Christmas 2009-

Christmas!! What a wonderful time of the year...to think Jesus Christ was willing to come down, to come as a babe, to be the Savior of all who would accept Him. I am so thankful that He is my Savior, and I belong to Him. As it says in the Heildelberg Catechism,, Q:"What is your only comfort in life and in death?"
A: " That I am not my own, but belong, in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ."
What a wonderful comfort that is, to know that He is "God with Us"; all the time, if only we would remember that during the 'bad times'.
The picture at the left is a wall hanging that my daughter Barb made for me, out of the ties of my husband. Notice the cross, and the dove at the top. Thank you, Barb! I have it hanging in my apartment. What a great memory for me.
Christmas can be a difficult time when you have lost a loved one, but then we must remember that our loved one is with Jesus and someday we will meet Jesus, and all those we have loved who have gone on before us.
But, Christmas is also a joyful time...when we remember the gift God has given to us, and then we can give gifts to those we love, and those who don't have much. There is much joy in giving....
I am thankful that God is in control of the world, of my life, my children's lives, and grandchildren & great-grands...
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for good and not for evil; plans for a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Thank you Lord Jesus, for this great gift of salvation, and that you have a plan for all of us.

My Hubby-my love

Today was a good day- and tomorrow I will go golfing with my friend It has been years since I have golfed....too many. My dear Jerry wanted to go golfing again so much, but he was just to tired to golf. So it was rather bittersweet when I got my golf-clubs out...all dusty; but still looking pretty good considering it has been about 5 years that they have been standing in the garage. Jim and John helped me get them on my golf cart------that was very dusty too...wipe it off, and then get the clubs on. I could hardly remember how that went, because....Jerry and I always used a golf cart the last years we golfed. Then- where are my golf shoes- OH! what a mess they were... cobwebs, dust, etc. but took them in the house, cleaned them up and will use them tomorrow. They cleaned up really well....so now if I can clean up on the golf course, after many years of not playing....course I wasn't that good anyway, but we always had a good time.
It will help me get in shape for Colorado too-----good exercise! Jerry would be so pleased to know that I am doing this....'
Tomorrow someone comes to look at my condo- perhaps a buyer? Time will tell......I get a little impatient wanting it to sell, and yet it is still my home. My God will get it done when the time is right. So I trust in Him to take my impatientness away and just TRUST!
God is so GOOD! TO ME!!!

The picture is at Ottawa Beach, a couple nights before he lft for the army. 1953

Living by Faith -2009

The beautiful thing about this adventure called FAITH is that we can count on JESUS to never lead us astray. ............................."Charles Swindoll" …….This is a beautiful quote- one that we should always remember. Sometimes that is hard to do when you have lost a loved.......not really lost, but has gone on to their heavenly home. But it feels lost to the one left behind. The house is quieter, the 'power' to the TV is in MY hand, no one to bake for except me; and lets face it - I don't need it!! Meals are quiet, devotions are done alone; but I’ll then I have to say "Lord, lift me up and help me stand by faith!!  on Heavens table-land." These are words ifrom an old hymn, and are a comfort to me. Went to the funeral of my daughter's mother-in-law today, and it brings back memories again. Of course, the memories are always there, but sometimes they are tucked away and that is good. But the memories are soooo good-they keep you going. 

    Spring has finally arrived, and with a lot of sunshine and warmth- it is Wonderful!! The days are longer, and I must start walking to get in shape to go to Colorado with my son, Peter, and his wife and two of his daughters.. Alyssa and Abby.  I look forward to spending that time with them, and seeing God's handiwork! I have never been to Colorado and I am looking forward to that, too. A new adventure for me-  I did things I had never done before….it was a super trip!

Wonderful time of relaxing,  and finding out the bears got into the honey mmm

An afternoon of reading

Today I spent the afternoon reading /finishing the book I was reading. It was a good read-"Home Another Way" by Christa Parish. It was about a young woman who had a lot of anger in her lfe....she had led a hard and fast life, and had isolated herself from the love any person would try to give her. She said she hated her father- for reasons which she thought had happened (not abuse).....Her father dies, and leaves her some things. There was a box that he had stored a lot of things in, and they were things of her childhood that he had saved during the time that he had not seen her, about 16 years. One of the things in there was a piece of paper- with white handprints on blue paper. They were her hand-prints from when she was about 4 years old. Under the hand-prints was a poem, and I would encourage parents to save the things their children make because it is so precious to read some of them when you (parents) get older.. Here is the poem:

Sometimes you get discouraged

Because I am so small

And always leave my fingerprints

On furniture and walls.

But every day I'm growing

I'll be grown some day

And all those tiny handprints

Will surely fade away.

So here's a little handprint

Just so you can recall

Exactly how my fingers looked

When I was very small.

So all you Mom's and Dad's get those little handprints on a piece of paper, or whatever, and save them for the day you want to think about those years that went by too fast! 

Celebration

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday-..where were all those people who shouted 'Hosanna!'; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord? ...Where were they when Jesus was arrested? How soon they forgot............
After church tonight I go with a group of people to our annual Palm Sunday Hymn Sing. We have been doing this for at least 50 years. When we started it was all couples, and now there are serveral of us who are widows..You wonder where the time goes..seems like yesterday that we were all there. It's a wonderful time of singing, and of course good food- we all bring something, and that's a big help. What a joy to sing all the songs- old and new ones- We usually end up by singing "The King is Coming"!
Jerry and I missed a few of them, but usually we managed to be home in Michigan to be with our friends and join in lifting up our voices in song!
May this be a thankful time for all of us - thinking on what Jesus did for us!