Update

25 minutes ago, my Grandma came face to face with Jesus. I'm envious of her and cannot even begin to imagine what that must be like.
I love you, Grandma, and I will miss you! One day I'll get to see you again!

In honor of grandma....

I just want to take a minute to honor a very special lady in my life...my grandma!
They don't get much better than her. She will celebrate 94 years this January 1st unless the Lord decides to take her before then. It looks as if that could even be this weekend. Her health has declined rapidly in the past several months. According to hospice, it could be any day.
Grandma lived with us most of our childhood years. She is the one who took the time to teach me to cook, to crochet, to sew (when my kids were little I sewed alot of their clothes, thanks to her), and introduced me to the Lawrence Welk show...we watched him every Saturday night.
Most of my birthdays, grandma would make me a baby doll cake. They were my favorite! Basically, she would do anything we asked of her...yes, she spoiled us rotten!
Growing up, we had a house with stairs...wooden stairs. I remember Grandma making me and Karen silk jumpsuits just so we could start at the top and slide down...and fast! My own children, when they were little, took on that same tradition. My grandma ended up making herself a silky suit and would slide down with us.
My grandfather died when my dad was 12 years old and my aunt was only 2. Grandma worked 2-3 jobs to support them. She has lived her life doing everything she could for her family. Such an amazing lady and I thank God for her.
Living 6 hours away from Virginia Beach, I haven't been able to get home to see her as often as I would have liked to. I have set aside time to travel there once every 6 months with Karen and get our younger sister, Kristi. We would go to her "home" (assisted living) and sit for hours and listen to her telling stories. She loved our visits. She said the best part was that I would always make her laugh...such memories!
I honor her today. She truly is a gift!

Almost there...

I received a couple of e-mails from Scott this morning. He made it safely to Brussels, Belgium and is now on a 7-hour flight to Liberia, Africa. He will be there until November 7th and then flying to Nigeria, Abuja, Monrovia (I may not have that in the correct order)for the remainder of the trip.
What an opportunity God is giving him. To teach and train 250 pastors each day and preaching for the 3 Sundays while he is there in different churches.
Please pray for him while he is away...his safety, strength while teaching (I know he'll be surviving on little sleep), and his health.
I miss him already. This is the longest we've been apart in our 22 years of marriage (he went to Israel for 7 days several years ago). If you've ever heard the song The Longer I Serve Him, the Sweeter He Grows, you'll know just how true that is in your spiritual walk with the Lord, but it's also quite the same in a marriage; the longer you're married, the sweeter it is. You see, when our kids were younger, I was needed constantly by them. Now that they are older and gone here and there, Scott and I have all kinds of time together. He truly is my best friend!
Yes, I miss him and I can't wait for him to return, but I'm thankful...and envious...of what God is going to do in his heart. He will minister to hearts that are truly appreciative and see just how spoiled we are.
I'll keep you posted...

Bucket list...

That is exactly what our oldest daughter, Heather (soon to be 20 years old) has made...a Bucket List! Recently, she crossed off one thing on that list...skydiving! She says it was an amazing experience and plans to do it again next year. On her list is: a trip to Israel, Italy, and Germany to drive on the Autobahn, to name a few.


Last weekend, she and friends drove to Liberty University and picked up Lindsay on their way. They attended the Homecoming Game and went to Scaremare. This isn't on her bucket list, but they are having the time of their lives. We encourage them to do it now while they can :)

It's all around us...

Illnesses, of every type. It seems to be everywhere. Not a week goes by that I don't hear of someone sick...cancer! It's heart-breaking. Yet these same people, I see such peace on their faces. Why is that? It's God's grace. I told someone just today when asked why that is? I told them that God gives them the grace right at the moment that they need it. I read someone's blog just this week as she invited her brother to submit his thoughts about living with cancer (this "brother" is the father of some of our friends in Wilson). As I read...and cried, he said that God has given him perfect peace (the outcome does not look good), that he's not afraid to die, that he must control the things he can and trust God for the things he can't.
What a testimony! Just this week, parents we know that attend our church were told once again that after 3 short months, their 8 year old daughter's cancer has returned and they only give her a 10% survival rate. They are left this week to decide treatment or no treatment.
A man in our church was just told that he has pancreatic cancer and has been given two months to live.
It's all around us. Our pastor is in the midst of a series on Daniel. Today's message was strong; Handling a Crisis God's Way. Some of those same people, and other's fighting unforeseen circumstances, sat in that service. We heard that in the midst of a crisis, we should be like Daniel...a man of faith, a man of prayer, a man of worship, and a man of wisdom and power.
That's exactly how I want to be...prepared and armed...ready!
In 2001, I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. God chose to heal me. Yet, prior to my surgery, when I didn't know the outcome (the surgeon told me in the Dr.'s office after giving me the diagnosis, that if it has spread, it could be two weeks or a year), I remember having such peace. Again, such grace given to me by such a loving God. My Dad (a 3-time cancer survivor) gave me a verse right before my surgery that I cherish...
Isaiah 43:1-3 "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I AM the Lord your God".
Now that is peace...knowing that no matter what happens in this world, God is mine and He will NEVER leave me nor forsake me.
Just as the song says that is playing right now...when you can't trace His hand, trust His heart!

The haircut...

For two years, Lindsay has not had a hair cut. She has wanted to donate 10" of her hair to Locks of Love. That day was today. She was nervous this morning but very excited to give to this great charity.
Way to go Lindsay!