Be Strong and Courageous

Happy 13th Brithday Princess Emma...   Goody bags for the girls, cut out cricut style :) Emma was kind enough most of the day to let Addy hang out and play and even help blow out the candles. For a craft the girls each decorated a notebook to take home, they all signed the back of Emma's it was a pretty simple craft but it kept them occuppied for nearly and hour and half.

 I cannot believe how my girls are growing. Emma is 5 days from being  a full grown teen ager --- 13 that is.  As well Addy is only 2 months from leaving the toddlerhood days and trading them in for full girlhood. Where has the time gone. Heres a little look a back.

Beloved's Bride: A Simple Solution : "“Homemaking is an art, and you have the privilege of expressing and developing all your talents there in a little place called home. You get to build…beautify… organize…create…fuss…express yourself. You get to read and study and grow and master nutrition, finances, horticulture, design, wardrobe, etc. And you also get to shape your children, to give their precious lives a bent toward God. To nurture their souls with the good things of God. To pass on the truth about Jesus to one more generation. And to do so means you’ve got to be dedicated, organized, and a woman of purpose. And you’ve got to have the spunk and energy to follow through on all the dedication, organization, and purpose that answering God’s high calling to homemaking requires.” –Elizabeth George, A Woman’s High Calling"

So it has been 2 years since my brother's funeral service and the words of the chaplain still stick in my mind when I think of him; "he only had to lose sight of tomorrow".  In the past 2 years I have watched the devastation of suicide rip through 2 other families. With both cases I was thrown for loop of emotion. The loss of anyone is great, and suicide just heaps on hurts and frustration by those left. I know that great depression had plagued the others as well as my brother, and that truly saddens me.  I know that my HOPE for a tomorrow lies in my relying on God. I know that my journey of moving forward has been driven by the caring for others the past 2 years, and I know that God has made it possible to miss my brother with out being angry at him.  Today as Thanksgiving is being celebrated by many around our nation, I just want to thank the Lord Jesus for His strength and provision every day.  

All month long I have been posting thankful thoughts on facebook, and just thought I would share. Day 22 - thankful for a husband willing to drive me to Costco this afternoon so I do not have to go out the rest of the week ;-) Day 21 - today I am thankful for the blessing of a healthy family. As I watch many families deal with cancers, diabetes and many other illnesses; I thank them for the way they express such pure love for God even in the midst!!! day 20 - thankful for our home & our heat, baking all day helped. ;-) day 19 - today I am thankful for my marriage 16 years in the making of what is a beautifully blessed union between My MAN and His LOVE, alongside Our LORD. Day 17 - I am thankful for Keith's days off even if they fall midweek, love spending time with my man!!! Day 16 - For the opportunity to volunteer at the book fair - to see children eager to read!!! day 15 - thankful for my oldest daughter, who is passing all her classes even the advanced...

Winter Snow Song - Audrey Assad with Chris Tomlin