Happy Birthday to the Man I love!

We celebrate two birthdays on this last day of August, thus we have two posts today. This is my husband who turns _ _ today! He's 11 months older than I am so he's 56! For one month a year we are the same age, but today he's officially older!

His birthday seems an appropriate time to talk about how we met. So whatever will I talk about when our anniversary comes??? Oh, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

It was January, cold, even so after work my friend and I would go to the walking park and walk. I am a native of my little town and think I know everybody..so several times over the months we had walked, I would speak to someone else on the track and say "aren't you so and so?" and they would ALWAYS say no. But on this cold afternoon, God brought two people together at just the right time and just the right place! We were walking along and I spyed Russell walking and said to my friend "I know him"....to which she replied "NO YOU DONT! DON'T SPEAK" I'm guessing she was embarassed all those time I did speak to people that I really didn't know. I insisted that I knew him and not only that, that we grew up in church together. My only problem was, he had a brother and I wasn't sure which one he was since I'd not seen either of them in years. So when we were side by side, starting to pass him on the track, I said..........and my friend tried to strangle me, "aren't you one of the (our last name)?" The bells rang and the birds sang, he said yes!!!!! then "who are you?" I guess all those years in church he was listening to the sermon while I was busy scanning the aisles for future husbands. During our conversation, I somehow figured out which brother he was without asking outright.

He walked with us for a while and we talked about how we knew each other, and our families too. He eventually came to his truck and it was time to part...I thought to myself, "Maybe I should tell him my last name now, you know, just in case???" I had introduced myself with my maiden name. So I somehow got my last name out. Now I had no idea that he was very forgetful. Two weeks later, he called and asked me out....the night he picked me up to go to a movie, I saw where he had written my name...so he would be able to look it up in the phone book! AHHHHH!!!!! I guess he "knew" we were supposed to be together too.......so why did it take him two weeks to call??? He was worth the wait!

Here's where the "we know it was God" part comes in....my husband is a CPA....in January he is very busy, but that day he had decided to walk. At 5 p.m. exactly when I was walking. No one could ever convince me that was a coincidence! 2 1/2 years later, we married in the church where we grew up. That was almost 12 years ago.

My husband is the best man I've ever know, except for my daddy....in fact he's so much like daddy that it seems spooky sometimes. He's incredibly honest, hard working, a wonderful father and my best friend. The only time I truly relax is when he's with me.

I love you dear husband, even if I nag sometimes, o.k. a lot, it is ONLY because I love you! And forever I will say AML/AML All my love, all my life!

This time 37 years ago...

I was in the only private room in our small town hospital. I had been there a few days, the first patient my doctor had with severe pre-eclampsia. With blood pressure off the charts, I was on 40 milligrams of valium a day. I'm sure I was quite the comedian as in my drunken state, I told one of the nurses that I couldn't focus on the t.v. Just turned 18, I was oblivious to the danger of the situation..which is just as well. My husband was in the Army and away at training. The day the doctor said I had to go into the hospital until the birth, I cried, but I can't remember being hysterical or fearful. As I said, oh, the innocence of youth. I packed my bag and went to the hospital for what turned out to be a ten day stay before the baby was born. Now there was no ultrasound back then in the stone ages, I think the wheel has just been invented...so two ob doctors came in, felt my belly and scratched their heads, then said they thought he (oh, that's another we didn't know back then, the sex of the baby) weighed 5 lbs. They planned to induce labor the next day.



In the wee hours of the morning, I began to have a really bad stomach ache, and don't laugh I called the nurse and asked for some pepto bismol......I kid you not! Good old pink, soothing pepto bismol. The nurse, trying not to laugh hysterically, examined me and said, you are having a baby...and I said "NOT NOW", because it wasn't "in the morning" yet. But against my personal wishes, she rolled me down to the delivery area. Back in the day, birthing babies was MUCH different than now...of course for me, I was already three sheets in the wind from the valium and had no idea that I could start having convulsions at any time. I wanted my mama! My family had been out of town and she made it to the hospital right before Paul was born. That little bundle weighed 3 lbs. 11 ozs. I didn't see him for two days because I wasn't awake during that time. They had given me a big dose of what they then called twilight medicine. I remember nothing of the delivery and nothing of the two days following. Later I was told that when the nurse came out carrying my baby, she was crying. The doctor came out and said, "we need to get this daddy home". He was afraid that one of us might not live. We fooled him! Of course there was no NICU so he was in the regular nursery in an incubator. Miraculously he not only survived, but came home in 28 days.

Today, on his birthday, I pray he remembers the little boy he was. I pray that this is the year God breaks the bonds that hold him and sets him free. I love you, Paul.

"Our Savior Kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives.
But rather than recoil in horror,
He reaches out in kindness and says,
"I can clean that if you want." Max Lucado

Cleaning ....

Does anybody else clean in a strange way when you're having company??? I started this time with my closet...MY CLOSET! So now, I can only hope someone wanders in and notices how nice and dust free my closet is. Husband shakes head. Then I decided to start at the back and clean forward so that the main part of the house would be cleaned last and maybe stay that way until after the party. But when you start looking at your house the way you think other people will look at it, you suddenly become a much better house keeper. I have dusted vents, ceiling fans, redecorated the entire place, well not really but it feels like I have. Bought new pillows to go on a church pew, changed out some flowers, just stuff like that. And have you also noticed that when you start one thing, it just pyamids? You clean one thing and look around and that made something else look like it needs cleaning. Cleaning, cooking and washing clothes are indeed the never ending jobs. Of course, if you listen to my husband, he says so is working in the workaday world!



Oh, well, back to the grind! I'm actually happy to be doing this for such a special occasion!!!

Then and Now

This is Russell's oldest son and my step (I hate that word) son, Tommy. This is his first date with Claudia. The occasion was the Sadie Hawkins dance at school, they were freshmen in high school.....As far as I know, they didn't date anyone else, but went through high school and college together, then married!

After Tommy graduated from the University of Florida, GO GATORS, he took a job in an engineering firm. Claudia graduated from the University of Florida too and is now working toward her doctorate while teaching preK ESE. They are both really hard working people. We are so proud of them and all they have accomplished in such a short time.

Here they are in front of their first home. They bought a really pretty home in the town where they live. The yard was already beautifully landscaped. They have 3 cats and a dog, Roscoe. Our constant prayer is that this home will be filled with the love of Christ and that He will always be their center.

Roscoe, what can you say about Roscoe. He was a pound doggie. Claudia adopted him 11 days before their wedding. I asked her if she didn't have quite enough to do??? But he's a sweet, old dog. He only has one tooth that sticks out over his lip and he likes to be right with Claudia and Tommy. He's a chihuahua mixed with something. Roscoe isn't supposed to eat dry food because he can't chew.....so the poor thing, when he comes to visit grandpa and nana's house, he runs over to our dogs' food dish and tries to eat it all and quickly....ah the temptation! If he manages to eat some, he feels really bad later.

What a wonderful thing to add a daughter and for your children to grow up to be your friends. We love you two!

On a lighter note

Yesterday was a really busy day. In the morning there was a baby shower for a sweet mother to be from our church. We had a good time. I came home with every intention of starting the cleaning process for the engagement party next Saturday. Being an extreme procrastinator, it just didn't happen....I did wash some clothes, does that count??? Then later in the afternoon, we loaded up our bikes and headed to 30 A to ride. That was a good time for us to just get away by ourselves and enjoy being together. We stopped on the way home at the new Pier Park and ate supper at Panera Bread.

Today we were on time for Sunday School...sounds like such a little thing doesn't it? But lately for me it isn't that easy. I have for years been at least 15 minutes early to everything, no I'm good if I'm 5 to 10 minutes late. Russell's been working with me to get me to be on time.

I have to get busy and get ready for this party! I had the cutest little bride and groom for our son's wedding...they fit over wine bottles. I loaned them out and of course didn't get them back.

It will be fun and special.....and for fun's sake, here is a picture of her engagement ring.

Let's don't shoot our wounded

The wise woman builds her house,
but with her own hands the foolish
one tears hers down...Proverbs 14:1


That is one of my favorite verses....Some of us have had times in our lives when we were foolish and tore our houses down with our own hands. Brick by brick we took our families apart using a chisel called sin to break the mortar from each brick. Each time we used our sin chisel, a heart was hurt. Some of us were blessed to have the opportunity to rebuild using the mortar called grace to gently and lovingly place each brick back in place. They weren't perfect, the house had cracks here and there, but eventually things became even better with the furniture of forgiveness placed inside.

Some of us never used the grace mortar and eventually our houses fell, some slowly one brick at a time, some just tumbled down and the people inside had to crawl out pushing the bricks away, bruised and wounded from the experience.

These people were not bad people, in fact they were Christians. When the dust settled from the fall, God, the great builder used what was meant for bad and made a new thing. He forgave and started to rebuild, in a new location.

With both of these houses, there were painful and lifelong consequences...hearts that were broken , children who's lives would change forever, loving parents and siblings disappointed. The shame and stigma that divorce (enter your own sin here) brings, the guilt. Yes, God forgives but He usually doesn't take away the consequences.

A wise mentor of ours said this..."Christians are the only ones who shoot their wounded".....that statement made a huge impact on me. Those of us who have been through difficult life situations have a unique opportunity to gently and lovingly offer a hand to lift those who are in the midst of trouble. None of us are immune from sin, if we were we would not need Jesus. But we do need Him, we all need Him and the love and forgiveness He brings.

Please, if you find yourself with the opportunity, remember all that God has forgiven you, lean down and offer a hand, help restore a fellow sinner. Keep your gun in it's holster!

Children Born from faith

These are her children....children born to a husband and wife only after they were drawn to Christ. The girls let me read Linda's testimony and it is riveting. Linda always wanted children, but was not successful for some years after she married Big T. Then after they were saved, they had four! Once she told me that she couldn't wait to have grandchildren and she loved having all her family around. She will hold her grandchildren when they join her in heaven.

B, her oldest, was so precious to her. He was her only boy and her first child, she loved him dearly. When Linda was so sick and he was home from college, he would jump right in and care for her! He married a few years ago to a really great girl! Their wedding day was a happy and sad day. Linda's presence was sorely missed, but she so looked forward to the day her children were married and happily settled down. B's wife is a teacher and B is a biochemical engineer. (or something like that!)

K, her first daughter, so responsible and caring, putting everyone ahead of herself, coming home from college to be with her mother and family during that awful time. She is engaged to a wonderful man. He had the diamond from her mother's ring reset into her engagement ring. It is stunning, but more than that so sentimental. The wedding may be a mixture of sadness and joy, especially to Big T....K is the image of her beautiful mother. Her "ways" are so like Linda's ways. She will be a breathtaking bride. K is a natural caretaker....I had surgery a couple years ago and K stayed right by my side, even sleeping on the floor by my bed so she wouldn't "disturb" me, but would be there if I needed anything. Hubby appreciated that! She is now a speech pathologist in a nearby town, but after she marries into the Navy, she will be moving far away! Even though we are all for leaving and cleaving, it will be hard for her to be far away. But their second station is where my grandchildren live....so I'll be going to visit!

E, who was in her senior year of high school in an honors program, bravely carried on with school, while also being home with Linda as much as possible. Her senior prom, she was so beautiful. She graduated 3 months after her mother died, with honors and scholarships, and was awarded a special hero's award for doing it all during the most stressful time in her life. She's beautiful, talented and adventuresome! She moved to Atlanta and worked there for a time then started working as a traveling therapist and has lived in Colorado and Texas! She is a physical therapist and loves working with children. She is the introspective one....she ponders things in her heart.

MG, the baby! What can you say about the baby?? She's beautiful and talented. MG was uprooted from her high school and moved to a nearby town where Big T's job was located. She had a lot of change in a very short time, and has done it with grace (well, most of the time, I mean she is the baby!). She has a wonderful sense of humor, but do NOT make her mad, the girl holds a grudge! :) After graduation, she went to college and she and K lived together for a few years. She is now a teacher in a nearby town and I know the kids just love her, but she keeps order in her classroom! Ellie, her dog, is in the picture, a very mannerly dog, the first I've ever seen sit on the couch just like a person!

These children are all such a blessing, they are very close to one another and each one values the other's opinions greatly. Linda and Big T with God's help did a very good job!

I love you girls! (you too Brian)