Time sure does fly. You blink and a three years has gone by. Tomorrow, March 12 is not only my husband Ron’s birthday but also my dad’s third heavenly birthday. Three years ago tomorrow we took him to the hospital, fully expecting to bring him home. After all, his momma lived to be 101, bouncing back after many trials. It’s true that God’s ways are not our ways. When God calls us home, we will go.
We have handled his loss well because we know we will see him again. It was a “see you later” knowing he is with Jesus now. No more cancer, no more pain. But I sure do miss him.
Today when I was outside changing the garden flags, I walked to the back fence and smile. There in full bloom was the tulip tree we planted almost three years ago in honor of dad. He and mom have a beautiful one and I love their tulip tree. When dad died, I asked Ron if we could plant one. It blooms around the time of his heavenly birthday each year. Our upstate South Carolina soil is red clay. It’s not the best for growing things but we were extra careful mixing in some peat moss and good soil in the large hole we dug. I wanted to make sure it had the best chance of survival. So far so good. Each year it’s grown a bi more and has more blooms. Seeing those blooms today put a smile in my heart.
Grief is the oddest thing. Memories come all the time of treasured moments over the years. I was a “Daddy’s Girl”. I could talk to him about anything and he would listen and give sound advice. He enjoyed a good game of Skipbo with the family. We used to have four generations around the table playing that card game. He and his momma were sharp players and they both played to win. I recently found Skipbo online and downloaded it on my iPad. It’s a fun card game but nothing compares to the memories when we all played it together.
Dad and his Momma playing Skipbo
Tomorrow is also food pantry day. Mom and dad both volunteered at the Fort Mill Church of God food pantry for years. Eight years ago I started volunteering with them there. Dad would swing by and pick me up to take me with him and meet Mom there. He would always stop by and get me and mom a cup of tea: sweet for mom and half and half for me. I miss him when we are volunteering. Seems like he should be in the next room praying for the clients as them come in. Mom still does that and I help pack the food boxes.
Most of all I miss the talks. He was a very generous man who loved his family well. His generous spirit and legacy lives on in us all. In honor of my Dad, this blog is for you. Oh and one more thing Dad… Forrest is doing so well and your great grands are showing the Kenley genes. My goodness. When I see pictures of them I see your boy. I know you would love that. Mom sure does. Shes doing very well too, a strong woman. Love and miss you always.
Me and dad on the way to volunteer at the food pantry
This is going to be a little different. Today the verse of the day on YouVersion is Psalms 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”(NLT). I have many favorite scriptures but this whole chapter really touches me every single time I read it. Today was no different.
Today as I read the whole chapter yet again, I thought about each verse. I would like to put the chapter here and comment in italics on each verse and how it touches me. You can meditate on scripture and let it sink deep down in your soul to nourish you from the inside out. Let’s get started.
Psalms 139
1 “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. (This is so awesome. Nothing is hidden from God. It’s like we are bare in His presence. Everything is within His sight.) 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. (Sometimes we think our thoughts are safe as long as they aren’t spoken or acted upon. But God knows even our thoughts. Imagine that.) 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. (WOW the sovereignty of God) 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. (This means there’s a whole lot of silent prayers going up. A whole lot of Lord help me.) 5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. (This is so incredibly comforting. Knowing I’m surrounded by God brings such peace.) 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! (The sheer magnitude of God is mind blowing.) 7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! (Praise God. I never want to be away from Gods presence.) 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. (Always with me, everywhere I go) 9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, ( He is always with me. When I’m in an airplane I marvel at the Heavens and the clouds. When I’m at the beach, the wonder of His creation moves me.) 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. (I’m in awe of you Lord.) 11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— (I will take the Light of the Lord any day over darkness. Who would want to hide from the Lord?) 12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. (Amen) 13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. ( Being born with my vision problem, this verse especially touches me. Nothing is surprising to the Lord. He is fully aware of every cell in my body. That is so awesome.) 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. (He is the potter, we are the clay. He makes us unique for His purpose and glory. Thank you Jesus.) 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. (And you said It is good.) 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (Isn’t that so amazing?) 17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! (Oh yes and I sure would love to know those thoughts He has towards me. I want so much to please Him and be used by Him.) 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! (That is so beautiful. I love the mornings and my quiet times with the Lord. I have a picture on my wall that says”In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.”) 19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers! (Yes. The evil in the world is troubling. It will be one glorious day when this battle is over and the enemy is forever destroyed.) 20 They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name. (That sure does burn me up. One reason why I don’t care for media and Hollywood.) 21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? (I honestly have a hard time hating. Im always looking for the silver liner.) 22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies. (I certainly do despise evil.) 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. (This is my hearts cry everyday.) 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”(Yes Lord. Correct me for I know you discipline those you love. Guide me always in the way I should go . For your glory lead me Lord.) Psalms 139:1-24 NLT)
You can do this with any scripture. Meditate on it and watch transform your hearts. Apply it to your life. The Bible’s isa map for life and daily living.Take the time to read it and let it change you for the glory of God.
My fixed elephant tail and my processor that stopped beeping.
We all occasional break things and reach for the super glue. Sometimes the glue works, other times it doesn’t. In the last two weeks my husband Ron has fixed one of my favorite pair of shoes,a ceramic bird and my favorite baby ceramic elephant. I still don’t know how its tail broke off. Last Wednesday I saw Ron with his super glue working on my elephants butt. Somehow its tail broke off but he managed to fix it.
Technology is a different story. Today while I was prepping my Bible study notes I send to the girls in our Bible study group, out of the blue my cochlear implant processor began to beep. There was a series of three beeps that happened over and over. It was like it was being programmed but I had no idea why. I turned it off then back on, but the beeps continued. I changed the battery twice but that didn’t work either. I also tried disconnecting the bluetooth feature from my iPad, but it still kept beeping. Oh my word! It was so annoying but I could not fix it. Ron was taking me to my friend’s house to help her cook for the homeless ministry. While in the car, I e mailed my audiologist. The beeping finally stopped but I still have no clue what caused it.
People matters can be a whole different issue. I love human nature and how personalities click or clash is intriguing. People mess up. That’s just a fact of life. People hurt your feelings and you have to forgive and forget. Some have an easier time with that than others. Someone recently told me about a situation where they were at fault and it caused issues in a relationship. They told me they just could not fix it. I said, “Have you apologized” The answer was yes. I then asked, “Have you prayed about it” People don’t always think to pray about situations. The fact is, God can work in the hearts of all involved. Sometimes you’ve got to swallow your pride and admit you did something wrong. Sometimes people look at the same thing from a completely different angles and can’t see eye to eye on something. Oftentimes we just have to let it go. Learn from the situation and move on. Live, learn, let it go and move forward.
Tonight at the Rice N Beans outreach in Rock Hill, Ron struck up a conversation with a man waiting at the bus top. I was standing there with them but I could not understand the conversation. The mam had good eye contact. Ron did sign just a little bit of what he said so I could follow a bit. The man has been through a lot. He was my own age. Ron was trying to encourage him. All the sudden I found myself speaking about God giving joy in the midst of hard things. Ron asked him if he knew Jesus and he said yes. As Ron talked with him, I said a silent prayer that God would open doors for this man.
Life happens. Things break and people mess up. Sometimes you can fix it, other times you can’t. In the midst of it all, God is working. You might ask how. God is always at work behind the scenes. In the most troubling times, He is at work in the hearts and circumstances. Keep praying and keep trusting God. We humans can really mess it up when we take things into our own hands. It’s wise to acknowledge Gods sovereignty and surrender to Him. He can bring beauty from ashes.
As my friend and I were preparing the food today, we also talked about our upcoming Bible lesson. This next lesson is on Elizabeth, John the Baptist mother. She and her husband Zacharias had prayed for years for a child, but they still had no children. They probably assumed that God had said “no”. In reality God was saying “wait”. His timing was perfect. It warmed my heart to be reminded that God hears my every prayer. When it seems He is saying no to my requests, it actually is yes to His best. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (NLT)
Do you have something in need of fixing? If you find you cant fix it, you can always prayer about it. God has ways of working things out. Give it to Him and trust Him to bring out the best. You are loved more than you will ever know. Be blessed.
f you liked this blog post please subscribe and share. I’m thankful for this gift to share when God puts something on my heart. You can find my autobiography Rooted by the Water on Amazon. (Hard cover soft cover, and e-book formats.) I pray it gives you great hope and courage to surrender to Jesus. He is all you really need. All for the Glory of God.
This afternoon I was going through my notes app and noticed I made an entry on September 5, 2023 with the title “Cycles” and Psalms 106. That was it. I had written nothing else in that particular note. Often times a topic will come to mind and I will enter it with a scripture to come back to later. This is one of those cases.
Cycles? Why would I want to write on that topic? Call me odd, but I find the cycles of human behavior quite interesting. People start something, then they stop, then they start again then they stop…. Over and over it goes. Bad habits come into the picture. Sin comes into the picture. Speaking of sin, humanity is stubborn! Oh my goodness. I’m reading through the Bible again and right now I’m in the book of Exodus. The Israelites were SOOOO stubborn. Wow!
Psalms 106 really sums up Exodus pretty well. Let me share some verses here but by all means go read it. Let’s start with this: “Like our ancestors, we have sinned. We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly! Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds. They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them. Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea. Even so, he saved them— to defend the honor of his name and to demonstrate his mighty power. He commanded the Red Sea to dry up. He led Israel across the sea as if it were a desert. So he rescued them from their enemies and redeemed them from their foes. Then the water returned and covered their enemies; not one of them survived. Then his people believed his promises. Then they sang his praise. Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel!” Psalms 106:6-13 (NLT) Do you see the cycles?
We modern day people aren’t much better. History tends to repeat itself. We are born in flesh and sin. We are all in need of the salvation Jesus freely gives. Without the help of the Lord, the cycle of sin keeps repeating itself. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 says, “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”(NLT) We have a loving God who willl forgive us when we truly confess and repent of our sins. Jesus gives us the victory over the cycle of sin.
This week my Bible study group is starting back up with our weekly study. Our lesson this week is on Bathsheba. So many life applications to learn from her and King Davids mistakes. One of the points of study is “Faith after failure”. King David wrote Psalms 51 after the prophet Nathan had called out Davids adultery with Bathsheba. It is such a beautiful cry of a true repentant heat. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. But when we do, may we always genuinely confess our sin, agreeing with what God says is right and wrong. May we change and surrender our desires to Jesus for His direction. I absolutely love Psalms 51:10-12,“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.” (NLT). God can use even our mistakes for His glory. Oh the beauty of the ways of the Lord! Psalms 51:17 tells us, “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” (NLT)
Surrender to Jesus and let him break the cycle of sin in your life. He is more than enough. If you liked this blog post please subscribe and share. I’m thankful for this gift to share when God puts something on my heart. You can find my autobiography Rooted by the Water on Amazon. (Hard cover soft cover, and e-book formats.) I pray it gives you great hope and courage to surrender to Jesus. He is all you really need. All for the Glory of God.
Ever had times when things left you awe stuck and amazed? Recently I finished reading through the book of Genesis in the Bible. I’ve read this many time but this time the story of Josephs life hit me differently. It’s one thing to hear teaching on a few verses at a time, and a whole different thing to read the story though and get a full picture. Not only that but God can give you new insight each time you read something. You can come away with something fresh.
The incredible magnitude of God’s faithfulness in each affliction Joseph faced in his life had me in tears. From being thrown into a cistern by his jealous brothers, to being sold as a slave by those same brothers, being thrown into prison unjustly, to rising to the second highest in Egypt…..God was steadfastly faithful in each and every affliction. As I read with tears rolling down my cheeks, I said, “God you are SO faithful”.
How many of us can say that we don’t complain in the hard times?Anybody? I know I can’t. I do try to always see God’s ways in whatever I’m enduring but many times I fall flat on my face in that regard. Each time Joseph put his faith in God, in the midst of his trial. Each time God faithfully provided Joseph with favor to endure, even thrive through it all. There are so many lessons we can learn from Joseph’s life.
Today as I wrapped up the book of Genesis, Joseph’s father Jacob died and Joseph’s brothers are afraid that Joseph’s anger will come out from being treated so wrongly so many years ago. From a human perspective, Joseph’s brother’s had it coming. But watch how Joseph responds to his brothers after their father’s death. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.” Genesis 50:20-21 (NLT) Wow! Such amazing grace and forgiveness!
The grace and integrity Joseph showed throughout his life is something we should strive for. To develop the ability to trust God in the “land of affliction”. May we trust the sovereignty of God and trust He is working it out according to His purposes.
Sometimes the trials, afflictions or tests last a long time. May we learn to be fruitful for the glory of God through it all. May we learn to say “Yes Lord I’m going to praise you through this storm.” The song Yes I Will just came to mind. I will see if I can attach a music video at the end of this blog.
Praise God through it all! Learn to forgive those that hurt you. You might need to even forgive yourself. Don’t beat yourself up when you fall short. Confess, repent and then let it go. God is faithful through it all.
You may come to a point where you need to forgive God. I’ve known people who have been angry with the Lord for having to endure hardship and health situations. People get hung up on “Why am I going through this? Why am I STILL here Lord?” Still in the cistern. Still in the prison. You get the idea? God uses those things to mold us. Malachi 3:3 says, “He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.” (NLT). Even Job says the following after his many hard trials, “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.” Job 23:10 (NLT)
Trust God. Trust His sovereignty Read His Word and learn His character. You are so greatly loved. Here are some more verses to learn from. “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)
I could go on and on here but I’ve done enough writing and sharing for the day. Learning from Josephs life has blessed me and I pray the lessons I’ve shared in this blog bless you as well. If you or a loved one are facing a hard time, Hang in there. God is not finished with you yet. He is doing a new thing. He can make a way where there isn’t one. Trust Him. Trust His process. ““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV);. Let’s trust Him.
If you liked this blog post please subscribe and share. I’m thankful for this gift to share when God puts something on my heart. You can find my autobiography Rooted by the Water on Amazon. (Hard cover soft cover, and e-book formats.) I pray it gives you great hope and courage to surrender to Jesus. He is all you really need. All for the Glory of God.
You most likely won’t guess the subject of this blog from the title. I won’t keep you in suspense. An old friend of mine that I used to work with calls all her great-nieces and great-nephews , Greatness #1, Greatness #2 and so on. I love her idea and want to use it as well. Wednesday night Greatness #3 was born in our family. I couldn’t be more excited.
Are you wondering why in the world I’m doing such a “happy dance” over here? Here’s the thing, I absolutely love seeing my brother’s family grow! You see, almost four years ago he was diagnosed with acute leukemia and there was so much uncertainty for the future. Although we trusted and continue to trust our Great God who holds our futures.
Today my brother is three and a half years post bone marrow transplant. He and his family went through such an ordeal and he is now thriving! This makes my heart so happy! Not only that , but he got to walk his daughter down the aisle a couple of years ago and he and his wife now have three grandchildren. What a beautiful miracle and to watch it all unfold. I thank God for these beautiful blessings to witness.
If you, your family or someone you know are going through a difficult time, please don’t lose hope. Put your faith and hope in Jesus. He has proven over and over in my life and my family that He is our “Anchor“ that holds us steady in the storms of life. Be blessed and keep trusting Jesus. Keep holding on.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 (NLT)
Just a few more days and 2023 will be behind us. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a fresh new year. At the beginning of 2023 God dropped the word “soar” in my heart. At the time I had no clue why. Honestly, I’m still not quite sure. The year did seem to SOAR by. It seems like it just started and here we are near 2024.
2023 was a year of growth. God has worked with me on overcoming some fears. I will get to that in a minute. Getting feedback from my husband Ron, I evidently have grown in the area of peace. There is peace in my heart even though life is full of uncertainties. At the end of the day, I am confident in who holds my future and I can say 100% that God is faithful and so so GOOD!
About overcoming some fears, I’m learning more and more that I can trust God with everything. Everything can range from family health issues, fear of inadequacies, frustrations with our culture and how to live a life of humility. The list goes on. I’d like to share two key things I learned this year. There’s a big third but some things involve others and I respect their desire for confidentiality.
Late in the Spring, Ron bought us two “sit on top” kayaks. This was such a surprise that he agreed to buy us two. He is not yet a “Kayak lover” but I have hope. We are only about five or six miles from the nearby lake. Since we used to have a SeaDoo, I’m familiar with the water and area. I feel comfortable as I sort of know my way around.
Truth be told, there is an adventure element because my vision is 20/400. Yes you read that right. BUT I can see enough to do it and I love the water. Respecting the challenges, dangers, my limitations, the unknown and being willing to learn is all part of it. I started out on a two seater kayak but I wanted to be free. Being on a one seater with my limitations is pressing it, but God has given me a sound mind to approach the adventure with sound judgement.
I finally got Joshua, our 25 year old son to go with me. He thought he was going to wear me out, but he was in for a surprise, as my endurance gave him a “run for his money”. He also has a vision problem, however his is not nearly as bad as mine. I let him decide on our destination. He remembered an island way out in the lake, back from when we used to SeaDoo. So we set off. We didn’t know how far it was. All we knew was the general direction. We paddled and paddled for quite a while. Getting a bit tired, I finally told him if we didn’t see the island or reach it within 30 minutes, we would turn around. 30 minutes later we had almost reached the island. Talking about a huge accomplishment. We got out of the kayaks at the island and swam around for a bit and rested. Then we had to paddle all the way back. What an adventure! Perseverance , courage, stamina and sheer will to finish what we started. We made a goal and reached it!
The next big challenge to overcome came about in August. My Bible study group had decided to break over the summer and pick back up in September. Our leader got involved in a small group at her church and told us we could go ahead. I was totally stunned when the girls asked me to lead. I agreeded to try but inside I was like, “Lord are you kidding me? I can’t see the book. How in the world am I supposed to do this?” Truth be told I still feel that way. I know my limitations and God knows His power to work in them. I gave in and let Him have His way. I can’t but God can. I oftentimes feel so inadequate. There is a saying, God does not call the quipped, He equips the called. Wow. Boy am I a testament to that. I’m not saying I’m called, but I have definitely made my inadequate self available. We are going to pick back up in January. I can’t wait to see what God has in store.
The third thing I mentioned which I can’t fully disclose but I can share vaguely. It’s been the latter part of the year. Some experiences we had never faced. God has taught me to trust Him more. He has impressed upon me humility. Putting others before myself even if it costs me. Listening even though it wears me slap out with not hearing very well with my cochlear implant processor. That’s something I hope to get right in 2024. 2023 was not a good hearing year, probably due to menopause and hormonal changes. Who knows. I’m not going to worry about it. I’ve learned to say, God this is all I have, help me to make it be all it needs to be. I can’t hear but I can listen and I’ve done a whole lot of that this year. Listen to others needs and pray, pray and pray some more. God has taught me to speak wisdom over situations and trust Him. So it’s definitely been a year of growth, which has soared in some ways.
Im thankful that God still allows me to put into writing the many things He continues to teach me. I have continued to blog each week during this year. Ron got me a real keyboard that magnetically attaches to my iPad. It makes blogging so much easier to be able to “feel” the keys as I type. Me and touch screens don’t get along. To date there have been 5,210 views. Here are my end of the year stats for blogging. This is post #60 for this year. That’s 40.9K words this year, averaging around 693.4 words per post, reaching countries round the world but mostly in the USA. This is no reason for pride but simple gratitude. I could not do it without God. I wouldn’t even want to try.
God has not yet given me a word for 2024. I’m not sure if He will. I do know I will continue to strive to be empty so He can fill and use me in whatever way He desires. As we bring 2023 to a close I can say it is well with my soul. I will wrap this up with Philippians 3:13-14, “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (NLT)
At this point in life if a song could show my testimony I would choose Itis well by Bethel Music. I will attach the YouTube music video with lyrics below. Be blessed and Happy New Year. May you experience the love of Jesus like never before.
If you liked this blog post please subscribe and share. I’m thankful for this gift to share when God puts something on my heart. You can find my autobiography Rooted by the Water on Amazon. (Hard cover soft cover, and e-book formats.) I pray it gives you great hope and courage to surrender to Jesus. He is all you really need. All for the Glory of God.
Candle light service at Fort Mill Church of God. Photo credit Joshua Hinson.
On this day after Christmas, I find myself reflecting. It’s been the perfect day for it, with rain pouring most of the day. It’s kind of like silent pondering after a busy time of celebration.
After almost thirty years of marriage, raising a son who no longer lives at home, Christmas time has changed a bit. This is also our third Christmas without my Dad. He loved this time of year and would have liked that Mom decorated two trees this year. She always does a beautiful job making her house look festive for Christmas.
We never really know how Christmas will unfold even with traditions. The week before Christmas our son was in Florida and we weren’t sure if he would be back in time for our Christmas Eve plans. With adult kids, you never really know how it’s all going to play out. Thankfully our son made it back in town just in time to join us and Grandma for the Christmas Eve candlelight service at Fort Mill Church of God. This was the church we raised Joshua in. We went there for seventeen years.
As we walked in we saw some familiar faces and got a few hugs. I was surprised that we each got a real candle. Mom signed for me. Well she tried her best as the Pastor speaks so very fast. It was an unusual Christmas Eve service but it was so very meaningful. I assumed we would sing the usual Christmas carols and hear the Christmas story. I was so moved by the worship. We gathered to celebrate Jesus birth and the music Pastor led us in beautiful anointed worship of Jesus our King. The Pastor spoke on Revelations 5. He brought it all together from Genesis to Revelations…. JESUS! We had communion then one by one everyone’s candle was lit as we sang O come let us adore Him. It was one of the highlights of this Christmas.
After the service we drove to Waffle House which is our tradition. Why Waffle House? It’s usually the only thing open but the place was packed. We did find a Mexican restaurant close by and had a nice dinner there, enjoying time with Grandma. We usually also ride around to see Christmas lights but Grandma was tired and Joshua was too. After a short visit at her house we headed home. Joshua spent the night with us.
The very best gift was spending time with our son. He always has a friend or two with him so it’s not often to get his undivided attention. Even though he was tired, we talked for hours. It was like old times and it was pure JOY!
Late Christmas afternoon, we went to Grandmas to meet up with my brother’s family and celebrate again. My two year old great niece was there and she brought such joy and smiles. She took her little baby doll into the study room to “change the diaper”. She had her little diaper changing cloth on the floor. As she looked up on the wall, she saw Great Grandpas golf ball collection and she wanted to see a few. Gigi (my Mom) got several down for her. She placed them on her diaper changing cloth. It was so cute. I know my Dad would have loved that. It’s the little things that bring a big smile to my heart.
So this Christmas is a wrap and it’s “one for the books”. It was wonderful! It’s not about the gifts that were exchanged. What made it extra special was the meaningful candlelight service, long talks with our son and time with family. Those things are priceless. My heart is full and I am truly thankful. I pray you all had a wonderful time of celebration and time spent with the special people in yours life.
If you liked this blog post please subscribe and share. I’m thankful for this gift to share when God puts something on my heart. You can find my autobiography Rooted by the Water on Amazon. (Hard cover soft cover, and e-book formats.) I pray it gives you great hope and courage to surrender to Jesus. He is all you really need. All for the Glory of God.
On this day 110 years ago my Nanny Kenley was born. We were blessed to have her 100th birthday party in the church she went to for the longest time. She passed away at the beginning of 2015 at the age of 101.
Nanny was such a remarkable woman. She loved her family and her family loved her. We have a family text group with 26 people. Today the cousins were talking about her special day: sharing pictures, memories and a video that warmed our hearts. Some of my fondest memories as a child were with her, at her house with all the cousins.
I’ve been doing some searching on Ancestry, trying to put our family tree together. From what I have gathered it looks like she married my grandfather on March 31, 1935. They had three boys in 11 years. My grandfather died at the age of 43. She never remarried because she said she wouldn’t be able to find someone like my grandfather. It takes a strong woman to raise three boys. Her legacy continues to live on in her remaining son, grand children, great grand children and great great grandchildren. It’s such a beautiful thing when we all remember her so fondly.
Nanny was a strong, independent, fun loving lady, and an excellent cook. No body made biscuits like our Nanny. Family meals, Christmas Eve and Easter at Nanny’s were the best. Good food, fellowship and lots of laughter come to mind when I think of her. She was so active. She loved card games and had a sharp mind. In her later years, we would sit around my parents kitchen table, four generations playing Skipbo. She would never let you win. She played well and it was so much fun.
The last few years of her life she lived at a rehab/long term care facility. We would race her down the hallway in her wheelchair. She would get her hair done and put her powder and lipstick on for meals. She loved to dress nice and play games with the other residents. There was a nice window near her bed and she would keep her plants there. There was also a bird feeder outsider her window where she enjoyed watching the birds. I have her cactus which is blooming right now for her birthday. This year it is full of buds that are beginning to open. It always makes me smile when it blooms. Just like her rich beautiful legacy of a life well lived and full of loving memories, that cactus grows bigger each year with more blooms. Tomorrow I will be going up to our attic to bring down Christmas things. I will hang the stocking she made for me when I was a little girl. She started with my name and apparently ended with someone else’s. It says “Sharrot” on my stocking. I have never had it fixed because it is what she made and it is extra special.
So today we celebrate our Nanny. She’s been gone for almost 8 years, but her legacy lives on. She continues to bless us even though she is gone. That’s a life well lived when your legacy continues to BLOOM.
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