2015--WHAT A YEAR!

Ah, here we are again...New Year's Eve.  Time keeps passing and the world keeps spinning faster and faster these days.  Or so it seems.  Oh, sorry...am thinking I just addressed the swift passage of time not too many blog posts ago.

2015 was in some ways a booger of a year around here.  Sicknesses seemed to abound.  A non-heart attack event, an intestinal obstruction, kidney stones, cervical spine surgery, and now as of yesterday, a broken finger.  Yes, my left hand's smallest digit will have to remain splinted for six weeks.  I smashed it which will be another story for another day.  It doesn't really go with this post except to show you a picture because I am certain now you are curious.   And yes, it hurt then and still hurts on occasion.  (It's the bandaged one, not the arthritic crooked one.)

I can honestly say, though, that with the list of sicknesses, the Lord has been faithful and helped.  He is forever the very best!  Praying friends help and praying friends abounded in 2015.  Still do.  And God answered prayers too numerous to count.  Here's a picture as a reminder of only one of those many answered prayers:

Prayers for salvation are the best answered prayers!

Spring 2015 saw the final seasonal visit to see the Gibbs flowers with The Mother.  Such beauty of God's creation!

I had obviously not visited the beauty hair salon as The Mother had done.

There was the big wonderful announcement for our family that The Husband and I would become The Papa and The Gramma in spring of 2016!  More prayers answered.

Then there was the announcement that The Grandchild is a girl!

There was a vacation to Alaska that will be long remembered...

Sunday School showed the promotion of one class and the new additions of younger two year olds.

Jesus still had a birthday and the little class still had a party because the reason for the season stays the same!

as does the church children and their Christmas concert!

There was strawberry pickin' in the VERY hot weather....

..resident deer in our yard...

...and growth.

Easter was special as always (hallelujah, Christ arose!) but also was an array of the color aqua blue!

And I have to mention that 2015 was the year of the big decade birthday for me and many of my friends....my old friends, that is!

2015 also had fun gifts that were sure to please...I quilted for my sister a quilt top hand sewn by our Mema.

I could write on and on and on and never relate to you how life, even through hard challenging times, is always in the palm of the hand of my very big God!  I continue daily to learn and sometimes even find it hard to grasp in faith, then the Lord sends me that comfort that "He's got this!"  And thankfully, He ALWAYS will!

Many blessings to you in 2016!

MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!  Christmas is all about HIM!  How blessed we all are to celebrate the joy of the birth of OUR Savior!  As the song says, "O come let us adore him...Christ the Lord!"  I am thankful to be able to call him MY Savior.  Rejoice!

SO THE SEASON BEGINS......

Christmas.  Peace, goodwill toward men.  Decorated trees.  Nativity scenes.  And "Joy to the World, the Lord is come" over and over and over again.  And then "Joy to the World" again.  

Yes, I'm speaking of my church's annual Christmas caroling afternoon.  It happened yesterday afternoon--a beautiful sunny day that was just the right temperature with a large number of both regular singers and non-singers.  You see, in my church you don't have to sing on key or sing beautifully to make a joyful noise--especially on Christmas caroling day!   In fact, you don't have to sing at all--the blessing can be in just watching expressions and joy on the faces.

Here's the caroling group...

Then there is another of the group with me in it.  Can you find me?

The Girl is ready to go....all set with her Cheez Its.

The list we have now is much shorter than years past.  That's a bit of bad news and good news....bad that those we love are gone, but good that others we love are still able to attend church regularly.

It was a wonderful afternoon ...

There was a bit of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with his shiny nose (like a light bulb) as sang by the children...

And a bit of "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way"...

There was sharing....

...familiar faces...

.

...and love all around.

There were even smiles all around as I posed with a couple of favorite youngsters...

The day ended with the familiar sounds of "What'll ya have?"  Most had Varsity hot dogs, fries, onion rings, and frosted orange drinks.  And the famous Varsity hats, of course.

Our caroling recipients were mostly elderly and many had memory issues.  An amazing thing I did notice that all these sweet folks seemed to remember song words...many sang "Joy to the World", "Silent Night", and "Amazing Grace" without missing a beat.  And they did it happily.

The residents excitement made me realize that I should be more that way about "Joy to the World, the Lord is come!"  That joy that lives deep in one's heart somehow always remembers the words, even if one can't remember their own name.  Amazing.  What a blessing to watch and witness!

So remember, "Joy to the World, the Lord is come!"  Tis the season.....

GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART

It seems like not so long ago that I was experiencing Thanksgiving Day.  I somehow think time goes by faster and faster these days.  I wish I could catch up with it or more so slow it down a lot.  And, face it, every single day should be Thanksgiving Day.

I couldn't let this Thanksgiving Day slip by without giving a few particular thanks for blessings great and small and even those blessings in disguise.  And no, I haven't compared this list to last years...it might duplicate, it might not but either way as I like to say, "it is what it is".

I'm thankful.....

...that I'm a saved-by-grace child of a Heavenly Father and Savior who loves me in spite of me.

...for my immediate family--a husband who loves me and knows me well, a daughter who is a great joy of my world, and a son-in-law who couldn't be dearer to my heart if I had hand-picked him myself.

...for a sweet Caroline Grace that will, Lord willing, join our family circle in the spring.

...for parents who provided me a life growing up that helped me become what I am and to the point that I am now.

...for a sister, extended family of in-laws, nieces, nephews, the list goes on and on.

...for a church that still worships God, a church family who loves, and a pastor and his wife who preaches the Word and serves with love (I've had many of those in the past and the blessing continues.)

...for health, hospital stays that worked out, doctors who know how to help, and a medical team for The Girl who has knowledge.

...for comfort of a cluttered, non-squeaky clean house and the emotional comfort of a loving "home".

...for gluten free food that's on sale!

...for Christmas Hallmark movies!  (Can I get an Amen on that one?)

...for loving friends who care, friends both near and far, friends who passed through my path and made a difference.

...for times of joy to rejoice, times of emotional pain to endure, times of fear and the assurance that the Lord is there.  All the time.

...for the Lord's faithfulness and love with which "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me."

The list goes on and on and on and I could type all day long but on this day "in everything I give thanks"!

PERFECT?

Ah....perfect.....

The online definition of "perfect" is "having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be."

The Son-In-Law and I have an ongoing "thing" as I tease him that I am the perfect mother-in-law.  He goes along with the idea graciously, both of us knowing that it's really impossible for any one person to be perfect.  Many can come very near to perfection, but does anyone ever reach it?  I think not.  With that said, that's no reason to stop striving for such for sure.

My ideas of perfection might begin to change a bit in the next few months as The Girl and The Son-In-Law are looking forward to becoming parents in late April.  You all know what THAT means, don't you?  It means that The Husband and I will become first time grandparents!  How exciting is that?

I am sure somewhere along the way it will be evident that we are not perfect grandparents.  It's doubtful, or so I understand from other grandparents, that we will ever believe this grandchild of ours would be anything other than perfect.  Now that's only what we understand from other grandparents.  Praise God, we will get to learn this for ourselves!  First hand!  Lord willing!

The Girl and The Son-In-Law hosted a nice Thanksgiving meal today for some of the Alabama kin and some of the Georgia kin.  The real reason for the party was to reveal the gender of the child.  I will be honest here, I felt all along that it would be a boy.  When polled, the "kin" who attended today went about half and half with the boy versus girl vote.

As for me, even though I had blue on the brain, it really didn't matter which gender the child is.  This child is a gift from God and will bring honor and glory to His name.  I feel that for sure.  I have found myself very weepy lately when I consider the goodness of the Lord.  I am overwhelmed and full of gratitude for HIS blessings...tis the season, you know, to be full of gratitude.

So anyways, today between the turkey and the dessert, our sweet grandchild's gender was reveal.  And yes, it doesn't happen often but I was wrong.  She is not a boy, but a girl....a girl with a name of Caroline Grace.   Already I see perfection as the name is perfect! Sounding like a Gramma, too, aren't I?  And I'm sure if The Papa could type, he would agree with me!

I want to share a few of the pictures from today so you faithful blog readers can enjoy also.  What a wonderful, wonderful day of love, joy, and happiness along with an overwhelming gratitude to the Lord above!

Doesn't The Girl and The Son-In-Law look happy?

YAY!!!!

Yes, it was a lovely day of smiles, tears, love, and gratitude all mixed up together and a day not long forgotten by all who were there to experience the joy.  I have determined that if The Grandchild gives her parents half as much joy as her mama has given to The Husband and me, life will be full....like that scripture in one of Paul's letters in the Bible that says, "so your joy may be full." Yes, joy full to overflowing!

I. Am. Blessed.