UNEXPECTED

My mind has been pondering a good bit today.  I babysat with The Sweet Grandbaby this morning.  She, of course, has some new thing or "trick" every time I see her.  For a while she had a slight "cough" that made us wonder if it were real or a trick.  It was a trick.   At five months she has advanced to her toy that we got on consignment.  Her feet finally reach the shortest level.

So between this toy and her "frog sitter", she doesn't see the need to lie down anymore.  That might mean a nap is in order and goodness forbid that she go to sleep and miss something.  

Anyways, this day today had gotten to the middle of the afternoon.  The Girl had returned home from her work and was folding clothes on the floor while The Tired Gramma reclined on the couch.  (The Girl had a basket, she wasn't folding on a dirty floor.  Just in case you wondered at that.)  Gramma's don't have the energy they did in the horse and buggy days, it seems.  ;-)

While all this activity and non-activity was happening, The Sweet Grandbaby was quietly playing in her contraption.  All at once she looked at her mama and threw out the BIGGEST laughter I have ever heard from her voice box.  She looked straight at HER mama, not her Gramma, and seemed totally delighted.  Of course The Girl and The Gramma were totally delighted as well.

Isn't it wonderful that sometimes it takes only the small unexpected things to make one see life differently?  

What is it they say..."out of the mouths of babes"?  Thank you Lord for such small unexpected blessings that let us know you are in charge and all is well.

I VOW

The definition of "vow" says to solemnly promise to do a specified thing.

My KJV Bible says from Ecclesiastes 5:4-6: When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou 
shouldest vow and not pay.

So with those things in mind, this week I have been thinking of many things.  With a times of highs, lows, and times in between, the song that has played over and over in my heart is one that is sang by children at my church.  I first heard the song years ago on a tape and taught it to the children when I was their leader.  I am so glad they still sing it today, years later as it is one of my very favorites and helps my heart to speak what I really DO vow to my Lord.  It goes like this:

Dear Lord we vow to thank you for all the good you give
For birds and trees, for skies and seas the world in which we live.

Dear Lord we vow to thank you for family and friends,
For food and for your faithfulness, your love which never ends.

It goes on to add the all familiar "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me."

So today I want to go on record to you all that I vow to thank him for everything else also...the highs, lows, and all the times in between.  I vow to thank him that He always supplies and provides and gives His all when I only have little.

I vow to love Him forever because He is my Lord and Savior.

All God's people said, "Amen".

FOUR MONTHS OLD

Well, many of you have asked about The Sweet Grandbaby.  Ahhh....how long do you have to listen (or read, in this case)?  She has changed our lives.  She has brought sunshine and happiness to a Poppa and Gramma who thought they already were familiar with sunshine and happiness.  The Poppa and The Gramma are shining and smiling most of the time these days.

Again, I figure a picture (or pictures) are worth thousands of words, sunshines, and happinesses.  And there you didn't know that happinesses is a word, did you?  It may not be in Mr. Websters book, but in this blog it's the best of words.

I don't have the one month pictures on this computer but can oblige with the 2, 3, and 4 month shots.

You should have known I would have a lot of pictures to share when I realized someone was interested.  Sorry you asked?

She loves her Mama and her Daddy....

She has posed with family and friends....

I imagine her to be whispering to her friend, "Wanna know a secret?"

And what can I say about her and The Poppa?  Only that she has him spoiled and caught hook, line, and sinker.

What can I say?  They both enjoy naps.

The Grandbaby, even at 4 months old, will sit still as one reads to her.

She changes daily.  She's a sleep fighter.  She's a strong kicker.  She's a joy and delight.  And no, her hair is not red, but looks that way in some camera lighting.

She looks nice in red, white, and blue and could be said to be learning to pledge the flag.  Or not.  Oops, wrong hand.

Today, she had a first as she sat alone in her bumbo seat.  She liked it...."hey mama, look at me!"

This week she also had her first taste of rice cereal.  From a spoon.  She was not impressed.  A spoonful of sugar would make it go down better, you think?

I can wish for The Grandbaby to be math smart like The Girl and The Poppa.  I can wish her to be organized like The Son-In-Law.  I could even wish her to sew like me.  The thing, though, that I wish for her most is that she be kind and compassionate to others and a trust-er in our Heavenly Father.  If one has all those character attributes, the other things fall in place.  Ahh....the love I have for her is endless.  I.  Am.  Blessed.

And ALL God's people said, "AMEN!"

LOST

Do many of you, as I do, spend what seems to be over half of life searching for something misplaced or lost?  I don't know if it's just an age thing, a overflowing mind malady, or just a lack of attention-paying.  Whatever the reason, I just can't seem to keep up with anything lately.

A few weeks ago I realized I couldn't find my keys.  Now when I say "keys" I mean KEYS.  All of the keys I use in my life--car, house, garage, three for the office, church, parents' house, kid's house, and even a couple of keys to some place unknown.  I guess the only key not on my lost key ring was my safe deposit box key.  It was not lost.  Thankfully.

Well after looking and realizing the keys were officially lost, I decided to just use the spare keys and forget it for a time.  They would eventually show up.  I was certain I had put them unintentionally somewhere (well, duh) or accidentally dropped them in a place where they didn't belong.  After a week of still not finding the keys, I decided maybe I should get serious about it.

I was reminded of a time several years back when I lost my scrapbooking tools.  Now I'm not talking just a pair of scissors and a ruler.  I'm talking expensive scrapbook tools--a paper cutter, large templates, punches, and other really good stuff that I used with my hobby of scrapbooking.  I realized they were lost when I went out to scrapbook and they weren't there.  Isn't that how it is sometimes with us....we don't realize the importance of what we have and don't even realize it's lost until we REALLY need it.  Ok, back to my story....you weren't looking for a sermon even though you might find one eventually in this post.  :)

I searched and searched in my scrapbook room where I ALWAYS would use the tools and couldn't find them anywhere.  I sat and thought about it to determine exactly what all was lost and then was just not understanding how those could all be lost together.  Many days went by with my looking around searching.  One day I decided to get REALLY SERIOUS with my search.  I stood in my kitchen after looking yet for the umpteenth time in my scrapbook room and even my carport.  I decided to call in the big guy...so I prayed.  Right there in my kitchen.  I asked the Lord to help me as I just simply didn't know where those tools were and if they were really gone, that was okay but if not, I really wanted to find them.   I REALLY NEEDED to find them.  The pictures and scrapbooking needs were piling up.  After my entreating Him for help, I started in the kitchen, then to the den, and then through the rest of my house.  I would stand in each room and visually look around for possible places these tools could be.  Then when I was assured they were not there, I would move on to the next room.

I had exhausted all but one bedroom and was exhausting myself in the process but I kept talking to the Lord just like He was searching with me because He was.  So I walked out of my bedroom and started to go into the last when my eyes landed on the hall closet door.  I said at that point,"They can't be in the closet, Lord" and began to walk into the bedroom.  It was if he totally pulled me back into the hall to that closet door.  I said, "The CLOSET, Lord?  Really? Ok" and I opened the closet door to see coats hung, quilts in bottom stacked, and luggage on the upper shelf.  My eyes continued looking at the luggage...I said, "Really Lord, the luggage?  Ok..."  I pulled down the luggage and took it into my bedroom to my bed.  Now it was a heavy sucker....I nest all my suitcases inside the large one for space issues.  I began to unzip the large outside one and my heart and mind began to feel like I might be on to something.  Still my remembering didn't remember why this would be.  (And this was MANY years ago...scary for my "remembering" process.)

When I opened the large suitcase, there, of course was the next size one.  I began to open it and of course again, there was the smaller one.  At that point, my mind began to rejoice in anticipation as when I saw the smallest one and began to open it, I heard something in the front pouch....and yes!  I remembered.  There inside that pouch was every one of my lost scrapbooking tools.  I had forgotten I had taken them to the scrapbooking session I would do monthly in a neighboring town.  Ahhh.....I laughed.  I cried.  I laughed more.  I congratulated the Lord.  It was a happy day.

Still as I look back on that experience, I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord provided me that knowledge to find those tools.  Yes, it was a small thing to Him, but a huge thing to me and He loves me even that much to help me with something so small yet so troubling.  I realize that He does that every single day in some form or fashion and  I don't even notice.

And the keys, you ask?  Yes, I did find them.  Eventually.  I knew they were in my house.  My mind backtracked and remembered that much.  Here's where I found them:

In the kitchen pantry, fourth drawer, right side under plastic bags with the bread and chips. Isn't that where most people keep their keys?  Duh. One would think we would eat bread and chips more often, huh?   Obviously we don't eat them enough or the keys might have been found sooner.

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  :)  Until next time.......

25 YEARS

It was on this date in 2012 that this blog was born.  I wrote my very first blog post on that date.  So with that said I wish a very happy birthday to my blog!

My small number of blog readers might remember what that first post was...a post about The Girl and The Diabetes.   So, in keeping with years past, I choose to recognize some important facets of The Girl and her life with The Diabetes.

On this day, The Girl CELEBRATES her 25th birthday of living with diabetes.  Yes, an important landmark birthday--25 years.  If I remember correctly, it was a few months ago that she was showing us all a round pendant recognition sent to her from the Eli Lily company to congratulate her on the success and the special year.  For those of you who don't know, The Eli Lily Company makes the insulin that keeps Type I diabetics alive and well.  On July 30, 1921, Canadian physician Frederick Banting with the help of a medical student named Charles Best discovered insulin by experimenting on dogs.  You can say that planes, trains, and automobiles are some of the best inventions ever but I will tell you that the discovery of insulin surpasses them all.  :)  At least in the lives of my family members.  A few years ago while on vacation in Canada, we accidentally lucked up on the home of Dr. Banting and The Girl had her picture made in various places on the homesite.  A life giver and changer was that insulin.  We are grateful.

So on this date as in all the June 21 dates for the past 25 years, I give thanks to the heavenly Father above for his provision for The Girl and The Diabetes.  I'm thinking this past nine months have made that provision much sweeter.  Diabetes is a challenge but pregnancy and diabetes together much more so.

The Girl did her very best during that time and the months prior to the pregnancy.  (See blog post "Seed Pearls" in January 2016.)  

I recognize a wonderful team of doctors and especially The Endocrinologist she has had since 1999.  I told him just the other day when The Grandbaby and I went along for The Girl's visit that he was a hero, not only to the nursing staff in the labor department of the hospital but to me.  You won't find many doctors of any kind who will call and talk to their patients EVERY SINGLE MONDAY NIGHT during the months of pregnancy.  Every.  Single.  Week.  He would encourage, help adjust, and be concerned.  And that's not counting the visit to the emergency room nor the extra office visits through those months.  Not many would go to the hospital as labor is about to be induced and stay for an hour just going over everything to determine the best possible outcome for The Girl's health.  Oh, and did I say that hour was 2 a.m. in the morning?   Nope.  Not many like this wonderful endocrinologist.  He and The Girl respect each other tremendously and he really cares about her.  I like that.

Bottom line, though, is that if The Girl didn't try herself, the outcome might not be so good.  But she is one of the strongest young women I know--and not because she's mine.  It's just fact.  So yes, I'm proud of her.

It was a few years ago as I was holding her hand for something that I realized her fingertips were all quite calloused.  I knew the callouses were from the thousands and thousands of finger sticks since getting diabetes.  I was remembering that as I write this post.  It occurred to me that though the fingertips are so very calloused, it doesn't hinder the feel of love every time she holds the hand of her sweet husband.  Nor does it hinder the feeling of love every time those hands comfort her precious little girl.  Love can find it's way though all kinds of obstacles, can't it?

So to The Girl, if you are reading this, I'm so proud of you and so grateful to see this day and expect to see many more of these wonderful "birthdays".

I will end with one of if not the most favorite scripture of The Girl.  It is from Proverbs 3:5 and 6.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

All God's children said, "AMEN!"