Well done good and faithful servant....

I got the news from my cousin.   This could be it....the time could be very near.  Her mother, my beloved Aunt was nearing death.  My reaction shocked me, I sobbed and sobbed.  I had been praying for her to go to Jesus for some time, but even though that is best and she is so ready, it's sad.  She's a part of me.  One of the best parts.
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During the night last night she died


Bernice Etna Anderson Pratt was 96

They say you can't pick your family, but I know that God picks them 

Since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.......Acts 17:25b -26

Today I'm praising God that he placed me in this family. That I had godly examples......that I had women that taught me how to be a lady.......even though many times it may have seemed that those teachings didn't take.....

Some of the women who taught me to be who I am today are my grandmothers and my aunts.  

Aunt Bernice was very special, maybe because she always lived in the same town as we did, but maybe just because she was who she was!


Aunt Bernice with Uncle Stuart who was so happy to see her when she got to heaven!

These pictures are from her 90th birthday party....

Aunt Bernice with daughter Ann

Sisters.....my mama with Aunt Bernice .....

How she loved this little girl!  Her great granddaughter Kaitlin, who isn't really a little girl but a married woman who gave Aunt B a beautiful great great granddaughter and is expecting another!

Aunt B's grandson Soxie.....some call him Roy.....and his wife Penny

Aunt B's grandson Ron and his wife and daughter

There are too many pictures of loved ones to put here, she was loved by everyone she ever knew.


She lost a very special granddaughter many years ago, 
Melissa.

A lady filled with so much grace and love and a special kind of innocence that you don't see a lot these days.  I loved her.  I loved staying at her home and just being with her, I think we all did.   She was like our second mother. 

- Oh, she was such a perfect housewife....
- she had a spotless home.....I didn't get that trait.....
- she could cook like nobody's business, not only great meals, but pies (best apple pie in the nation) and cakes......
- she sewed many of our clothes and most all of our Easter dresses.....
- we had many the Easter egg hunts in her yard.....
- she could give a mean perm....and did.....often, whether we wanted it or not.....  

- She and Uncle Stuart were such interesting people.  They had many friends both in and out of their church.  They were faithful.


- She liked to be dressed nicely and have her makeup on and her hair fixed  (I guess she was wearing makeup, she sure was beautiful)......I did get that trait....I mean having to fix the hair and makeup at least!  

- She had a special laugh and used it often.
-she told one off color joke that I know of and I almost laughed as hard as she did.
- She had a great hiccup!
-When she wasn't feeling well, she would say "oh, me" over and over.  

She always said I love you and you knew she meant it.  She would smile at you when she said it and you felt so special, a trait she probably got from my grandmother, her mother,  who had that same gift.

Thank you.  
Thank you.  
I can never thank her enough.  
She was like my second mother 
she and my mother were so very close.  
I think they spoke either in person or on the phone every day until the last couple of years when Aunt B was in the nursing home and mama in an assisted living apartment and they couldn't communicate.  

But just the other day, mama said "how is my sister?"  
They loved well.

They had two more sisters and three brothers who died way too young, but they all loved one another in a very special way.


There were seven brothers and sisters,  
Brothers.....Burruss (mama's spelling if that's not right)
Noah
Kade


Sisters........Bernice (like furnace with a B)
Grayce
Margaret
Joyce

For as long as I can remember, Aunt Bernice lived on the bay around the bend from the paper mill.  We spent many happy hours chasing crabs on the beach and getting that paper mill tar on our feet.  

My cousin Ann has always loved books and had a lending library out of her home.....we checked out books and sometimes even returned them. 
I think they had every edition of National Geographic
and of the Reader's Digest 

Aunt B had a lot of suffering in her life..... and I'm not here to say she never complained because complaining is one of our family traits and I think it is a perfectly good one myself!  But she always carried herself in a ladylike fashion.

She lost her son, Arthur, much too soon.  I always thought he was one of the best looking men I had ever known.  Once when I was at Church camp.....thousands of miles away at P. C. Beach, he came with mama to pick me up at the end of my week and I was embarrassed because I cried when I saw mama. 

I am pretty certain that there was never anyone who didn't love my Aunt B.  
I know that my brothers and sisters loved her. 
I know my cousins all loved her.


I loved standing in front of her china cabinet and just looking at all her pretties....she had lots of pretties.  
She also had shells and drift wood and tons of really interesting things.

We're all so glad you're with Jesus today Aunt B.....and a host of friends and relatives.

Passing in a whirlwind.....

Time.....passing fast.  So fast, I skipped right over Thanksgiving 

So here's a few pictures of the day.......I could not possibly get a picture of everyone in here because....well, I have a big family!

These pictures are especially for my new friend 
Check her blog out!

Hosts

Now on to Christmas.......to be continued

So far behind.....

I'm really behind in a lot of stuff......blogging, reading blogs and commenting.  I am going to get busy and get back to it, but today I want to ask for your help.  

We all know that this forum is a huge prayer chain and have seen it work over and over again.

These two.....on either side of our Ugandan friend Henry.....are Mark and Laura.  They have given their lives for the cause of Christ, both here and in Uganda.  They love Uganda and the people they have come to know.

Right now they are seeking the Lord's will and His leading to move to Uganda.  

Please go over and take a look at the Faith 500 project.  While you're there, take a look at what has been done in less than three years.  Mercy Uganda only needs $497,000.00 to complete this project.


So much has happened there in such a short time.....the Lord can do whatever He pleases.


Mark and Laura are earnestly seeking His will and asking that doors be opened for them to do His work.


It's amazing to me that millions of dollars are raised in the United States for presidential candidates.  Millions!  I know it takes lots of money to run campaigns, but if they can raise millions, seems like $500,000 is not so much to save lives and take the gospel to the utter most parts of the world.
Matthew 28:18 - 20


This is not a plea for you to contribute.


This is what I'm asking you to do, and only if you feel led to.......link to my blog and to this one and maybe even this one, then we'll watch and see what the Lord will do, and I promise you a follow up report.


I just know that God has people out there with the resources to help us help the women and children of Uganda.  Once you read their stories, you'll never be the same.


Oh, also, your prayers......Mercy Uganda asks for your prayers......the most important part.


Thanks, friends!

What is it about this week?

So.  I must say this has been some. kind. of. week.  Today was no different.

This little man has issues.  Seizures just happen to be part of his issues. This morning he had a big seizure just after taking his medication and it scared both of us into calling the vet.  I actually was the one who called the vet.....Mikey wanted no part of any vet appointment.

Our regular vet has a female partner now and she's a nice enough lady but Jack and Mikey just prefer their regular vet.  But since it was an emergency, we agreed to see Dr. Lady...

Mikey was scared and shaky and very upset because he had to get shots.

Dr. Lady was talking to him in a soothing way and telling him how handsome he was, when........

 Dr. Lady......You have such a pretty haircut, who does it?

Me.....o.k. you know what I said so I'll skip humiliating myself further.

Dr. Lady......I meant Mikey

Of course she did.....it's been just that kind of week!

Generational gaps...

What was I thinking?????  I had just learned how to sort of use my phone.  So why did I need to get a new one?  

I'm sure the guy at the V*rizon store is wondering the same thing.  The second guy I talked to at that particular store this week and don't forget today is only Tuesday.  Does anybody know why they hire middle schoolers?  All I really wanted was to be able to call, answer, look at my fb, emails and play solitaire every great once in a while.  

Solitaire......that was the big problem.  The little boy at the store said I had to have wifi to load solitaire.

Me.......that's crazy.....

Store guy..... why don't you just play at St*rb*cks??? 

That's when I said never mind, took my new and very complicated phone and left the store.

I may have been to that overpriced coffee shop four times since it first came into existence and I feel quite sure that I won't be going there using their wifi to play solitaire on my cell phone.  In case you can't read between the lines, that last line was typed in a kind of hysterical way.  

To top that, there was a full page ad for a new supplement to make losing weight easy!  Not that I need to lose weight...... I thought I would just check it out!  Mistake, big mistake.

 I knew better, but yes, I plunged right in and asked about the advertised supplement and he proceeded to tell me that for it to really work I would need another supplement plus this shake mix.

Me.....well.....maybe I'll just try the pills..

Mr. Body builder......if you're really serious about losing the weight .....I'm not sure what he meant by that.....you'll need the other things too.

Me....you know what?  I don't think I'm really serious... I put the miracle drug back on the shelf and waddled out of the store indignantly.

So simply put, I'm a slightly overweight, almost elderly woman who is challenged by any new technology.

Color me frustrated!

Fragments

Last night we did our no less than once a month exercise plan by walking up at our property.  Russell has been doing so much work there and I haven't been in a while.  We're getting (and I use the term WE loosely) ready to burn and plant pines soon.  

We walk the fence line and behind our property is a pit where teens ride four wheelers and have hit the fence numerous times.  It's got to be painful because there is barbed wire on the fence, but it doesn't seem to phase the four wheelers.

Tonight as we were walking, we came up on a bunch of kids riding.  They would get back behind a hill, jump the hill and turn sharply to avoid the fence.  We watched them get within a gnat's wings width from the fence almost grazing it several times.  When we were within talking range I had a conversation with a couple of the boys.

ME.....be careful and don't hit the fence.

BOYS....Oh, yes mam.....we done hit it further down.  

ME....You know the fence is expensive.....and expensive to fix.  And you could get really hurt.

BOYS.....Yes, mam....I reckon so.

ME.......Sigh...

My last thought as we continued our walk was that I hope none of them break their necks.  At least you can fix the fence.

But it was such a beautiful evening and by the time we got back to the barn, this is what we saw.

The sky was painted with the gorgeous colors of the coming night.  This is what I was thinking of when I named this post Fragments.....fragments of the day were lingering as the night was approaching.

And on the other side the moon was saying hello to the darkness.

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 I have always proclaimed the blog world to be the biggest prayer chain in the world, so go over and offer your prayers and words of encouragement to Anna who is suffering through a rough time.

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Also pray for Mary, my BIL's mother who fell yesterday and is in the hospital.

That's Mary sitting beside her son at Christmas dinner.

Thanks all.....

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Reading through the book of Acts with this group

Try it!  I read through the Bible with their help last year.