My Walk With The Lord

Today's blessings

2010-05-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

Two and a half years ago the Lord blessed me by giving me a car. It belongs to both Jack and I but it was given especially from my Heavenly Father to me as a blessing from Him. Yesterday I was driving home from my Bible Study in Kitchener and was thinking how wonderful it is to be able to drive to the Bible Study.

About 5 weeks ago Jack had an accident in our van and totaled it. Thankfully he wasn't hurt. We were down to one vehicle. The first couple of weeks after the accident we had a rented vehicle. Then we juggled using the car until the Lord provided us with another car. Yes, the Lord once again gave me a car for my use.

Using the car I go to the post office to pick up our mail, to the bank for various reasons, to the grocery store to get groceries, and go to appointments at the optomotrist, dentist, doctor, etc. Occasionally I meet friends for lunch, here in St. Marys and other towns. It gives me a wonderful freedom.

One tremendous blessing from having this car is it allows me to go visit Alysa, Lenn, and my family. I am always so encouraged to do this traveling. It seems to brighten my life and renew my strength.

My heavenly Father keeps showing me in so many ways how much He loves me. My love for Him keeps growing. At times I can feel His arms around me, loving me and telling me to keep trusting Him.

Lunch with Friends

2010-03-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

We have a new restaurant here in St. Marys. It is called Darjeeling Tea Room. I met two friends, Eve and Kathy, from Stratford there yesterday for lunch. The restaurant serves almost any kind of tea that you would be interested in drinking. There are jars with the various teas in them on shelves along one side of the room.

This Tea Room is mainly for women. Men wouldn't be interested in having lunch where beautiful china cups are used instead of mugs. There are tables of various sizes, along with an area with several comfortable chairs with a small coffee table in the middle of the chairs.

It's a great place to come and have a leisurely lunch with your friends. The menu gives you choices of soups and sandwiches. We had a soup that was called "chicken pot pie soup". It was delicious. Their sandwiches include tuna, egg, cucumber and cheese and several other choices. I chose the tuna sandwich and it was very good.

Spending time with friends has always been a blessing to me and I'm thankful the Lord has given me friends like Eve and Kathy to be with and who enrich my life.

I'm Back

2010-03-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

It has been about 9 months since I've blogged. The last week in February I headed south. My final destination was Dallas, but I had plans to stop in Memphis and then Ft. Smith before going to Dallas. I have needed a family fix and the Lord heard my cry and said I could gas up the car and turn the car toward the southern states.

I had planned to drive part way to Memphis, but the day was going so well, that I kept going. By 6:00 p.m. I had gone through Nashville and decided to call Patsy and see if she wanted me Thursday night instead of Friday. She wasn't home from work yet, but John said to come on. So, three hours later I was in Memphis. About 30 minutes before I got there I started getting pretty tired.

We had a great weekend and on Monday I headed to Shirley's. Sunday evening, before leaving Monday morning, we got a phone call from a first cousin on the Long's side. My cousin, Tolice, wanted to know if I was interested in stopping in Arkansas for breakfast. It worked out that she and another cousin, Virginia, would meet me at the Palestine exit on I-40. To my surprise, my sister, Peggy Ann, drove from Helena to meet me there also. We had a great time catching up on the past 50 years. This was a wonderful blessing from the Lord.

My time at Shirley's was spent putting a quilt together, good shopping for bargains, time in Alma with Joy and Shirley at a great store called A-Z, time with some of Shirley's friends on Wednesday evening, and just being together. I'm always refreshed after being with Shirley. She does put a zest into life that is good for all those that have the privilege of spending time with her.

Then I headed to Dallas to be with Lenn, Sarah and the boys. I do love spending time with them. We went to Angela's for supper the night that I got there. She is a lot of fun and is a good cook. The boys do love being with her. The next morning, Saturday, we went to Chuck E Cheese for a birthday party. Talk about a lot of energy. It was fun watching them play the games.

Sunday afternoon we went to a park for their friend, Tonia, to take family pictures of them. It was hard for them to be still, but I think Tonia got a number of good pictures.

Sarah and I found material for some curtains for Andrew and Matthew's room, as well as Robbie's room. I had brought my sewing machine down so I could sew them. They turned out quite nice and Sarah was pleased with them.

Wednesday afternoon we took the boys skating. I didn't skate (I didn't want any broken bones). Lenn took off from work early so he could skate too. Robbie seemed to enjoy just running around the rink in his socks better than having the skates on.
It was hard to say good-bye. Our next time to be together is at Rock Lake, near the Soo. I can hardly wait.

I spent the night in Ripley, Tenn. on the way back home. It was so good to see Kitty and Scott, and spend an evening with them. I do wish that we were close to all of our family. I do miss them.

Thank you Lord for the blessing of being with so many of my family.

Back from vacation

2009-07-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

It has been forever since I did any blogging, so I thought I would get back to it. Monday night I got home after being gone for about 6 weeks. In later blogs I'll talk about what all I've been doing.

Monday evening I flew into Detroit, from Oklahoma City. Jack picked me up and we had a 2 1/2 hour drive back to St. Marys. It was about 1:00 a.m. when we got home. We were both very tired.

It was nice sleeping in Tuesday morning. I did, however, feel like I had been run over by a 2 ton truck and then he backed up on me. Unpacking my suitcases upstairs made a complete mess of two of our three bedrooms. I had left with one suitcase and came back with two. I always manage to collect things wherever I go.

We had a funeral to go to in the afternoon, so I just left things messy. Since we wouldn't be home, I thought that no one would see what our upstairs looked like (thankfully). After the funeral we went to Cambridge (over an hour from our house). We were meeting a friend for supper. So it was another late night.

Yesterday was spent going to Stratford for groceries, gas, and getting my hair cut. Also I had to get back into cooking supper every night. It has been great not having to cook. I got quite spoiled. Last night I stayed up late to get bills, bank statements, etc. in order. I like to keep things written down so we know what is going on in our finances. When I went to bed my mind was still on fast mode, so it took a while for me to get to sleep.

This morning I needed to take the car up to get the oil changed. Since it is very close to "Curves", I decided to walk over and get my exercises done. I was afraid that I might be too tired, but did get it accomplished. It helps to talk with the other women there while exercising, it takes your mind off of what you are doing.

The man from the car dealership drove me home, because they were going to do something else to the car. Just as I was walking up the stairs to my house I realized that I had left the keys to the front door with the car. I usually have another house key with the van keys, but hadn't put them in my purse after getting home. Wayne (man from car dealership) drove me back and I gave them a valet key and got the house keys. I did have a good visit with Wayne during the two trips to my house. He is good friends with our nearest neighbors, does farming, goes camping, etc.

Well, that has been my week so far. I can hardly keep my eyes open, but I'm going to try and not lay down for a nap. I want to sleep tonight.

New Friends

2009-04-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

I am enjoying developing friendships with the women that I've met at Curves and also up at the Friendship Center (Senior's Center). On Monday I was talking with Mary Ann (at Curves). I found out that she lives across the street and down a couple of houses. I was so excited that maybe soon I can be visiting this new friend by just walking across the street. I'm also learning more about these women each time I go to Curves. As we exercise we chat with one another. It makes the exercising go quicker.

It has been wonderful to occasionally meet someone downtown. It gives me the feeling of belonging here in St. Marys. Sometimes you just don't realize how lonesome you are for friends until you start getting some.

We have had some beautiful days the last week and that certainly lifts your spirits. I enjoy going for walks. It not only gives me exercise, but just being outdoors makes me feel closer to God. I know that He is everywhere, but His creation just speaks volumes to me, lifts burdens, makes my heart peaceful. The LORD continues to bring blessings into my life.

A Lovely Restful Day

2009-04-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a while since I last blogged. I've been aiming to get started again, but it is one of those "round to it" things.
I just want to share some thoughts about yesterday.

We have needed to get a new muffler and also new rear shocks on the car. Last week I made an appointment to take the car in yesterday for 8:00 to have them both taken care of. I knew that I could have a ride back home from the men at the garage, but thought I would just walk downtown while it was all being done.

It was raining some, but wasn't too cold (probably in mid 40's). I had on a sweat jacket underneath my Northern Reflection raincoat (I've had this raincoat forever). I got it when having anything from Northern Reflections was "in". The lining is made of flannelette. Of course, you don't want to wear this raincoat when it is hot out because you sweat like the dickens in it.

Also I took my pink flowered umbrella with me that Alysa gave me for my birthday a number of years ago. I had asked her for a nice big one and she found this beauty. I do love walking in the rain (but not if there is thunder and lightening). One other thing I brought with me was a book that my sister, Shirley, had sent me to read. I had plans to find a place to read it.

In December I joined Curves and try to go every day if possible. Since Curves is almost next door to the Pontiac dealership, I decided that I would drop off the car and then walk over and do my workout. That was my first adventure.

The downtown was only about 1/2 mile from Curves. It was cloudy, but wasn't raining yet so I started walking. Besides my purse, and umbrella I also had my bag with my running shoes in them that I wear at Curves. Inside my shoe bag also was my book.

When I got downtown I went to the bank and post office. Then I did a first for me. I went to a cafe called the Coffee Culture. There I bought a diet coke (of course) with a glass of ice to go with it and a great cranberry/lemon muffin. I found a small table and sat and read and drank the diet coke and ate the muffin. It was a wonderful time. Yes, I'm definitely stepping out of my box (a little bit).

Since coming to St. Marys I've been lonesome for "girl friends" here. Going to Curves has been a boost to me because I've gotten to know quite a few women. When I was finishing up my diet coke I looked over and saw one of the women from Curves. I have been thinking about her because her husband died week before last. I said hi and we had a good conversation, the beginning of a friendship. Since I feel the Lord has me here in St. Marys to reach out to the women for Him, I was so happy to see this is developing. The Lord is good!

I had given my cell number to the garage and since they hadn't called yet, I still had time on my hands. I walked through the Salvation Army Store and then decided to see if I could get an appointment to get my eyes checked. There are a few things that are good about turning 65. The Government pays for your eye exam. So I found the office and made an appointment. Of course, the Government does not pay for the actual glasses. While I was there the garage called and I started my walk back to pick up the car.

It had started to rain and I was able to use my umbrella. While crossing the bridge I had to hang onto it for dear life because the wind was blowing badly. I'm seeing spring flowers in so many of the yards and this lifts my spirits so much.

This is a long blog, but I have to tell you the rest of the morning. I picked up the car and decided I wasn't ready to go home. There is a Tim Horton's downtown and I do love their chili. Yes, I went there and got the combo. It has the chili, a bun, a drink(had to have a diet pepsi, the only down in the morning, they don't have coke products) and a doughnut. I read while I was eating. I do enjoy a good book. Then I went to the library next door and used their computer because my wireless was down.

It was a lovely relaxing day. Thank you Lord for this refreshing day.

Thankful Heart

2009-02-18T19:10:00.000-08:00

I'm Thankful to the LORD:

1. Because He hears me when I cry out to Him. He listens and doesn't condemn.

2. He reminded me how much He loves me. I am very special to Him.

3. He reminded me today that He especially wanted to bless me by bringing me to live in St. Marys. He did that for
me.

4. He reminded me that I don't have to perform duties for Him. He wants my heart.

5. Only what He thinks about me is important. I can't be worrying about what others think about me.

6. He is interested in my physical well being. I go to Curves and I love it. I'm making so many new friends and getting in
in shape and healthier.

7. Today I enjoyed having lunch with a dear friend. Thank you LORD for her and our friendship.

8. I drive the car that He gave me a year and half ago. I was able to drive it to see Alysa in the fall and then in January
to see Lenn. He is so good to make it possible for me to see my precious children.

9. He has a plan for my life and I shouldn't be concerned about the plans others have for me. I need to only listen to Him
and do His will.

10. He died for me and holds me safe in his arms.

11. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness to me.

Flower Arrangement

2009-02-13T19:08:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting a flower arrangement for my buffet for quite a while. I just haven't seen anything that just smacked me in the face and said "this is what I've been looking for". I knew it needed to be a low arrangement. When I was at Shirley's (my sister) we were at Michael's Craft Store and I saw a low wooded basket and knew that was what I needed. Then we found some greenery at Hobby Lobby. I still needed the flowers to go in it. I stopped at Hobby Lobby in Jackson, Tenn. on the way home and they had their flowers 1/2 off. I found the flowers that I wanted. Below is a picture of my flower arrangement. I love how it turned out.

Rain, Thawing and Flooding in St. Marys

2009-02-13T18:46:00.000-08:00

We always look forward to the snow going after several months of winter. This weekend it was sunny and warmer (around 32).

Tuesday it rained all day, heavily. This melted a lot of snow, causing a lot of extra water in the Thames River here in St. Marys. By Wednesday morning we had very heavy fog. The fog was due to the cold ground and the warmer air and rain. Schools were closed because of the fog. We also cancelled our Senior's Meeting in Exeter. The fog was bad all day and into the evening.

Thursday morning I went to Curves for my workout. Just behind the back of the building is the River. The River is very high and I couldn't get over the waves of the River. It even had some whitecaps.

The Ball Field next to the River also is flooded.

Our Waterfall usually is between 6-8 feet deep and in this picture it probably is a foot or less.

One good thing it did. It got rid of quite a bit of our snow in the front yard. Thankfully we haven't had a problem with our basement flooding. We are almost two miles from the river. It is wonderful to be free from snow for a few days. I know that it will come again, but I'll take a few days in the middle of winter without piles of snow.

Traveling South

2009-02-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

The Lord has many ways of encouraging us. He always knows just what we need. January 19, 2009 I headed down to Dallas to visit Lenn, Sarah and the boys. Being so far away from them is a hard thing. The LORD worked this out for me and I thank Him for it.

When I drive down it makes it possible for me to visit some of my family on the way. My first day was a long day of driving and it ended with me arriving at my cousin's (Bobbie) house. It is always a joy to be with her, even for just one day. We sat the next morning and watched the inauguration of President Obama. Shortly after that I left to go to Memphis. My sister, Patsy, lives there and I spent Tuesday night with her. We even had time for a trip to Dillard's Department Store and found a couple of good bargains. Yes, she had diet coke for me.

Wednesday morning I left early and spent the day driving to Dallas. The further south I got the warmer it became. It wasn't hard to leave St. Marys because of the mounds of snow that were every where and the expectation that I would hopefully go where there was no snow.

It is so fun to be with Lenn and Sarah. The boys are full of energy and something is happening at all times. Andrew, Matthew and Robbie are so different, from their personalities to their physical activities. Andrew is active physically(very), but he loves to have books read to him, loves music, very interested in numbers, remembers how old a person is, etc. , enjoys watching videos, and is starting to want to play board games. Matthew is the artist of the family. He loves coloring, painting, building projects, finding treasures outside, plus playing outside. Robbie is still developing his personality. He doesn't say many words, but understands everything you say to him. One thing he loves to do is have someone read to him. He brings you lots of books. It also is the only time I could get him to sit on my lap. He certainly holds his own with his two brothers. He drop kicks any ball, has great hand eye co-ordination with a little golf club, bat, etc. All three boys love to laugh and it is a great joy to be with them.

I'm always impressed with Sarah and how she handles taking care of a husband, three boys, cooking, housekeeping and church related things. Lenn is very blessed to have her for a wife and the mother of their children. She is committed to the LORD in all areas of her life. She has a heart for others and makes many sacrifices because of it.

One of the greatest blessings the Lord can give you is to have children. Lenn has blessed my life in so many ways. I love it that he loves the LORD with all his heart. He also loves his wife and boys and works hard to provide for them. It was so fun to see him playing with the boys, and how excited they always are when he gets home. He and Sarah work hard at training the boys as they grow. Lenn has a calming affect on me when I am with him. Another thing I love is to stand next to him in church and sing praises to our LORD with him. Quite often I learn from him through his out look on life and the Christian walk.

All of this to say, being in Dallas has lifted my spirits, made me feel loved. I always feel energized when I come home. Thank you, LORD.

U.S. Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-07T16:10:00.000-08:00

I have spent several hours working on this blog. Several things have kept me from posting it. I've had to change things, then lost things, then couldn't figure out how to get the draft to work and add to it. So, if the sentences are out of order or if the pictures don't come up good, etc. please forgive me. I guess I'm still a work in progress where this computer is concerned.

Thanksgiving was a special time for us. Jack, Alysa, Maddie and Jackson came for the weekend. The first thing we did Friday morning was to go to the library. Alysa and Jackson stayed with the his age group while Maddie and I went upstairs for the older group. Afterwards Maddie and Jackson wanted to check out some books to take home.

Jackson found some Thomas the Train books and immediately sat down to look at them. He was so into reading them.

Maddie also found some books. She has learned to read and it is exciting to see her interest in learning new words and finding out what the stories are about.

Alysa is always a good sport and helped both of them find just the right books.

Jackson had hardly gotten in the door when he sat down and started reading his books. He was so cute sitting there that I couldn't resist taking his picture.

Jack loves to sit down and play the piano. He has composed several songs and loves to play them.

We have a new indoor pool here in St. Marys very close to our house. Jack, Maddie and Jackson enjoying swimming in it. It took Jackson a while to venture down into deeper water, but he finally did. (I have a picture with Jack, Maddie and Jackson at the swimming pool that I have tried to upload, but can't. So, I'll have to just leave it out.)

Sledding is also a fun thing to do in the winter. There is a good size hill close to our house that Maddie and Jackson enjoyed. The hardest part is walking back up the hill pulling the sled.

Maddie is so sweet with her missing front tooth.

Son Jack sat and helped Father Jack learn some things on powerpoint.

One of the most fun traditions we have is for Jack to go to Value Village (in London) and hunt for bargains. He then will have a "mashion show" for us. When Maddie was small she couldn't say fashion, so we have a "mashion show".

It was a wonderful weekend and we do thank the Lord for His rich blessings.

Going to an Auction

2008-11-25T18:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight I went to an auction that a friend was doing. His name is Bob Heywood and he has been doing this for years. His wife, Martha, helps him by doing the paperwork as Bob auctions each item. He has two other men that hold up the items that are for sale while he takes the bids. The auction was held at the community center in Exeter, Ontario.

Bob has been living in this community all of his life. Besides doing auctions, he is a real estate broker. Sometimes when people want to down size to smaller living quarters, they will want to get rid of most of their household items. Bob will have an auction for them. Probably most of the people that were at the auction tonight were 50 and over. There will also be antique dealers that come. They find good deals among all of the "stuff". People that are there to buy will bring empty boxes for their purchases (also they bring newspaper to wrap up the breakables that they buy). Bob has a fun personality and often brings in humor as he sales the items. Having a snack bar where people can get coffee, diet cokes, etc. helps in keeping things relaxed and friendly.

This winter Jack and I went to Israel and Bob and Martha went with us. They are a special couple and they give of themselves to all those around them. They are very involved in Exeter Bible Chapel. Martha helps in so many ways, teaching Sunday School, helping with the finances and computer related things, does nursery and kitchen duty, plus a host of other things. Bob leads singing on Sundays, preaches, leads Bible studies, plays the piano and accordion, takes many funerals in the community. The Lord has blessed us with this special friendship with Bob and Martha.

New Snow

2008-11-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday morning we got up to 18 inches of fresh snow. We had already had 10-12 inches the previous few days. Monday it started warming up and some of the snow has melted. Even if this all goes, we still have 5 more months of snow. Once it is here, we just adjust and get on with life.
Here is our BBQ covered with snow.

Anyone for lunch?

Snow Storms and White Outs

2008-10-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

I would like to know the connection of my teaching a Bible Class on Tuesday nights and blinding snow storms that hit the same night.

Last winter I taught a Precept Study that lasted 6 weeks. I had it every Tuesday night in Exeter. Exeter is about 30-35 minutes from our house. Of the 6 Tuesdays, only one night did NOT have a snow storm. I drove in white outs both ways on 5 of the 6 nights, by myself. Between St. Marys and Exeter is farmland. On both sides of the road you have open farmland. The wind blows unhindered across the road, making it hard to see when it is snowing.

Two days ago, on a Tuesday, I had the first of my Precept class at a home near to Exeter. As far as the weather, it was only lightly misting rain when I drove out of my driveway and out of St. Marys. As I turned on the highway to Exeter, it started to snow, heavily. I couldn't believe it. We have not had any snow and I thought it would be at least November (4 days later) before we would start having snow.

I almost started to laugh when I saw the snow coming down heavily. To top it off I had only worn a light fall coat and had my summer type shoes on. I just have a hard time putting summer shoes and fall jackets away.

I thought the snow might be finished by the time the Bible study was over, but no such luck. Before leaving Jan's house, I found the snow scrapper and cleared the front and back windshield. So, the white out weather is upon us. Once again the Lord will prove Himself faithful in His care for me as I drove to and from Bible Studies.

Jackson in Chicago

2008-10-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

What do think of when you hear the word fuzz? Until two years ago I would never have thought of it in connection to a two year old boy. At an early age Jackson would pull the cotton batting from his car seat and brush it across his face, with his thumb in his mouth. Every time he goes to bed he has to find some fuzz. He hunts until he finds some. His Mommy has a winter sweater that he loves to snuggle into because of the "fuzz" on it.

Today we went to Hobby Lobby and we were looking at a display with Christmas trees. Below the trees was cotton batting and some of it had fallen on the floor. He saw the part on the floor before either Alysa or I saw it. He immediately said "Fuzz" and picked it up. So he held it the rest of the time we were in the store.

Jackson is a happy, delightful little boy. He loves to jump, climb, run, laugh, sing, etc. We went to McDonald's for lunch. Between eating fries and his hamburger he was climbing and sliding in the playland there.

Right now he playing with a toy that sings the alphabet. He is playing it over and over and over again, holding his fuzz. Yes, it could definitely get on your nerves (the toy, not the fuzz).

Maddie in Chicago

2008-10-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

It is always a delight to come to Chicago to be with Maddie. She is a 6 year old and is full of energy, imagination, joy, laughter, etc. Yesterday Alysa, Jackson and I took her to school. I hadn't seen this school before, so Maddie showed me around it and then introduced me to her teacher. There is a beautiful chapel at the school. She enjoys being there every day. She is even learning to do power point on the computer. I only learned to do power point several months ago. It won't be long before she will be teaching me things.

We received a package in the mail yesterday from Aunt Shirley. She knew I was here and sent me several things, but also included some things for Maddie and Jackson. Maddie called Aunt Shirley to thank her for the outfit for her doll, Sophie. She looks so grown up talking on the phone.

Every morning Maddie decides what she will wear to school. Today she also wanted Mommy to put her hair up in braids.

Crane (bird) on the roof

2008-10-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

One day last week we were eating lunch and I looked out the patio doors and there was a crane flying and it landed on the roof of one of the houses behind our house. I grabbed the camera and went outside to take a couple of pictures. It was so unusual to see it sitting on the roof. I thought you might like to see it.

Lunch in Exeter

2008-10-13T08:48:00.001-07:00

The last day that Shirley, Virginia and Bobbie were here we drove to Exeter to have lunch with two good friends from the Stratford Church. Jan and Gail work in Exeter. We met them at Eddingtons at noon. It is a restaurant that is in an old two story Victorian house. We had a lovely time with them over a delicious meal.

One thing Exeter is noted for is their white squirrels. The only other place that I know of that has white squirrels is Olney, Illinois. We drove around Exeter to see if we could find some. There is a small park close to the church and as we drove up we saw two of the white squirrels. We jumped out and began snapping their pictures. I've been wanting to get pictures of them for quite a while, but keep forgetting to take my camera when Jack and I go to church in Exeter.

There were also a couple of tourist stores that we went into. The temperature was around 70, just the right temperature for walking around town. Virginia found a baseball cap with Canada on it that she had been wanting to get for Clyde, and it was on sale. Here is a picture of the four of us. This is a small park right down town. A man sitting on a bench at the park offered to take the picture.

We found it necessary to check out the Tim Hortons in Exeter. Just needed to see if it was the same as all the others we had visited, after getting Shirley and me a diet coke from McDonalds. Exeter is only about 4,000 but has a busy highway that goes through it, so they have a McDonalds.

Circus Peanuts and Outback

2008-10-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

From the time I was a child I have loved Circus Peanuts. These peanuts are a marshmallow type of peanut (not regular peanuts). I can't get them here in Canada, so I asked Shirley to bring me a couple of packages along with some candy corn. Of course, both items are pure sugar, but there are times that you need sugar. She does not like either of these things at all and under protest brought them. Alysa also just can't stand them or their smell. They just don't know what is good.

Bobbie and Virginia both love the peanuts and candy corn. We had to laugh when we opened the package of circus peanuts. Shirley had an awful expression of disgust on her face. She and Bobbie were sitting on our deck and Bobbie was eating some peanuts and I got a picture that I thought would be fun to put in the blog.

On Wednesday night we decided to go to the Outback Restaurant in London. It is my favorite restaurant. I'm not a big beef eater, but I do love their steaks, along with their salad and baked potato. They also have unlimited refills of diet coke in cold frosted mugs. Diet coke is always best if it is very cold when you have it. A must when going to Outback is their blooming onion. It didn't take us long to eat the onion. I heard that calories don't count when you eat it with friends and family.

Jack was a good sport and drove us to London to Outback. He was at the mercy of four women.

Visits to Tim Hortons

2008-10-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

On the way to St. Jacobs Shirley and I needed diet cokes, so we stopped in New Hamberg at McDonalds for a fountain coke. They have my favorite diet cokes. Across the street is a Tim Hortons. Virginia is a coffee lover, so instead of buying coffee at McDonalds, we had mercy on her and drove over to get her some good coffee. It was the beginning of many times going to Tim Hortons. They also have great donuts there, many different kinds of them.

We used just about any excuse to go there. Unfortunately there is one thing that I am disappointed in when I go there. They only have Pepsi products. I must write the owner of it and request they change back to Coke. But I must say, I do love the pastries they sell. Also, their chili is my very all time favorite. You can get a meal deal there that includes the chili, a bun, drink and some kind of donut for only about 6 dollars.

Bobbie found that she really liked the cappuccino. She and Virginia also bought coffee to take back to family members. We used the excuse that we needed to buy more coffee for them to take home several times. Also Virginia bought one of their thermos mugs to take home. One thing about buying this, the first time you buy it you get the coffee free in it. Then she decided that Clyde (her husband) might won't one and she didn't want to be fighting with him over the one she was taking home. Another excuse to go back to Timmy's. Shirley loved the hot chocolate. Jack often gets hot chocolate when we go there.

I don't get family here often, so it was so lovely to be sitting there enjoying an apple fritter (or blueberry fritter) with them, just laughing and enjoying ourselves. Maybe its a girl thing.

Sewing Napkins

2008-10-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

When Shirley and I get together we always have some project that we want to do. We laugh about her keeping all of us busy with various things, but we love all that we do with her. She just doesn't like to sit and do nothing. Over the last year she has made cloth napkins for family members and friends as gifts and so I thought it would be a good idea to make some cloth napkins when she came since they would be here a whole week.

I have a friend that has apple decorations in her kitchen and dining area. I asked Shirley to see if she could find some apple material for us to make some napkins for Cindy (lives in Goulais River, Ont.) She found the material and brought it. She actually found two different prints of apples and brought them both, plus she also found a piece of material that had fall leaves on it that would make beautiful napkins.

Shirley got us organized. She cut the material to the proper size, Bobbie and Virginia pressed the edges of the material and then I did the sewing. We didn't do it all in one day, but spread it out over three days, I think. There were 14 napkins of each of the apple material and 12 napkins of the leaves. The leave napkins Shirley gave to Virginia.

One thing that turned out great was that my friend, Cindy, and her husband and son actually were coming for a visit two days after Shirley and the girls left on Friday. I was excited to be able to give her the napkins so soon. Cindy loved the napkins. She and Ron left this morning to go back up north. I'll include a picture of Cindy in this blog.

Another thing Shirley likes to do is bake. We had some bananas that were getting old so she baked some banana bread. The recipe has cream cheese in it and is very delicious.

A Family Visit

2008-10-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

I always look forward to family coming for a visit. On October 3rd my sister, Shirley, and a cousin, Bobbie, came for a week's visit. They brought with them a friend of Shirley's from College, Virginia. Shirley lives in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Bobbie lives in Nashville, Tennessee and Virginia lives in Memphis, Tennessee. Shirley left Ft. Smith on October 1st and drove to Memphis to Virginia's and then on Thursday drove to Nashville to Bobbie's. On Friday they left Nashville and drove 700 miles in one day to get here. It was a very long day for them. When you are traveling with others the time goes quicker, plus they had a book on tape they listened to (Yes, I know you don't end a sentence with a preposition, but it just works sometimes.)

St. Jacobs is a Mennonite community and is always a great place to take visitors. On Saturdays they have an outdoor market that is interesting to walk through. We got up Saturday morning, ate breakfast and then left to go there. It is about an hour and 10 minute drive. At the edge of town there is a peanut shop called Picards. (Unfortunately I forgot my camera-so no pictures of it.) We love stopping there because they sell all kinds of flavors of peanuts and have samples of all of them. Some of the flavors are ranch, dill pickle, salt and vinegar, BBQ, salsa, etc. You can make a lunch out of eating peanuts.

From there we went into the small town to walk through the different shops. I was a little disappointed because some of the shops there were changed and clothing stores were in their places. Anyhow, there were several shops that were the same. My all time favorite store is called The Weathered Gate. It has beautiful dishes, decorations, purses, candles, etc. in it with good prices. If I am looking for a gift for someone I usually can find it there. Since it was Saturday and nearing the end of tourist season, it was very busy every where we went. After going through the shops we drove down to the outdoor market, which is about a mile from the edge of town.

There are two big buildings at the market that have crafts, meats, baking, crafts and a great deal of other things. Outside you could buy fruits and vegetables, maple syrup and more crafts. A number of the Mennonites were there selling their items. It is interesting to see them in their outfits, and to see the horses and buggies they drive. There was a long line up for lunch most places there, but we found a little restaurant where we got a sandwich, and good fries and of course, diet coke for me.

More to come in other blogs.

Hockey Night in St. Marys

2008-10-01T19:33:00.001-07:00

Tonight we went to the arena here in St. Marys to watch the grandson of our best friends (from Goulais River) play hockey. He is 13 and it was so fun to see him out there skating and body checking. At this age they are good skaters and handle the puck pretty good. The game was exciting to watch. They were playing against a team that is one level higher than them. It is always good to have these games to help you get better. Last year Rene's team won a Silver Stick Tournament, which is very important.

Between the 2nd and 3rd period the Zamboni came out on the ice to clear it. The ice gets pretty gouged up during play by the skates. This reminded me of a joke I heard years ago. "How did the Newfe (not sure how to spell that) get killed while he was fishing? A Zamboni hit him."

Precept Seminar

2008-09-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I attended a Precept/Women Alive Seminar held in St. Jacobs. Anything to do with Precept I enjoy. My friend, Donna Chapman, had emailed me about it and said she was going and several of our friends from Guelph were also going. It is through Donna that I started doing Bible studies using Precept materials.

The Seminar registration was at 8:30 a.m. It was hard to get up at 6:00 a.m. for me. No one should have to get up before 7:00 in the morning. St. Jacobs is about a hour and ten minutes from St Marys, so I felt I needed to leave shortly after 7:00. Jack had given me a good idea where the church was located in St. Jacobs, but I wanted to leave plenty of time in case I couldn't find it. He is pretty good at remembering where everything is located and he gave me good directions.

There were to be four women that were teaching sessions during the day. We chose one and stayed with her for the four sessions. I chose Darla Walker. She has a personal ministry called Her Hope Communications. The sessions dealt with the life of Joseph and were very profitable. We also had special music that was very uplifting. During the time when we were all together, Ruth Coghill challenged us in memorizing Scripture. We worked on Psalm 8 together.

It was great to spend time with Donna and to find out about the Precept classes that she is teaching this fall. She is teaching Psalms at Guelph Bible Chapel and at St. George's Anglican Church. Also she is teaching one of the Lord Series Studies at the Chapel. She has been teaching for almost 20 years and has touched hundreds of women with the Word of God. I'm very thankful that she has been part of my walk with the Lord. She has encouraged me and challenged me in my ministry for the Lord. Because of her I started teaching Precept classes.

Senior's Retreat at ABK

2008-09-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

Last fall Jack was asked to speak at a Senior's Retreat in September 2008. The Retreat was to be held at Camp Aush-Bik-Koong. Starting in 1976, we worked at this camp for many years and made a lot of friends from Sault Ste. Marie to North Bay. It has special memories for us. Our children grew up going to that camp. They worked there during their teen years and loved it.

Two weeks ago we attended the Retreat and had a great time renewing friendships. Many of the couples there we hadn't seen for a number of years. Jack spoke on "Finishing Well", using the book of I Timothy. He did a very good job, challenging us to continue in our walk with the Lord, finishing well what the Lord had begun when we were first saved.

The program directors were Ted and Marg Windle. Ted kept us running on schedule, led the music, provided entertainment and games. Marg added so many extras for us, including having Tea and Crumpets two afternoons with beautiful China teacups, flowers, tablecloths, etc.

Dave and Shirley Lawrence were the cooks and they did feed us well. They are faithful in serving the Lord as Commended Workers with Brethren Assemblies. They certainly made the extra effort in cooking for us. We had homemade rolls, pies, cookies, etc. I think we all ended camp a little heavier than when we came.

One special memory I have is the time we spent singing worship songs to the Lord. As I looked around the room at these people that we have known for over 30 years, these believers that have weathered the storms of life, my heart could only praise the Lord. There we stood, singing to the Lord we love so much, Who has been so faithful to us, Who has held onto us through all kinds of difficulties, sorrows, troubles. There was a special bond between us, the Lord's love and faithfulness. Our God is an awesome God.

There was another thing that touched my heart deeply. One of the women there was a retired missionary. Her name is Pearl Winterburn. She served in the Congo for about 50 years. We were sitting at her table at lunch and she was talking about the Lord and His blessings. One thing she talked about was when she came home from the mission field. Her health wasn't good and she had been in the hospital. When she came out of the hospital they put her in a nursing home. She said the first day she was there she went to her room. When she got there she lay on the bed sobbing, wondering why the Lord had put her in this position. She didn't want to be there at all. As she was crying a knock came on her door. It was a young woman that worked there. Her words to Pearl were "I heard you were a missionary, could you tell me about God." Can you believe how quickly the Lord heard and answered her plea. Pearl said at that instant she knew why the Lord put her there and she started praising the Lord. It was all I could do to not cry, realizing what Pearl had been going through and then seeing how wonderful the Lord's plan for her is. She is still a missionary, even in the nursing home. The Lord has given her a burden to reach these women that don't know the Lord, that have so little time here on earth. Pearl is about 90 years old and is still used greatly by the Lord.

Jack has been asked to come back next year as the speaker. We look forward to our time there again. I'll include a few pictures of the campground and it's surroundings.

I love Bargains

2008-09-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

Every morning I have a bowl of honey bunches of oats for breakfast. I'm always hoping that the grocery stores will have them on sale because I won't pay 4.50 for a box of cereal. Last week Foodland Grocery Store had them on sale for 1.66 a box. That is a good price for them, but I was able to get them for less. About a month ago I was at another grocery store and saw some coupons for 75 cents off of a box of honey bunches of oats. I grabbed a bunch, just in case I might see them on sale before the coupon expired. The expiry date was Sept. 30. With the coupon I got the cereal for 91 cents a box, an all time low price for me. I'm enclosing a picture of the 14 boxes of cereal that I got. I'll be enjoying my cereal for several months.

Another bargain I got was some cookie sheets that I needed. The regular price of one is 16.99. Canadian Tire had them on for 5.00 a piece. So, for less than the price of one I got three. Yes, I am a bargain hunter and love it.

Corn Roast

2008-09-08T17:13:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday night we went to the Wagler Farm, close to Stratford, Ontario. Dave and Kari go to Cornerstone Christian Fellowship (where we attend) and once a year, in September, they have a corn roast and invite everyone from church to come. We bring chips and cookies and they provide the rest. Everyone is to come after 4:30.

The days are getting shorter, but still it doesn't get dark until after 8:00. As you can see by the pictures, everyone pitches in to shuck the corn. Dave has a big pot of water boiling on the fire for the corn. If you add hot dogs, salads and finger foods to the meal, it gets pretty good.

Sitting around outside, eating is the best way to get to know people and to catch up on what has been going on during the summer. The children also love it. They get to run free. After the meal, Dave got his tractor and wagon and the children with some adults went on a hayride ( I'm sorry that I didn't think to get a picture of the wagon). I was too full to think of much by that time.

Kari's father provided some fireworks this year, which was a delight. Also, one of the high school boys had been to camp and had learned a presentation having to do with small lights and Scripture. It was very good and the message of salvation was very clear. This corn roast is a good time to invite unsaved friends and family.

The Lord has richly blessed us with many friends in this Church. It was a good beginning to the new fall season.

The LORD my Rock

2008-09-06T07:28:00.000-07:00

Trust is a very difficult thing at times. It seems when circumstances of uncertainty, fear, loneliness, discouragement, etc. surround me, my trusting in the Lord's care, protection and provision for me can be doubtful.

My heart's cry to the Lord is that I will memorize Scripture and fill my thoughts and being with it so that even though there are storms around me, I will have His peace. I want so much to dwell in the safety of His love and faithfulness to me.

The past few months I have been reading and studying a devotional book called "Praying the Names of God" by Ann Spangler. I can's say enough about this book. Using Scripture, she defines and describes each name. She makes it personal, including prayers and thoughts on how it can be applied to our lives.

Recently Jack and I were in northern Ontario. Everywhere you look you see rocks, from pebbles to the hills that are made of rock. The Lord is call "my Rock" numerous times in the Scriptures. He is also compared to a rock. In the Bible rocks provide shade, shelter, safety in the wilderness. They were used to construct altars, temples, houses, and city walls. God's commandments were written on stones.

In II Samuel 22:2-4 David says, "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation...."

Two favorite verses of mine are found in Isaiah 26:3-4 "Thou will keep him in perfect peace because he trusts in Thee. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the rock eternal."

The Lord promises to be my faithful eternal rock and I do praise Him for His faithfulness. Even when I have doubt He remains faithful. II Timothy 2:13 "...He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself." Isn't it wonderful that His faithfulness doesn't depend upon us.

Frogs, Frogs and More Frogs

2008-08-25T08:38:00.001-07:00

Being at Rock Lake with our children and grandchildren has been wonderful. All five of the children love the water and the fun they could have being at the Campground. The pictures we took give us memories of this time together. I thought I'd share a few pictures of the frogs that they caught and held onto for a time.
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Maddie is the official frog catcher, but her brother and cousins caught on quickly and loved holding them. Here are a few pictures of them. Also Andrew caught a dragon fly (I think that is what we call them).

Jonah praying toward the Lord's Holy Temple

2008-08-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks here at Rock Lake, I have been studying the book of Jonah. In chapter 2 Jonah is in the belly of the fish. He calls out in distress to the Lord for help.

In 2:4 there is a phrase that I have read numerous times and never really thought about. It is "Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple." When doing inductive study of a passage, one thing you are encouraged to do is to compare Scripture with Scripture to understand what is being said.

II chronicles 6 was given as a cross reference to this verse. It never ceases to bless and amaze me how rich the Word of God is. In this chapter King Solomon has finished building the temple and he has come before God and the children of Israel to offer a prayer of dedication to God, to bless the temple.

Solomon wants only glory and honor to come to the LORD through this temple. He reminds the LORD of the promise He made to David about his sons sitting on the throne if they will walk in the LORD'S law as David did.

But here is the added dimension in this prayer that I didn't know about, that blessed my heart. II Chronicles 6:20,21 "That Thine eyes may be open toward this house day and night toward this place of which Thou hast said that Thou would put Thy name there, to listen to the prayer which Thy servant shall pray to this place. And listen to the supplications of Thy servant and of Thy people Israel, when they pray toward this place; hear Thou from Thy dwelling place, hear Thou and forgive."

In the following verses Solomon is specific in listing different situations in which the people can cry to the Lord. He even includes foreigners in this privilege of praying to the Lord, toward the temple (and the city). verses 21,26,29,32,34,38.

The heart cry of the people praying toward this place includes repentance, returning to the LORD, confessing His name, turning from sin, etc.

There is the realization in this prayer that God cannot be contained in a building, v.18. The LORD will hear from His dwelling place in heaven, vs. 21,23,25,30,33,35,39.

Solomon's prayer is answered by God in II Chronicles 7:12-16. He says "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. Now my eyes shall be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually."

Now I'll quote the verse in Jonah 2:4 again. "Nevertheless, I will look again toward your holy temple." Isn't the Word of God rich. Jonah turns his eyes and heart toward Jerusalem and the temple and prays to the Lord and the Lord hears him. He prays a prayer of repentance and the LORD hears him.

The Holy Spirit stirs my heart to continually praise the Lord for His care of me and His love for those who turn from their disobedience to Him. Bless the LORD, O my soul.

One more verse. II Chronicles 5:6 "I have chosen Jerusalem that y name might be there and I have chosen David to be over My people."

Gull Lake and Maddie's Birthday

2008-07-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

Every year since Maddie has been born we have been able to go to Gull Lake, Michigan and celebrate it with her. Alysa's father-in-law lives there on the lake. He is gracious to have us each year. There are a number of things we do each year. One of them is to go to a restaurant for breakfast at least one of the mornings. It is called Frona's.

It is hard to believe that Maddie is 6 years old. She loves the water, frogs, turtles, butterflies, bugs, etc. Doesn't sound like things a little girl would like, but she does. She hunts turtles and frogs with her daddy. They go out on the seadoo(?) to various places on the lake to catch them. It's fun to see her walking by the water looking for frogs and possibly turtles.

This year was special because Jack took the training wheels off her bicycle and she learned to ride it without them. She was so proud of herself and of course we were outside cheering her on. She also is in the process of learning how to use the snorkel when she swims. Occasionally she comes up out of the water sputtering.

Several times a day we go out on the pantoon boat, which I love doing. We cruise around looking at new summer houses. We also go across the lake to a good place to swim.

Jack and his dad get up and go skiing. Jack is a great skier and this summer has taken Jackson with him as he skies. He holds him up and then will let him down on his skies. It is a back breaking thing, but Jackson loves it. It is fun to see him waving as he skies with his daddy. Jack has done this also with Maddie.

There is a bird sanctuary close and we usually make a trip to it. When you pay to get in, you can buy corn to feed the geese and ducks. We went Saturday morning. It was lightly raining, but that didn't stop us.

Maddie's party had to be held inside because of rain. We ordered pizza and of course, had cake and ice cream. She looked so pretty in her birthday outfit. She does love to dress up. She got a butterfly book and a turtle book, a bug watch, a bug vacuum and a number of other fun things.

After opening her gifts Alysa and Jack asked the neighborhood children to come and have a turtle race. Jack and Maddie had caught about 10 turtles for the race. This is the third year that she has had the race. I'll include a picture of the race.

The Lord blesses us in so many ways. Grandchildren are one of those blessings. I'm looking forward to being with all five grandchildren this weekend and making great memories with them.

Filing Cabinet

2008-07-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to finish emptying the boxes that have Jack's files in them. The two 4 drawer filing cabinets are not enough. Two of these drawers have my files in them also.

Friday I was at Walmart in London and thought that I would see what a two drawer filing cabinet would cost. They had some nice wood ones that looked so much better than the metal ones. Usually they cost quite a bit more. As I was looking at the price, I saw on one of them it said $30.00. I decided to check this price, so I loaded it on my cart and went to look for a price check machine. When I put it under the scanner, it said 20.00. I checked it twice to make sure.

There was another cabinet that I liked even better, so I thought I would just check it out. I do love bargains. It was heavier, but I managed to get it in the cart. A woman came by when I was loading the first one and asked if I needed help loading it. I am a senior citizen but do still have some strength left (probably some pride also), so I said no thank you, very politely.

To my delight this cabinet was also 20.00. So I thought why stop at one, why not get two. I had thought I would have to pay at least 40.00 for a metal one. The original price on the ones that I bought was 59.99 plus tax. Just think how much I saved Jack. My sister Patsy would be so proud of me. I not only get two, but they are wood and look so much better. Of course you have to put them together, but I'm up for a challenge.

It took me about 2 1/2 hours to put the first one together. I do like working with the instructions, because if you don't, you wind up re-doing things. Anyway, I'll post a picture of it so you can see what a good bargain hunter I am.

Work in the Basement

2008-07-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

We moved to St. Marys October 2006 to a two story semi-detached house(we called them duplexes years ago). Jack has worked long and hard trying to finish the basement. He put up walls, did the wiring, etc. the first year we were here. Then last fall we put in a bathroom.

The only thing that was left to do was to put up a closet around the electrical wiring panel. He waited about doing that because we needed to put the bathroom in to know where the closet needed to be. Last week he finished the closet.

My job is usually to do the painting. When it comes to driving nails, I can bend them with the best of anyone. One of my goals in life is to be able to drive a nail into the wall with one hit.

Anyway, here are two pictures of the closet, a before and after. I continue to be thankful that Jack is a good carpenter.

Living in St. Marys

2008-07-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

In 2006 Jack and I had a number of changes that took place in our lives. Sometimes you are not sure just what the Lord has in mind for you. Our changes ranged from being finished with the work at the church in Guelph, trying to determine where the Lord wanted us to minister, selling our house, storing our furniture, major surgery for me in the middle of this, and then living at a friend's house while waiting for direction. It was quite a year with many struggles, doubts, and thankfully some victories with the Lord.
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After the surgery Jack bought me a CD by Damaris Carbaugh. I do love her music because it never fails to minister to my heart. One song on it was Jeremiah 29:11. I didn't even know this verse had been put to music. "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." A number of nights I would listen to that song as I was trying to go to sleep. It was a great comfort to me.

It took several months before we knew what and where we were to live and minister. The Lord is so good. He led us step by step. He has us so safe in His hands, even though we think we are just barely hanging on. After looking in several small towns, He directed us to St. Marys, Ontario. It is about 15 minutes southwest of Stratford and about 30 minutes north of London.

St. Marys is around 6,000 people and is a beautiful town on the Thames River. All these names do make you think you are in England instead of Ontario. I'm going to include pictures of St. Marys so you can see a little of what it looks like. We purchased a semi-detached house (we used to call them duplexes) only 2 years old. St. Marys is called Stonetown because of the limestone quarry located here. A number of the buildings are made of limestone. Included in the pictures is the waterfalls that goes through the middle of the town, a walking bridge over the river, the town hall, our library, the water tower, the location of the past grist mill and the downtown area.

There are so many things that the Lord worked out for us. His plans truly are for our good and blessing. I keep thinking how years ago I told the Lord I wanted only to live for Him. Sometimes we don't realize exactly what that involves. He has to strip away so many things in our lives before that takes place. Some things are easy to give up, some it takes a while for you to let go, and then there are the painful things that seem to be ripped out of your very heart.

We are working with two churches now. One is in Exeter and one in Stratford. The Lord has given us many new friends and a new ministry. He has met our financial needs in many different ways. One unforeseen way the Lord has met this financial need is in Jack doing some work on the farm of several men of the churches we attend. He grew up working on his grandfather's farm (which he loved). He has gotten to drive some John Deere tractors, etc. He also has developed some good relationships with men in the churches because of this.

The main reason I wanted to write this blog was to post some pictures of St. Marys. The Lord gives us much more than we could ask or think. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we never had fears about the future. I've found that the one thing in my life that I just can't do without is my time with Him and my studying of His Word. His Word keeps me focused on Him, trusting Him and praising Him.

Canada Day

2008-07-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

The past few years we have celebrated july 1st, Canada Day, with four special friends of ours. It started when we lived in Guelph, Ontario. Our friends are Beth, George, Dot, and Jim.

Beth and George live in an apartment building on the 7th floor. Their living room window (fills the whole wall) looks out over the park. Every year there is a fair in the park with rides, food, live music, plus other things. When it gets dark, around 9:30, there is about a 20 minute fireworks exhibition.

We get there between 4:30-5:00 and enjoy a great meal that Beth has prepared. It is a time to catch up on all the family news of everyone. Jim and Dot travel quite a bit with their trailer and have all kinds of stories to tell. They are in their 70's and are always gone on some adventure. Beth and George go golfing almost every day. Both couples love the Lord and are very involved in things at the church.

After supper we always play games. It is the guys against the girls. Last night we played Mexican train and the girls won, but then the guys beat us in a card game named golf. We do laugh a lot and of course are snacking as we play games and Beth always has diet coke for me (now, that's a good friend).

It's wonderful to be sitting in cushioned seats while we watch the fireworks. There are no mosquitos, bugs, etc. to bother us. We have been blessed through the years to have good friends to share times like this with.

Our yard

2008-06-24T16:30:00.001-07:00

I always look forward to winter going and summer being here. This year it took a little longer. As much as I enjoy flowers, I'm not much on growing them or taking care of them. So, I'm very happy that Jack loves to garden. He grew up working on both grandfathers' farms and loves to garden.

We moved here to St. Marys a year and a half ago and he has slowly been getting our yard in order. The house is a semi-detached house and was only two years old when we bought it. The yard hadn't had anything done to it.

Last summer Jack put in a sidewalk up to the front door and also built a small deck at the back of our house, next to the patio doors. He made a small flower garden adjoining the patio. He has planted several cedar bushes, some perennials and has planted some hosta plants. In the small flower garden he put a trellis with some clematis plants growing up it. The flowers are purple and so beautiful.

At a garage sale last summer he bought two planters for the patio and they look great. Last fall we brought back several trees from northern Ontario for the side yard. They are still quite little, but will grow. They remind us of our 30 years up north and the great friends we still have there. One finishing touch was a maple tree for the backyard that Jack bought and planted. It is a good size and I love it. He is to be commended for all his hard work.

Adventures with my Sister

2008-06-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

When I was in Dallas recently, my sister (Shirley) came down and we spent several days traveling together. We drove to Oklahoma City to see my brother and his wife. Then we drove over to Ft. Smith, Ark. where she lives. Our plans included going to Branson, Mo. to see some of the shows there. We arrived in Ft. Smith Sunday afternoon and then left for Banson late Monday morning.

Driving with Shirley is an adventure. I think she could probably be a NASCAR driver, along with my daughter. She is from the South (which you definitely have to be in order to be a NASCAR driver), can start and stop on a dime (and sometimes does), gets where she is going in about half the time that I can get there, and before you know it she is parked and out of the car--she has things to get done.

It is about 2 1/2 hours up to Branson from Ft. Smith. As we were getting close to Fayetteville (not sure how to spell that) she was trying to remember how to go around it and get to the highway north. I kept telling her that she needs to have a map of Arkansas in the car and then she could know definitely what exit to take. That didn't seem to appeal to her. We did have an atlas of the states and I tried to tell her several times that we were not on the right road. She is always very optimistic and knew she would find the right road, and eventually did. Can you tell that she is the first born and I'm the middle child?

We didn't do badly on the time it took to get to Branson. Just before we got to our motel, we saw the theater that we were going to go to that night. It was only about 1/2 mile from the Motel. I suggested that maybe we could walk when it was time to go. We had been sitting for a while and it would be good to just walk. We were going to see Shoji Tabuchi (a Japanese violinist) at his theater. It started at 8:00 so we left the motel about 7:00. We wanted to visit the gift shop and then go see the women's bathroom at the Theater. I've been hearing for years about this bathroom. I'll include a picture of it. When we got there Shirley went to get our tickets that we had reserved. She got out the sheet that she had written all our reservation numbers on and then realized that we weren't to see this show until Tuesday afternoon. We were to go to see the Presley Family (not Elvis) instead.

One thing we have in common with each other is a good sense of humor. We also can laugh at ourselves. So off we went, laughing, in a hurry to walk back to the motel to get the car. I tried to forget that I was the one who suggested we walk to the theater. Then we had the task of finding the back way to the Presley Theater. In Branson you don't want to go down main street when you are in a hurry. After much ado (yes, Shirley knew exactly how to get there) with a little searching we got there about 10 minutes before it started. My friend, Sharon, had recommended that we go to this show and it was very good. The music was outstanding.

We did go see Shoji Tuesday afternoon and he was great. He also had a small orchestra and dancers that were wonderful. Tuesday night we went to see Andy Williams. Shirley and I were teenagers when he was popular, oh so many years ago. He is 76 and still has a very strong voice. I had my picture taken with him at his theater as you can see. Alright, it is only a cardboard picture of him. The songs he sang brought back many memories.

Wednesday morning we left for Ft. Smith and then the next day back to Dallas. It was a very fun time with Shirley and I love sharing adventures with her.

I'm so proud of myself

2008-05-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

I have officially done two blogs with pictures attached, and am very proud of myself for doing them. The first one my son helped me with, but the second one I did on my own. I had to keep telling myself that I can do this. It took me several tries to finally remember the steps that Lenn showed me, but I persevered. Since I officially will be a senior citizen in June (yes, turning that dreaded 65) I feel that I can boast that even us "seniors" can learn computer things. Of course, my nervous system will never be the same. There is no telling what I will try to master next.

Since I'm so confident now, I think I'll show you a picture I took in Dallas of Lenn and the boys.

Memories of Motherhood

2008-05-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

Once your children are grown and leave home you tend to forget how much time, effort, blood, sweat and tears are involved with having babies and toddlers at home. The memories are there, but maybe you box them up and put them in the closet of your mind. My daughter graduated from high school in 1987 and went to college and then my son graduated in 1992 and went to college and it has been very quiet here ever since. There have been many days I wished that they were home and the house was messy and it was noisy here.

All of this to say I've renewed my respect for mothers with small children, after seeing how much work Sarah does in taking care of three energy filled boys, ages 4,3,1. I've just spent two weeks with Lenn and Sarah and the boys, in Dallas. It brings back memories of the nights that you don't get much sleep, being a peace keeper between the children, thinking at times there is more food on the floor than was eaten, constant washing of clothes,etc. So often after my own children were in bed I'd think "why was I so upset with them today?", they look like little angels now. Of course, the next day I remembered why I got upset with "the little angels".

Even though there is a hugh amount of effort that goes into raising children, they are so worth it. I have such fun memories of the past two weeks. Saturday we went up to Lake Murray in Oklahoma to be with my brother. He has a boat and he wanted us to come and go out on it. Andrew was sitting in the back of the boat urging his Uncle Bob to go faster so the waves would be bigger. He was fearful of getting in the deep water, but finally got on a small floating thing(don't know what it is called) and conquered his fear so he could go with his Daddy to the shore to throw rocks in the water.

Matthew had a harder time on the boat, but once we stopped and Mom and Dad were swimming he would walk to the back with his stick fishing pole and pretend to fish. The stick was another of his "treasures" that he loves to find. He snuggled with his Daddy on the way back to shore. He also loves to try anything he sees his big brother doing. They have such fun together.

Then you see Robbie coming right behind his two older brothers. He is eager to climb on anything, get into the little swimming pool they have, wrestle with them, etc. Since turning one, he is sitting forward in the car seat, eagerly looking out and seeing everything, smiling at his Mom and Dad as they look back at him. He also loves to swim and here he is in the water with his Dad.

It is hard being so far from Lenn and Sarah and the boys. I am thankful to the Lord for the times I get to be with them. They will be coming up to Ontario this summer for a week and I can hardly wait.

My Three Grandsons in Dallas

2008-05-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

I'm having a great time in Dallas with Lenn, Sarah and their three boys (Andrew, Matthew, Robbie). As I watch each of them I see how different God has made them. They have such different personalities.

Andrew is 4 1/2 and looks just like his Daddy, and has the energy his Daddy had at his age. He loves to jump and run and climb. His co-ordination is unbelieveable for his age. I'm not nervous when he climbs on things(at least I try not to be). He seems to know how to do it without hurting himself. I love it when he is serious and is telling you something that is important. My heart just melts when I look at his sweet face and see the innocense of childhood just oozing out of him. He loves for someone to read books to him, loves to laugh. Coming home from eating lunch out today he kept asking his Daddy about motorcycles. One answer led to another question. He continues to love learning about things.

He especially loves quilts and blankets. When he was up at my house at Christmas, he was sleeping in one of the bedrooms with Matthew. I have an end table that has a quilted skirt on it and then a scarf on top of the skirt (the table is round) and then there is the round glass over these two items and a lamp sitting on the glass. After the first night, I was sitting downstairs waiting for everyone to get up and here comes Andrew, carrying the quilted skirt and scarf and he was saying he was very careful when he took them off the end table and explained how he did it. I just stared at him with my mouth open, not quite grasping the fact that he thought it was another quilt that he felt he needed. It also didn't dawn on me that there had been a piece of glass on top of the "quilt" and a glass lamp and to be worried that he could have hurt himself with them until Lenn had gone up to see what had taken place. It all made me laugh. I love making memories with him.

Then there is Matthew who is 3. Sarah and Lenn have told me how much he loves finding "treasures", but I didn't understand fully about this until this visit. It is amazing how he finds money when we are walking with him. I don't think there has been a day since I've been here that he hasn't found at least a penny or nickel when we have been out. He finds other things as well, and always comes home with another treasure. I'm sure he'll go deepsea diving for sunken treasure when he grows up.

I love it when he is talking about something serious. He talks with a deep voice and is ever so serious. You need to watch him also when he is drinking anything liquid. He will drink it until it is empty, usually walking around while drinking. It doesn't matter what it is. He has done this from the time he started drinking from a sippy cup. He follows his "big" brother around and tries everything Andrew tries. He also loves play dough, chalk painting, anything to do with art. Besides hunting for treasures when he is grown, he'll also sell his famous paintings all over the world.

The third grandson is Robbie. He will be 1 this month on the 18th. When I think of him I think of his magical smile that lights up the room. He always is ready to smile and laugh. It is funny to see him at the supper table with his brothers. He wants to enter into what is going on. He talks or yells right along with them, jabbering as if we should understand what he is saying. He also does things to make you laugh on purpose. He has started to walk and every day he is going further. Of course, when he crawls he can really motor. It is fun to see how fast he can get to what he is after. Yesterday his Aunt YaYa was over with her dog Pooky(not sure how to spell that). Robbie is all over him, loving him, and Pooky just lays there and lets him do it.

Children are a blessing from the Lord, especially grandchildren. I thank the Lord that Sarah and Lenn are raising their children to love the Lord. I thank the Lord for His blessings in my life.

Talking on ICHAT

2008-04-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight I did a fun thing. I talked with my brother, Bob and his wife, Gail, and my sister, Shirley, on the webcam. This is the second time that I have gone on ICHAT and done this. Gail has been learning how to use the camera on her computer and last week she helped me get on line and we chatted for about 45 minutes face to face.

Shirley is visiting my brother in Oklahoma City and we talked on the phone earlier today to set up the time to do this tonight. We've been in Canada almost 40 years and have missed being with our families and this is a great new way to feel like you are more a part of their lives. Of course, now I have to worry about how I look before I call them. But I guess they feel the same way.

Shirley has a cat named Bootsie that she takes with her to Bob's, so she had to get her in the eye of the camera so I could say hi. We laughed a lot as Bob kept trying to do things with the computer. He was trying to set up a threeway ICHAT with Gail's computer. Each week we learn new things.

I just can't get over how many blessings the Lord continues to bring into my life. My brother and sisters are so dear to me and now I can see them as I talk with them. Hopefully Alysa and Lenn will be doing this soon.

Maddie's Decorating

2008-04-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

While I was talking with Alysa this afternoon, she was waiting for Maddie to finish her creation out in their backyard. Maddie likes to decorate things. It reminded me of when she, Alysa and Jackson were here during spring break.

We were planning supper and Maddie decided she wanted to set the table and decorate it for us - as a surprise. That's when Alysa and i should have clued in, but we didn't. She wanted to use my good plates, so I got them out of the buffet and put them on the table, but didn't set one for Jackson (he is only 2 and isn't ready for good china yet).

We were told we could wait in the basement, so off we went with Jackson. I think I asked Alysa if we should be doing that, but she didn't seem too concerned.

Finally we went upstairs. When we looked at the table we were quite surpised. The first thing I noticed were my bone china teacups from the buffet (that are 40 years old). She had gotten them out of the buffet. Then next to them at each place (not Jackson's thankfully) were my good white mugs (also out of the buffet-it has glass doors, so you can see all these things in it). As I looked at the mugs, they were filled to the brim literally with water. Not another drop could you have gotten in them. I noticed Maddie adding water to the last mug(she had gotten the water from the bathroom). I know bathroom water is alright, but the thought of drinking it at supper was not too appealing.

There is a scarf that I keep on the buffet, and I set my good teapot on it, that she put on Jack's chair and another crocheted scarf she put on my chair. I had baked some chocolate chip cookies and had them in a large rubbermaid container and she had set that on the table and had put 2 and 1/2 cookies on each person's plate. Jackson immediately got up on his chair and ate his cookies- before we could stop him. She had also set a bowl of artificial fruit on the table. I'm sure there were several other things that she had done, but I can't remember them.

She was so sweet and so proud of herself and had been so careful with everything. We did praise her for the nice job she had done. The only other thing I could bring myself to say to her was to ask her if I could take a little water out of the teacup and mug so we wouldn't spill it when we lifted it to drink from them.

I just talked with Alysa and she told me what Maddie did outside. She had spread out a blanket with pillows on it, so they could lay on their backs and watch the sky and clouds. On the edge of the blanket she had put rocks so the blanket would stay down. She also had brought out some water for them (filled to the brim) to drink. Then there were three chairs together that they could used for a table for the craft that they would be doing. What a wonderful little creative 5 year old granddaughter I have. She lights up our lives and brings us great joy.

Blessed by my Son

2008-04-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Today I'm blessed because my Son has once again helped me get an airline ticket online. All I have to do is ask him to see if he can find a good price and "Presto", he is on the internet searching for me. Once again he has had success. This ticket will get me to Dallas to see him and his family at a very good price. I can hardly wait. He has three energetic little boys that are so fun to be with and a wonderful wife who loves her mother-in-law.

I've gone online before "by mself" and gotten a ticket, but it does take me a while to figure it all out and then find the right airline. All the while I'm a little nervous about it. I think it is "the age factor". I have to keep telling myself that it is no big deal and keep plugging away at working at the computer. I think I'm getting over the fear factor of clicking on something and everything going blank on the screen.

Isn't it great to have children that are always encouraging you to try new things and are there to help you with them. I know my body is growing old (sometimes at a rapid pace) but I don't want to be "old". So, I'll keep learning from both my children and be so thankful the Lord has given them to me.

Piano Practicing

2008-04-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

Since I have written an incident about Alysa, I thought it would be good to write something about Lenn.

When he was 8 he started taking piano lessons. He was pretty good about practicing. Of course when you are first starting out you don't have to spend too many minutes each day at the piano and are excited about learning to play. I'm not sure how long he had been taking piano lessons when this incident happened.

Jack's parents had come up to Thessalon for a visit. Jack and his Dad had gone somewhere, leaving his Mom, Lenn and me at home. I'm not sure where Alysa was. Anyhow, it was time for Lenn to practice the piano, so I got him started at it and went upstairs to do some work. I could hear him playing and when I finished my work and came downstairs I told him he had done a great job.

I thought nothing of this until a year or two later when we were visiting Jack's Mom and Dad in Tennessee. His Mom and I were talking and she started to laugh. She reminded me of Lenn practicing the piano when they were up in Thessalon. She told me that he actually was practicing, not with his hands, but with his feet. She was sitting in the living room with him as he was playing the piano with his feet. Yes, I do have a talented son.

It's Spring When...

2008-04-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

After 5 months of snow, blizzards, rain, ice, etc. we are experiencing spring. It lifts my spirits just to think about spring being here. Tonight I went for a walk (for a whole hour). It was about 65, just the right temperature.

Here are some of the things that I have seen the past couple of days. My neighbor out raking her lawn. There is always a scum over the yard once the snow goes, plus numberous things that have blown in your yard. The next block up there were some boys out playing street hockey. One of them had the whole goalie outfit on. They use small balls to knock around instead of a puck when they are outside. Can you imagine the damage a puck would do outside if it was used. Even though they play indoor hockey all winter, they still love it enough to play it the rest of the year outdoors.

Then there was a girl out on roller blades, two children out riding in their motorized little cars, a mother riding her bicycle with three of her children, couples out walking together, men washing their cars and the list goes on.

I had been waiting to see the first of our crocusus and tonight I saw some next to the houses. There were purple, yellow and white ones. I have also finally seen robins. Now I know that spring really is here. Also I could see tulips and daffodils coming up through the ground.

The city has even started sweeping the streets of all the sand that has been put on the road due to the snow. Everybody gets in on the action. Pretty soon the BBQ's will used and we'll sit out on our patios in the evening visiting with friends.

With Spring comes new life and that's how I feel inside when I am able to get outside and go for walks in the sunshine. As a child, I was always outdoors in the sunshine, playing with friends, roaming the woods. I seem to feel the presence of the Lord more when I'm outside (not that He isn't in the house with me). His creation is so beautiful. Psalm 19 says "The heavens declare the glory of God , the firmament showeth His handiwork..."

A Blessed Sunday

2008-03-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

Just a note to say what a blessed Sunday this has been. We went to Exeter Bible Chapel today where Jack speaks about twice a month on Sunday mornings. We have grown to love the people that attend there. Today there was a pot luck after church. This past Friday night there was a banquet held at the Chapel for Key Bible Clubs and there was a lot of food left over, so we all got to enjoy the leftovers. The fellowship is always better around food, especially when you don't have to prepare it. You also make all kinds of excuses for a fuller than normal plate of food, going up for seconds, trying more than one dessert.

I have made some wonderful friends and do enjoy working with them in the kitchen, laughing over the everyday things that come into our lives. It always seems to be easier and more fun to work in the kitchen at church with the other women than it is to work in my own kitchen, alone. Two of the women have grand daughters the same age as our Maddie (5 1/2) and we share the fun things they do and say. It seems these little girls are more mature now than we were at that age, more aware of what they will or won't wear, etc. What a delight they are to us. Isn't it amazing that as many friends as we each have, there is always room for another friend or two.

Two years ago this month we left Guelph. I had always been involved in the music aspect at church and loved it so much. I was begining to think that part of my life was over. Age and circumstances do change things. But I've been asked to play the piano for the morning service several times and this morning was one of the times. The Lord is good to us.

Tonight we went to the other Church we work with. It is in Stratford, Cornerstone Bible Fellowship. They had two of their men give a report on their trip to Africa. This church encourages their members to get actively involved in going and helping out on the mission field whenever they can. Since the first of the year 2 of their women have gone to Equador and 1 other woman has gone to Africa on mission trips. We truely are blessed to work with two churches that are growing and showing their love for the Lord in their lives.

After Humility comes Piety

2008-03-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I wrote about gaining a little humility. Tonight I thought I would write some thoughts on piety. One definition of piety is "devout fulfillment of religious obliations". Everyone knows that we christians should have piety in our lives. Of course, just when you think you have gotten this piety is when you are in danger of loosing it.

From 1976 to 1985 we lived in Thessalon. We were working with Thessalon Bible Chapel. Alysa was 7 and Lenn was 2 1/2 when we moved to Thessalon. It was a very good move for us and we loved it there. It was a great place to raise chidlren.

The "piety" incident happened one Sunday morning. We usually sat on the right hand side of the church on the back row. Alysa must have been around 9. She was on my right. Instead of pews we had metal chairs. We stood up and sang the first song and then the chairman had prayer (we were still standing). You know how you try to block out the things of the world so you will be ready for the message. I was trying to do this. At the end of the prayer, just as I was opening my eyes, getting ready to sit down, I felt a slap across my face by Alysa. She had started to sit down and missed the chair and her arm went up and caught me across the face.

Can you imagine my first reaction at being hit across the face by my daughter! It wasn't one of piety. All Mothers will know what I was feeling and what I wantied to do to my child. Thankfully this only lasted a few seconds, until I realized what had actually happened. Then I wanted to laugh, but couldn't because my piety would certainly be gone for good.

My Humility and how the Lord helps me get it

2008-03-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

Humor has helped me in so many instances of my life. There have only been a hand full of times that I couldn't at some point laugh about what has happened to me. I credit most of this to my Mother. She loved to laugh . We had a lot of laughs together, from my telling silly jokes to paying games with her to just doing fun things together.

It helps in embarrassing situations to be able to laugh (if you can). There have been two very embarrassing situations in my life that I found it very hard to laugh about, when they first happened.

Music has been a very big part of my life. I sang in the "cherub" choir in my church growing up, the junior choir and the teen choir. Music has continued to be a very big part of my life. In Guelph I sang with the Praise Team and loved it. One Sunday morning I was to sing with the Team. In the group was Jim Smith, Dan Chapman, Janis Woodcock and myself. I think Jean Earls was on the piano. We had practiced the day before and were all ready to do a good job.

Jean played the introduction to the song and we all should have started to sing, but I was the only one to start to sing. For some reason no one else on the team sang a note. Since I had a microphone in my hand close to my mouth, it came out pretty loud. What was so mortifying was the fact that everyone in the church laughed (they weren't being mean, just thought it was funny). Even the other members of the Praise Team laughed. Of course, I didn't think it was very funny (at the time), since it was me that had made the blunder. I was so embarrassed that I could hardly keep going, but I did. It was hard to keep a smile on my face when I was so humbled inside.

The Lord used this in "my process of growing in humility." When I think of His humility of taking on the form of man and laying aside His glory for me, I am humbled. What is my small embarrassment compared to the humility He suffered on the cross, dying for my sins, when He had no sin. His love for me and the world is so great. I do praise Him for allowing things to come into my life so that my focus will be on Him. I thank Him also for helping me to laugh about this now.

My dear cousin is now with the Lord

2008-03-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Less than three weeks ago, a very dear cousin, Bill, died with cancer. Through the years of our childhood, I wasn't able to be with him very often, but the times I was are so special to me. He lived in Tennessee. His father was a farmer and the whole family had to work very hard and quite often had to do without. My Aunt Ruth was a wonderful Christian woman that loved her family and made sacrifices for them. I only have good memories of her, her laughter and her love.

Each time I have gotten together with my cousins we have told the same funny stories over and over and laughed like it was the first time the stories were told. My first memories of being with them is when they lived on a farm only about a mile from Shiloh National Park. A battle was fought there during the war between the states. I always played with Bill, David, and Tommy. Bill is my age. Once when we were roaming the woods, we found a dead bird. We decided to make a graveyard for it and anything else that we could find. There seemed to never be an end to the things we found to do outside and in the barn. At night we would put up a sheet in a doorway, stand in the lighted room and act out stories by using our shadows on the sheet. The other room would be dark. Aunt Ruth would make the best butter and sugar biscuits.

One other visit stands out for me. They had moved to another farm. Mother and my Aunt had gone somewhere, so the four of us went to the back of their farm where there was a small creek, with banks about 6 feet high (at least they seemed that high). There were grape vines hanging from the trees on the banks and we decided we should swing across the creek. Since there seemed to be a little danger to it, we convinced Tommy (who was the youngest) that he should go first. Finally he agreed. Because he hadn't held up high enough on the grapevine, he wound up getting wet. Seeing that he was alright, the rest of us started swinging. What fun we had. Because it was such a hot day it didn't take our clothes long to dry. I think we purposely would let ourselves be drug in the water. Later we found out from Aunt Ruth that there were poisonious snakes that swim in that little creek. The Lord does take care of us.

This past October I was able to see Bill after close to 40 years. We were at my Aunt Lessie's 88th birthday party. It was a precious time for me to renew our friendship and laugh once again about old times. Bobbie, his sister and David, a brother, were also there. How I thank the Lord for the comfort of knowing that one day I will see Bill again. My heart does ache for his family that misses him so. Aren't you thankful that our Hope is in the Lord!

Two Important Memories from Childhood

2008-03-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

During my life there have been a number of things that have happened to me that have helped to mold my character or have pointed me in the direction that the Lord would have me go. I grew up going to the First Baptist Church of Helena, Arkansas. They had a very good children's program. During the school year I went to G.A. (Girls Auxilliary), a weekly children's Bible Club. The summer I was nine I went to camp for a week. The camp brought in missionaries from all over the world. I remember clearly the missionary I heard was from Thailand. I don't remember her name, but remember how the Holy Spirit touched my heart and made me want to be a missionary. From that time on, I wanted to be in the Lord's work. A child's faith is so simple and trusting and wonderful. The Lord has had His hand on me all of my life, and I do praise Him for His faithfuless to me.

Another memory stands out for me. My brother, Bob, had started going to Mid-South Bible College in Memphis, Tennessee and he had come home for a weekend. I was 17 at the time, in the 12th grade. The Baptist Church in West Helena was having evangelism meetings and Bob wanted me to go with him. The speaker was Angel Martinez. He was speaking on John 10. As I mentioned, a child's faith is so simple and for whatever reason, I had always believed (from my salvation) that I belonged to the Lord and was going to heaven. I didn't know verses in the Bible to prove this, however. Anyway, Angel Martinez read and spoke on John 10:28-30 about "Jesus' sheep hearing His voice and He knows them and they follow Him, and He gives to them eternal life and they shall never perish and no one shall snatch them out of His hand. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." I remember the joy that I felt when I realized what He was saying, that no one could take me from my heavenly Father's hand. Driving home I talked with Bob to make sure I understood it correctly. We do have a Mighty and Awesome God!

Thinking Outside the Box

2008-03-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

Getting older sometimes causes you to be more timid about starting new things. I certainly would never have thought about having my own blog, but my daughter loves doing new things and gets those around her involved. I tend to be on the conservative side on most things, so it is good to have a daughter, Alysa, and a son, Lenn, who encourage me to try new things and get outside my box.

Alysa came last Friday and left this morning to go back to Chicago. She loves writing her daily thoughts on her blog site and I have enjoyed reading them. It has motivated me to want to write down things also. Typing them is so much easier and quicker than doing it in longhand. So here goes!