He Will Stand

If you've watched the news at all lately, I think you would agree with me that everywhere there is turmoil. 

The middle east is in crisis, although that's nothing new.  The weather is strange.  Earthquakes in Oklahoma?  The city of Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis, well, I'm sure you all know about the unrest there. So many people are sick.  So many people are hurting. And our own government is, in my opinion, a disaster unfolding.

I am unsure of what to do in times of turmoil.  I pray.  Of course I pray.  But there are times our prayers go unanswered, at least in the way we want them to be answered or in the time frame we want them to be answered.

But of one thing I am confident. 

MY REDEEMER LIVES.  And as it says in Job, in the end HE WILL STAND UPON THE EARTH.

One day He will right every wrong.  He will comfort every hurting person.  He will make all things new.

So today as you read the newspaper or watch the news, don't worry.  Your Redeemer lives.  And He hasn't forgotten His children.  Put your trust in Him. 

Senior Citizen Discount???

I need a red dress.

I am going to a dinner Saturday evening, and I have to wear red.

I don't own a red dress.

Frankly I only own ONE dress, and it's blue.  I bought it to wear to graduation three months ago.

I do not wear dresses.  Or skirts.  I don't own a skirt.  Really, I don't.

See, I'm trying to lose weight.  Actually I've been trying to lose weight for a long time.

Six years ago I lost 30 pounds.  I've put most of that back on.

So I don't buy clothes.  I mean, I only buy clothes when I have to 'cause I'm waiting to lose the weight before I buy new clothes. 

I've actually adopted a new lifestyle recently to help me get back on track and lose weight.  And someday I'll tell you about it.  (I've lost two pounds!)

But wait, I'm WAY off track.

Anyway, I need a red dress.  So last night I went to buy a red dress.

This is not the season for red dresses.  They are hard to find.

I finally found one that didn't look horrible on me.  I took it to the register to pay.  And the lady said "I'm gonna cheat a little here and say that you look really good for 50 so that I can give you our "Senior Citizen Tuesday" discount of 10%."  I looked at her and said, "I am 50."  She said "Wow, you don't look 50.  But since you really are 50, you get the 10% Senior Citizen Tuesday discount."

SINCE WHEN DID TURNING 50 MAKE ME A SENIOR CITIZEN????????????????

Empty Nest

Still can't believe that my husband and I are "empty nesters." 

I mean really.

I've heard that phrase for years, but now, I AM an empty nester.

How did that happen?

What does that even mean?

Here is a picture of our daughter taken four years ago on her first day of her freshman year of high school.  

Today, she started her first year of college.

Our handsome son is all grown up, graduated from college, owns his own home, and has a real job.

And our world is completely changed.  We've gone from a household of FOUR to a household of TWO in just three short months.

Thanks so much for all your prayers for us on Friday when we moved Alex to college.  I truly felt that, and was able to really hold it together pretty well.

And I thank you for your continued prayers for our son and daughter as they embark on new stages of life.  My heart's desire is for them to stay close to God, and be happy.  That is what I pray for every day.

And I really am looking forward to seeing where God leads me in this next stage of my life too.  Because that's what it is for me . . . a new stage.  I am excited!!

Tomorrow . . . . . .

Tomorrow is a day that I have dreaded all summer long.

Tomorrow we will wake up early, load the cars, and drive two hours south.  

Tomorrow, we will take our beautiful daughter, Alex, to college.

Tomorrow afternoon we will drive home alone, just her dad and I.  Yes, there will be tears.

Tomorrow night she will sleep in her dorm room.  I wonder if she will rest.  Will she be excited, nervous, scared??

Tomorrow night before I go to bed, I will walk into her empty bedroom next to ours.  Yes, there will be more tears.

Tomorrow night I will go to bed and pray, just like I always do, for God to watch over both of my children and keep them safe.  I will pray for God to lead them and guide them in every aspect of their lives, and in every decision that they make.  I will pray for my children to resist the temptations of this world, and always keep their hearts close to Him.  But tomorrow night's prayer will be a little more emotional.  Because tomorrow night's prayer will require some extra faith on my part.

Tomorrow I would appreciate your prayers for our family as we experience one of the most natural, and yet unnatural events in life . . . dropping a child off at college.

Tomorrow, I will leave a piece of my heart in another town.

Tomorrow is almost here.

Beachin'

Well, after being gone what felt like FOR-EVER we are back from our trip.

Oh my goodness, I don't even know where to begin.

We had such a fantastic time.  I mean A FANTASTIC TIME!!!

Thank you all for praying for a safe trip for us.  I felt your prayers, I really did.  The hurricane stayed completely away from us, we had blue skies and sunshine, just perfect weather.

We did some snorkeling on Grand Turk.

What a beautiful island!

The Dominican Republic was gorgeous!

And the island of Curacao was just breathtaking.  

The beach in Aruba was just gorgeous.

Yep, that's me, with my friend the stingray.  Gibbs Cay, Turks & Caicos

As always, the pictures just don't do it justice.  I know you understand.  Pictures just can't capture the color of the water, the blue of the sky, the smell of the sea breezes.

To say we had a ball is a huge understatement.  I wish I could post all of the pictures I took and really go into detail about all the places we visited.  But it would take waaaay, too long, and you probably wouldn't want to read it anyway!! 

I will say that we had an amazing week of mother/daughter time.  I will also say that we were both ready to be home.  We missed home. 

You should also know that, as beautiful as the islands we visited area, there truly is no place like the good old United States of America.  Our country is blessed beyond what we deserve, and you only have to travel outside of the U.S. to see it.  Yes, this country has its problems, and if I were in charge I'd do an awfully lot of things differently, but we truly are the greatest nation on earth.

So as I pulled down my dusty gravel road, got out of the car and smelled the all too familiar aroma of turkey manure I smiled to myself and said under my breath . . . there's no place like home.