SUPPER WITH FRIENDS

I am so blessed with good friends from different areas of my life.  Friends who care and love me.  Some friends I see often, others not so much.  I even have friends I communicate with that I haven't even met.  I do have one group of friends who have been my friends for 25+ years.  We used to meet monthly for a meal to just talk and visit or celebrate a birthday of a group member.  As we age, we have even gotten busier and it's harder to get together.  I remember many times one of our group would have something troubling them or their family--problems with parents, a spouse, or children and even a cancer diagnosis for one and the death of a spouse for another.  I remember the times when the hearts of all the others would hurt for the person hurting.  There was a certainty that we could confide in each other and trust each other for help and support and even celebration when celebration was the outcome.  I have that with all my friends but I wanted to use this group as a lead in to today's post.  I see Jesus and his disciples kind of like that.

The Passover time had come to Jerusalem.  Jesus wanted to eat the Passover meal with his disciples.  He gave them specific instructions to follow...go into the city, meet a man with a pitcher of water, follow him.  Wherever he goes, ask the owner of the house where the guest chamber is.  He will show you a large upper room furnished and prepared.  Make it ready.  Yes, Jesus knew all.  It was as he said.

Jesus and the twelve disciples came together.  I'm sure there was conversation among them.  Jesus took bread and broke it, telling them to eat as it was his body and he gave them the cup saying it was his blood.  He told to do it in remembrance of him.  Did the disciples understand?  Jesus had been preparing them for the day of his crucifixion but I'm not sure it really registered with them.

It was at this supper that Jesus told the group that one of them would betray him.  Disbelief filled them and the question came from them of "is it me?"    One of the gospels say that Satan entered into Judas again.  Satan does have devices, I say again.  The gospel of John 13:27 says that Jesus said to Judas, "That thou doest, do it quickly."  And it says Judas ran out.

In all four gospels, after the supper, bold Peter told Jesus that he would never leave him and that he would "die for Jesus".  Yeah right.  Jesus told him that before the rooster crowed twice,  Peter will have denied him three times.  A conversation with Peter also contains dialogue that I have found comforting in my own life.  It comes from Luke 22:31-32 and says, "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."  To know the Lord has prayed for me gives me great joy.  I believe what he did for his disciples, he did for me and all those before and after me.

I did find that the gospel of John's account after the supper was different from the other three gospels.    In Chapters 14-16 there is some really good reading of advice and wisdom that Jesus gave his disciples before going to the garden.  Take the time to take a read of that.  It's really good.

Remembrance.  Of Jesus.

Consider.....

BETRAYAL

One of the Webster definitions of "betrayal" is the "violation of a person's trust or confidence".

After Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey, as the Kings did in that day, many of the people in charge saw "red flags" and a threat to their own "jobs", if you will.  Jesus was gaining and gaining popularity with the crowds as he healed the sick, raised the dead, caused the blind to see, and taught the people so much.  The days after he arrived in Jerusalem were filled with teaching by parables.  He was a "celebrity" so to speak.

The special twelve, his disciples, had so much opportunity to learn more and more from him.  Most people who know the "story" know that Judas was the disciple who betrayed Jesus.  As I was reading these portions of scripture about Judas, I don't find him mentioned a great deal in the scriptures.  Honestly, I think for the most part, he learned all the other eleven disciples learned.  It's in the gospel of Mark (Mark 22:3) that the Word says that "Satan entered into Judas".  This leads me to believe that Judas was probably an okay disciple until this but that's strictly my opinion.

He went to the chief priests and scribes after Satan entered into him and they made a plot of the perfect way to "get" Jesus.  Judas traded with them for 30 pieces of silver.  My Bible says that is $3840.  Huh.  Satan has a way of using greed to "slay" us often.  Satan has many devices.

Anyways, the deal was made.

I often consider the what if Judas had not betrayed Jesus?  Was this the plan for Judas all along?  If he had made a better choice and choice to continue to follow, would Jesus have gone to the cross?  I feel He would have, otherwise, the divine plan wouldn't have happened and we would be forever lost.  It was Judas who made the deal.

Then my thoughts go to my own life and am I some days a Judas?  Do I betray the Lord in my "disciple life"?  Do you?

It's some food for thought as Passion Week continues.

Consider.....

PALMS OF PRAISE!

Palm Sunday is here!

An Easter card I designed this year had a simple message on the back.  It said, "He came. He healed.  He comforted.  He loved.  He suffered.  He died.  The story didn't end there for HE arose and brought salvation for us all!  Hallelujah!

I was thinking about how the Bible doesn't document Jesus' life between the time of his being found in the temple at age 12 until his baptizing by John when he was roughly thirty years old.  I would imagine that during those unspoken-about years, he lived what we call a fairly normal life for that day and time.   I often wonder how it would have been to have lived during the same time as Jesus.  Today it hit me that I have experienced all these things I wrote about on my Easter card.

He came.....I experience his birth every Christmas and never forget the REAL meaning of that season.

He healed....Many times in my life I have felt his healing of my body and my mind and even my Spirit.

He comforted....Can I even number the times my spirit has been sad and my heart weary?  Times when I had no answers for troubles of magnitude.....yes, He allows me time after time to just lay my head over in his lap and be comforted.

He loved....I see and feel his love in his creation, in his gifts to me in the form of family and friends, and his blessings to me that are too many to count.

He suffered....Oh how my heart hurts when I read of what He went through for my sins.

He died....And that horrible death on the cross that had to be....HIS Father's plan.

But oh so thankfully, He did not stay in that borrowed tomb but arose on that third day, just as He said.  And because I believe ALL of it, I rejoice because salvation in Him is MINE!

On this Palm Sunday, I offer my "palms" of praise to HIM for all HE is!  Hosannah!

EASTER WEEK!

It's one more day until Palm Sunday and what we consider the beginning of Easter week.  Here's a list of my Easter scriptures I enjoy reading and pondering the week ahead.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem.....Matt 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19
The Last Supper with the twelve....Matt. 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:3-39; John 13
Sold out....Matt 26: 1-16;  Mark 14:1-2, 10-11:  Luke 22:1-6
In the Garden....Matthew 26:36-56; Mark14: 32-52; Luke 22:39-53; John 17, 18:1-11
Guilty?.....Matthew 26:57-75; Mark14:53-72;  Luke 22:54-71; John 18:12-27
A Dark Day....Matthew 27:1-66; Mark 15:1-47; Luke 23; John 18:28-42
The Tomb....Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20

STANDING FIRM

I can't believe I have been so busy that I have not posted thoughts in almost a month.  Mercy, I need to improve!

It's been a busy month and so much has happened in life that I won't bore you with all the details.  I thought as a person aged and got slower in most areas, that life became that way.  It's not happened to me yet.  Does that mean I'm not aging?  I doubt it.  I think it means I am slower and can't accomplish nearly as much.  Yes, I have lofty goals and ideas in my mind but many simply stay right there.  In my mind.

As I type this, sadly, Auburn lost in the final four's first game.  I won't get started on that.  I'm not a firm sports fan but I do believe in fair play. And I do support the orange and blue as it's The Son-In-Law's alma mater and favorite team.  Plus, I do understand basketball.   Maybe they can come back next year.

In the past month, I have also taken a fall in the yard after helping The Husband with some yard cleanup.  Right, doing yard cleanup is rare for me but it was a pretty day, I thought I would help. No good deed goes unpunished.  I feel literally flat on my face, bruised my nose, scratched my glasses, and sored up my already sore muscles.  But...I recovered.  Obviously, I was not standing firm in the yard.  😞

However, as I type this, I can report to you some happy news.  After a spring break week of potty training that began quite shaky, The Grandbaby has been dry for close to a week now.   Amazing, especially with the drama that has happened with this specific training.  Where do toddler girls learn the girl drama?  Wow.  The Grandbaby stayed with me on Monday as she always does.  She had not mastered the technique very well this past Monday.  It put her in such a bad mood so Monday became a very long day.  She only played with 2 puzzles all day long.  The rest of the time she was "cold", didn't want to go potty, and just wanted to sit in my lap.  Which is all right but I have to move every now and then.  I even offered to put her a quilt on the living room floor and let her and her dolls lay there for television watching but she told me "Neema, I need somebody big to lay with me".  Well, this Neema can't get up and down off the floor.  (See the second paragraph of this post.)   Near the end of the day, her disposition improved a bit.  I was sitting in "my" chair with her sitting beside me doing the two puzzles as she likes to do.  She began to sing.  There's nothing that gets my heart as much as hearing a little one sing.  She cut loose with "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound...that saved a wrench like me...I once was"--and then she made up her own remaining words, doing the high and low notes (or in her world, loud and soft means high and low).  No one had taught her Amazing Grace, she had just heard it at church and remembered, at least the first two lines.  Not bad for a three year old.  Then I did ask her to stand in front of me and sing it again so I could record it and she did.  This Neema tried hard not to cave from her firmness in the pottying just because The Grandbaby gave a wonderful sweet rendition of Amazing Grace.  It was really hard to stand firm.  Now I'm happy to report that The Grandbaby is mastering the technique more and more and more with each passing day and I think she's beginning to really like the concept.

Standing firm in areas of strong belief and in moral life can sometimes be very hard when it really shouldn't be.  Maybe that comes with age, too.  I'm still learning how to stand firm.  Does it mean just staying away from the problem or does it mean approaching it head on?

I had a situation that put me to really thinking and considering on Tuesday.  A neighboring older couple have been dealing with the husband's illness now for quite a few years.  He has been treated in various ways for cancer.  A recent surgery made them very hopeful.   These Christian folks pray and trust and believe in the Lord for their best.  He received bad news from his recent surgery....the doctors feel his cancer has morphed into another kind.  Instead of the hopeful feeling given to them after surgery, it was a complete turnaround.  Then I heard of another friend's husband who had cancer and some treatments and he got a good report that garnered praise from them.  She said to me,  "God is so good".  So I began to consider, was God only good to the couple with the good news and not good to the couple with the bad news?  Both couples are believers in Him.  After my consideration, I decided He was good to both.  It all involves faith and trust.  No matter what one is going through, the Lord has promised the same to us all.  He will meet our needs in times of plenty and in want.  He will never leave or forsake us.  He will love us unconditionally.  He will do so much more.  More.  So yes, He's good to both and He's good to all of us.  We pray according to His will and His will is perfect.  Sometimes that's hard to grasp in any situation, but we can stand firm in Him.

As I considered this morning, it occurred to me also that this Sunday is Palm Sunday which begins the week leading to my most celebrated day of the year, Easter!  Hallelujah, He arose!  I'm going to try to begin some writing for the whole week as I have done in the past.  It may involve some of the same thoughts I've had in the past, but I encourage you all to begin reading about that week leading up to the resurrection.  The Girl made me a t-shirt that I have been wearing several times this past week.  I love it!  It speaks volumes.  Here's a picture...

The first day I wore it, I thought to myself, what would I say if someone asks me what it means?  I got a huge blessing just thinking that I have loved Jesus my whole life, believed in him for salvation 54 years ago, and proven Him over and over and over.  I would tell them simply about Jesus.  I have come way too far with faith in Him to change my thinking and believing now.  He is a part of ME!  I will stand firm.

So tune back in next week and use the week to remember and put what Jesus did for us in your "rememory" (as The Grandbaby says).  And remember to stand firm!

Consider.

MORE

Today has been a beautiful Sunday.  There's just something about Sundays that is different.  Or at least it seems different to me.  I like the Sunday kind of different.

Time and time again I stand amazed at how my heavenly Father knows exactly what I need.  Spiritually, I mean....and all the other ways too.

For the past couple of weeks I've had something on my mind and in my heart and I have found myself longing and wishing and even praying for more of HIM.  Jesus.  The heartbeat of my spirit.

My Sunday School class has been studying Philippians.  If you read my blog and pay attention, you know that Philippians is one of my very favorite Bible books.  I can read it over and over and still get something new from it.  Today the teacher began by saying, "When one is saved, is that all there is?  Sure salvation takes you to heaven, but until then, is that ALL there is or is there MORE?"  Well hallelujah, there's my thought for the past couple of weeks.  More.  Of course there's more, but only if we as Christians want more.

The lesson went on and the teacher talked about being a citizen of heaven.  I'm telling you, the Spirit of the Lord was so real in that Sunday School class.  There were "Amens" from all around, there were tears of joy, there was the kind of filling of the Spirit I know that I needed.  Amazing is my Lord.  I found myself rejoicing that I, too, was a citizen of heaven and by golly, The King knows me by name!  Can I hear an Amen?

I continue to pray for more of Him.

When I'm discouraged, give me more of Jesus.  He is the encourager.

When I'm sad, give me more of Jesus.  He really cares.

When I'm happy, give me more of Jesus.  He loves to hear his children rejoice!

When I'm afraid, give me more of Jesus.  He assures me to not fear and he is there.

When I can't understand why things happen that happen, give me more of Jesus.  He is the faithful one who knows all.

When I am sick, give me more of Jesus.  He's the Great Physician.

When I've sinned, give me more of Jesus.  He knows how to discipline and love me at the same time.

When I seek wisdom, give me more of Jesus.  He is the wisdom builder.

When I need to be strong, give me more of Jesus.  He is my strength.

When I am unsure of the future, give me more of Jesus.  He's the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

When my heart overflows with HIS love, give me more of Jesus.  He's the one that my soul rejoices in, praises, and loves.

More.  Just give me more of Jesus.  How do I get more of Him?  I seek him through praise, prayer, conversation (yes we talk on a regular basis as friends talk),  and His Word.  More, just give me more.

"Rejoice in the Lord always:  and again I say rejoice!"  Philippians 4:4

Consider....

A-Z

So a few weeks ago I volunteered to teach the joint Adult classes for youth day.  No, I am no longer young and yes, there was a young person scheduled to teach but had an unavoidable conflict.   Since The Son-in-Law was in charge of the day, I decided to be a good mother-in-law and help him out.  The topic I got on my mind was The Bible A-Z.  Let me tell you....there are tons of options in this topic.

I decided to share with you my lesson.  The purpose is to give you food for thought in your own quest and study.  Here is mine that I had on that particular day.  Enjoy!

A — Answer—1 Peter 3:15:  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. ..

B—Blessed—1 Chronicles 4:10:  And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast and that think hand might be with me, and that thou wouldn’t keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!  And God granted him that which he requested.

C—Contentment—Philippians 4:11:  Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

D—Devil—Ephesians 4:27: Neither give place to the devil.  Ephesians 6:11:  Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  James 4:7:  Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

E—Everlasting—For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

F—Fear not—Isaiah 41:10, 13:  Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness….For I the Lord God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

G—Glimpses of joy—James 1:2-4: My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

H—Heaven—Revelation 21:23:  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.  Revelation 21 & 22

I—If—Isaiah 1:19: If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword.

J—Joy—Nehemiah 8:10:  The joy of the Lord is your strength.

K—Knowledge—Proverbs 2:3:  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seek her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

L—Love—John 3:16:  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

M—Mercy—Micah 6:8:  He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

N—Name—Exodus 33:17:  And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that hast spoken; for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

O—Opportunity—James 4:17:  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin.

P—Prayer—1 Thessalonians 5:17:  Pray without ceasing.

Q—Quiet:  1 Thessalonians 4:11:  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.  James 1:19:  Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

R—Renewal—Isaiah 40:32:  But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.

S—Strength—Psalm 18:1,2:  I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.  The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, My strength, in whom I will trust….

T—Testimony—II Timothy 1:12:  For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

U—Understanding—1 Kings 3:9:  Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge the people that I might discern between good and bad….

V—Vigilant (and Victorious)—1 Peter 5:8,10:  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour—(But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.)

W—Wisdom—James 1:5:  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  

X—“Xamine”—(okay, this one is a slight stretch) 2 Corinthians 13:5:  Examine yourselves…

Y—Yield—Romans 6:13—Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Z—Zeal—Ecclesiastes 9:10:  Whatever thy hand findest to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest.

Consider.......

ALL HABIT BREAKING SHOULD BE THIS EASY

The Grandbaby loves her pacifier.  And yes, she's old enough to not love it anymore.  The Grandbaby is only allowed to have it at bedtime and upon awaking in the mornings.  This is except, of course, when she sleeps over at Neema and Poppa's house.  The mean Neema doesn't have a paci.  Or doesn't allow the one she has to be seen.  You determine which.

For all of you who read my prior post yesterday, you will recall that my extended household suffered flu last week and some of us unfortunately are still in recovery mode.  Namely me.  And you will recall my houseguests for the week were The Girl and The Grandbaby while The Son-in-Law was out of town.

With the terribleness of the flu, a big effort was made to rid of germs and keep them from reinfecting.  That meant Winnie-the-Pooh and Princess toothbrushes had to be trashed along with the paci that had been used regularly.  The Girl, when driven for the mid week pediatrician's visit and trip to the drugstore, bought a new one.  The new one was not exactly like the old one but as close as could get. The old one was trashed.  I know this because I trashed it.  Here's a farewell look at the "my little star".  RIP.

The night came and so did the question from The Grandbaby....paci?  The Girl told her the paci was on the counter clean and ready.  The Grandbaby found it, eyed it and contemplated.  Then she reached, picked it up, and put it in her mouth--immediately to bring it right back out with a nasty facial expression and a loud "EEWWWW....I like not that paci."  She took it out and tried it again and even louder "EEEWWWW....I like not that paci."  I looked at her calmly and said, "There are no more paci's here.  You just go on to bed and go to sleep."

And that's exactly what she did.  And what she continues to do each and every night.  No paci!

Now can potty training be so easy?  PLEASE?

BRUTAL

Today marks one week since I have been out of my house.  I think I will be wearing regular clothes today instead of pajamas.  Maybe.

A week ago this past weekend, The Grandbaby got suddenly sick.  High, high fever.  Lethargy.  Pitiful.  A trip to the urgent care showed no strep and the assumption was that the problem was either flu or virus.  She remained sick all weekend.  The Girl made her a pediatrician's appointment for Monday morning.  The diagnosis remained the same and time hopefully would send improvement.

Later on Monday, I began with a fever.  I went to the doctor immediately and tested positive for flu Type A. The doctor told me to go home, stay with The Grandbaby and send The Girl to be tested.  The Girl tested negative.   I got worse quickly and spent the next day in the bed.  So so sick.

The next day The Girl began with a fever.  That night The Grandbaby began with a high fever again.  The Husband took the two of them back to the pediatrician on Wednesday morning and The Grandbaby did test positive for flu Type A.  She continued being sick until Friday. The Girl had a mild case thankfully.  The bulk of the sick fell to The Grandbaby and me.  I understand better now when folks say the flu is really hard on senior adults and young children.  They ain't lying.

Oh, did I mention The Son-In-Law was out of town all week on business?  All us sick folks were here at our house.  The Husband was a rock.   He must have watched Pocahontas a dozen times in those four days.  And yes, all of us with the exception of The Grandbaby took Tamiflu.

I have had the REAL flu two other times in my life--once when a teenager and once about 35 years ago.  If you tell me you have had the flu and felt bad a day or two, I will argue that you didn't have the REAL flu.  I don't know how long it's going to take to recover totally.  My diagnosis came on the heels of a bad case of bronchitis and sinus infection AND a week of intestine/adhesion flare along with that.  My immune system, compromised on a normal day, really was compromised the past month.  It ain't been fun.

During one of our 30 minute times of feeling a bit better, The Grandbaby and I had a mani/pedi session.  I thought you might enjoy seeing that.  It's the only time in my life I've ever had my nails painted lellow.  I gave The Grandbaby rainbow toenails with princess colors, no less.

The Grandbaby and I stayed home from church together yesterday morning.  I didn't want us giving any residual germs away nor did I want to gather any new germs from someone else.

We cough on but look forward to a recovering week ahead.  Surely.  At least there are rainbows even if they are on little toenails!

THE GIRL'S BIRTHDAY

I began my week this past Monday morning with a continuing bout of bronchitis and sinus infection and before the morning was over had added a dreaded adhesion pain and flare.  I won't get into it all except to say that it's been a hard week for me and my health.  I even felt entitled on Wednesday to wallow in a bit of self-pity.  After wallowing a bit, I got myself in line and moved on with my week.  I must practice the faith I preach.

I ended the 5-day week tonight with a good dose of blessings.    It was on this day 38 years ago that our family of two became a family of three.  Yes, The Girl enjoyed a birthday today.

We didn't have much then and don't have much now but we had the three of us together and a whole lot of love.  This was our first Christmas.

Our little girl gave us one delight after another as a child and continues even now with each passing day....a blessing.

This is a preschool picture back in 1986....a blessing.

Her love of playing the piano delights us each and every Sunday...yet another blessing.

Even though she was an only child, she made friends.  Here are two that still live with us today....Susie and Amy.  Amy is the one with the head injury.

The Girl always studied hard and treated others nicely.  She always made us proud.  This picture's purpose is to show you how The Girl looks in shorter hair AND how much The Husband and I have changed.

The Girl followed her heart to The Son-In-Law and then along came The Grandbaby.  Blessings continued on then and continue on now.

We celebrated tonight as we have the other 37 years with gifts and sugar free ice cream cake.  From the smile of The Grandbaby, she's learning birthday fun, even when it's not her own birthday.

The Girl's gift included matching shoes for her and her girl.

I have always prayed for The Girl at various stages of her life and the Lord has always supplied.  I often just stand in awe of the wonderful woman this little girl has grown to be.  I've watched as she has excelled in school and work but most of all, but most importantly I've watched as she excelled in life.  Sometimes that hasn't been easy.  She has endured living with diabetes and she has endured much fear in her life.  She has shown courage and grace.  Through it all, if possible to be more so, she has become stronger, kinder, more tolerant, and more loving.  I learn from her each day.

I guess the best wish I could wish for her and The Son-In-Law is that after 36 more years, they will be able to experience the feelings about their little girl that I have experienced on this night.

So to the girl who made me a mama and a proud one at that, happy birthday!  Your parents love you more than you can imagine.