not believe all this happened while they were sleeping.

Mom went back to Lima on Monday to get things straight for church while they are gone and tomorrow she will head to Toronto for a family reunion. Because my sister will be out of town and our schedule is so jammed pack, my cousin (brother) Anil will be driving here to pick her up and take her back to Toronto for the reunion.....all in the same day. She's going to spend a few days with her sister and family and then back to Cleveland before dad comes home next week.

I have thought a lot about the process of life this week and the importance of family.

I am thankful for a close family. We love and support each other even though we live all over the world. There is something to be said about being Indian and the duty we are raised with concerning family. There is a bond that we share that is strong and gives us the opportunity to ALWAYS have someone to depend on when it is needed the most.

Thanks sis!!

(I have posted some pics for your enjoyment)

Treasure

I have been spending the day today cleaning out my closet.
It is NO secret that I Love Shoes.....I am somewhere between 125 and 150. Who counts anymore!!
Anyhow, for some reason cleaning the closet has caused me to think about our "earthly" treasures.
I think we all have "stuff" that we can say we treasure.
Some can say they treasure their spouses, children, cars, TV program(s), stamps, tools, clothes, motor cycle, house, SHOES..you name it. We can all put something in that spot.
The problem comes when we put our treasure before our walk with the Lord. OUCH!!
Yea, you did read correctly.
I can put my family before my relationship with the Lord, I can put my love for Shoes before my relationship with the Lord, I can put my love of summer and the fun that those sunny days bring before my relationship with the Lord......YOU fill in the blank.
When you find yourself spending more time chasing down a shoe sale, time with friends, listening to music.....it does not matter what it is. We need to be careful.
The bible has a few scriptures that we need to consider:
Matthew 6:1-34: Talks about praying, our treasure, and Anxiety
Hebrews 10:25: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
Our relationship with the Lord is one of "working out" our salvation. We need to search our hearts daily and see if there is anything separating us from what God would desire for perfect communion.
I always want to keep my eyes on the Ultimate Treasure!
Finally, I want to share a song with you that was popular back in the 80's. Some of you might remember it. The title is TREASURE by Gary Chapman. Here are the words:
They say that were your treasure is
There will your heart be also
And your heart stays where you hide your greatest love
Now you can leave that love on earth
Where thieves may steal tomorrow
Or you can take it to
That hiding place above
Where there`s a treasure at the end
Of this narrow road I`m traveling
And it gives me a purpose for my life
Jesus is my treasure
He`s the reason that I am living
And he`s gonna be my reason when I die
So if you`ve been wondering where you are
And where it is you`re going
He`s left a map for you and me to use
Just read the map and follow close
Always walking where it`s showing
You just can`t miss it
It`s way too much to lose
See there`s a treasure at the end
Of this narrow road
I`m traveling
And it gives me a purpose for my life
Jesus is my treasure
He`s the reason that I`m still living
And he`s gonna be my reason when I die

Laundry, Laundry, Laundry

Does the laundry ever go away?
NO......It's all about laundry in our house.
Matthew gave me a shirt to be ironed this morning.....so like any good mom....I turned the iron on and as I was inspecting the wrinkles.....THE SHIRT WAS DIRTY.
So I headed to Matthew's room and did a little inspecting....the clean clothes were mixed up with the dirty ones.
Brittney does that ALL the time but until the past few months I had at least one child that had a clean room and things were in order.
Not anymore. He has caught her sickness and his floor is not filled with clothes but Lego's and his desk chair is piled up with clothes.......clean or dirty...it's all there....just 2 feet from the laundry shoot.
I will never win!!!