Yes, I'm talking about our teenagers! I love mine! I think more than they know!
Both of mine are going through the 'my parents don't know how I feel' stage...isn't this why I had them three years apart, so we could be through with one before the other began??? Oh well, God chose NOW for both of them to walk this road...guess we have to tag along, huh?
Thankfully, they both have awesome accountability partners through church...and I get along with them. Camp was "ah-mA-zing" for this time in their lives. (that is DD1's favorite word!!!) Thankfully, they get along with each other!
Case in point: Bunny went to spend the night with band friends last night, and they both go to a sleepover tonight at friends from church so we will be light on the children until the weekend. Well, I let the bathroom slip before camp, too much packing going on, but it was getting nasty in there!!! So, before we split ways yesterday I laid down the law that it get clean. They pretty evenly split the chores to do the job and I was down holding PD while she slept, but could here them talking and playing while cleaning the bathroom!!! That is the most awesome sound this Momma can hear!!!
I will have to admit, I have always been blessed in this area! No, we don't clean house very often (oops, did I say that???) but when they are given a together chore, they make the best of it!!!
I know this post is pretty well about my girls but they are just so precious!!! I know they are tired of Mom loving on them all the time, they want air to breathe!!! I know they don't understand all of Dad's rules, but if they could just see how a little obedience goes a long way!(I think you have to be a parent to start that process, huh?) I know that God has their hearts, and that makes me so proud of who they are!!! All these things are in His time and He will not forsake any of us through this!
I hope no one sees this as a complaint; I know each teen walks through these waters. This is my place to put down my feelings, and that is exactly what I have done today!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! to my Momma in Tennessee! (it was yesterday!)
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Callaway, FL! I pray your day will be blessed by GOD!
Gotta run, PD will be here soon. If you get a chance today, July 31, I understand Oprah will run a segment on the TerKeurst family and friends and their adoption of a boy's choir.
Have a terrific day!!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....especially teenagers!
God's girl, Pamela
July 31, 2008
July 26, 2008
They are home!!!
Well, after 1:30 yesterday afternoon, life got crazy!!! My girls are home from camp and were so excited to tell us ALL about it! Little Miss PD wanted to hear it, too, but kept herself awake so long that she got overstimulated. Around 4, she absolutely melted down!!! Finally, after over half an hour of the crying (you know what it sounds like!!!) I popped her in the sink in some warm water. That calmed her enough to take a bottle and then she finally drifted off to sleep!
However, it sounds like God did a really great work this week in the hearts of my children! I am so excited to see who they become as they grow in Him!
That is all I have for today - can you believe it???
Y'all have a terrific weekend!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
However, it sounds like God did a really great work this week in the hearts of my children! I am so excited to see who they become as they grow in Him!
That is all I have for today - can you believe it???
Y'all have a terrific weekend!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
July 22, 2008
This big ol' house
As I mentioned in my post below, I love my house! It was an answer to prayer 12 yrs ago and holds many memories of love, laughter and life. It is also BIG! The girls were small when we moved in and I wanted a place they could grow up in. Now, don't get me wrong, by current Dallas standards, it ain't so big...not even 2,000sf. But it is big enough for us!
However, the girls are at camp this week so it is just hubs and I wondering around in this big ol' house....and it seems HUGE!!! The puppies aren't too sure what to think about it all, they are just happy to always have a seat in the living room! (up on the furniture!!!)
See, yet another reason to be thankful for my house!
Another reason to be thankful today...it is hubs 40th birthday! I thought it would be our first one alone since his 21st but now it looks like after Miss PD goes home, we will have dinner with his parents. That is okay, though, since we didn't get to on his 21st...we were overseas!
I remember the first of his b-days we shared together, he was turning 18! We went to a really nice restaurant with his parents and Grandmother McCurdy. I also gave him 18 kisses for that birthday! Not sure that he would sit still for 40!!!
I am always amazed at the amount of time we have actually been together, and it is only by God's grace. Both of us came into this marriage with some really buried secrets, and those secrets almost tore us apart at the seams.
If you are divorced, I want to let you know that God's grace covers your situation when you give it to Him! I know there are times when there really is no other way...or when a spouse wants out, no matter what pain it causes others around them. I am only telling you my story, not the way it should be.
My story hurts! I can only love this 40 yr old man by the grace of God. If I held a grudge, I would not be here! I remember one day just desperately asking God if He still loved me, because I knew my hubs didn't and I no longer loved myself because life had worn me down!
You already know how it turns out, God did not leave us in the desert of pain. It was not instant deliverance, we had to walk through consequences of our sin and had to learn to truly love one another and live together. It took years! Thankfully, hubs is patient and a bit selfish...you see, he never wanted out of the marriage, he knew where his blessing was! It was me that could not stand the pain. Me, that could only see the walls between us. Me, that had to call upon God just to make it through an hour.
I really did not intend for this blog to be so long! I hope you can now understand a bit more about how thankful I am for the wonderful man God gave me. We began dating in Mar of '86 and married in Dec '88. We have lived in two different countries, 3 different states, 4 if you count the one overseas, and lived in 9 different cities. God has been faithful each step of the way. GOD IS SO GOOD!!!
I pray that you have and will continue to find God faithful in every area of your life. Sometimes, it hurts! But nothing in my life compares to the hurt Jesus felt on the cross, I'm sure. He knew not only rejection, but horrible physical pain as well. He has already walked the road set before you, He only asks that you follow him. I am so preaching to the choir, I am still learning this truth myself.
Be blessed by the mighty hand of God today!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
However, the girls are at camp this week so it is just hubs and I wondering around in this big ol' house....and it seems HUGE!!! The puppies aren't too sure what to think about it all, they are just happy to always have a seat in the living room! (up on the furniture!!!)
See, yet another reason to be thankful for my house!
Another reason to be thankful today...it is hubs 40th birthday! I thought it would be our first one alone since his 21st but now it looks like after Miss PD goes home, we will have dinner with his parents. That is okay, though, since we didn't get to on his 21st...we were overseas!
I remember the first of his b-days we shared together, he was turning 18! We went to a really nice restaurant with his parents and Grandmother McCurdy. I also gave him 18 kisses for that birthday! Not sure that he would sit still for 40!!!
I am always amazed at the amount of time we have actually been together, and it is only by God's grace. Both of us came into this marriage with some really buried secrets, and those secrets almost tore us apart at the seams.
If you are divorced, I want to let you know that God's grace covers your situation when you give it to Him! I know there are times when there really is no other way...or when a spouse wants out, no matter what pain it causes others around them. I am only telling you my story, not the way it should be.
My story hurts! I can only love this 40 yr old man by the grace of God. If I held a grudge, I would not be here! I remember one day just desperately asking God if He still loved me, because I knew my hubs didn't and I no longer loved myself because life had worn me down!
You already know how it turns out, God did not leave us in the desert of pain. It was not instant deliverance, we had to walk through consequences of our sin and had to learn to truly love one another and live together. It took years! Thankfully, hubs is patient and a bit selfish...you see, he never wanted out of the marriage, he knew where his blessing was! It was me that could not stand the pain. Me, that could only see the walls between us. Me, that had to call upon God just to make it through an hour.
I really did not intend for this blog to be so long! I hope you can now understand a bit more about how thankful I am for the wonderful man God gave me. We began dating in Mar of '86 and married in Dec '88. We have lived in two different countries, 3 different states, 4 if you count the one overseas, and lived in 9 different cities. God has been faithful each step of the way. GOD IS SO GOOD!!!
I pray that you have and will continue to find God faithful in every area of your life. Sometimes, it hurts! But nothing in my life compares to the hurt Jesus felt on the cross, I'm sure. He knew not only rejection, but horrible physical pain as well. He has already walked the road set before you, He only asks that you follow him. I am so preaching to the choir, I am still learning this truth myself.
Be blessed by the mighty hand of God today!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
July 18, 2008
God is so good, cont.
Thank you to the anon commenter about your Grandparents!!! It is on the blog below so y'all can check it out. Just proves our God is so good!!!
I pray this blog will be all that I spent most of the past couple of hours dreaming of! I just feel so called to this computer to put down the many things I am THANKFUL for because of Christ!
A wonderful prayer from my children's elementary school years says:
God is so good
God is so good
Thank Him for the blessings of life
Blessings when you're coming in
Blessings when you're going out
Always plenty of blessing when you walk in His way.
That last line chokes me up every time! Sometimes it is so hard to walk in HIS WAY!! I want to do it my way, but the promise is that when I surrender to God, there will be blessings. This goes along so well with the verse displayed at the top, Jer 17:7,8.
I am thankful for salvation and my relationship with my Lord.
I am thankful for my home, my house and my family.
My home: y'all know that place when as parents we are fully surrendered and the peace in our home truly passes all understanding...that is the home I am thankful for. It doesn't happen all the time, but the frequency has increased in the past couple of years!
My house: I love my house! It is what I dreamed of as a young lady! We moved here in Oct '96 and by God's grace, I don't plan to move for a llloooooonnnnngggg time!
My family: obviously the first ones will be dear hubs, dd1 and bunny. But also for Mom, Dad, my sissy, DL, my niece....this list could go forever!
I am thankful for our employment.
My dear hubs lost four jobs from 1999-2004. This is what prompted him to start his own business. Most of these losses were due to layoffs and downsizing. However, God's grace and provision has been so abundant in our lives! When he was just starting the biz, God led me to a verse in Psalm to pray over our family before we went our separate ways in the morn:
Ps 90:17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us-- yes, establish the work of our hands.
How awesome to know that God himself wants to establish the work of my hands...no matter what that work is!
I am thankful for our marriage.
We have walked through some trials that have made lesser marriages crumble. We have walked through no longer loving one another - and then of course, God decided to move in and continue to love us so we could love one another again, except better! Does that last sentence make sense? I hope so!!!
At this point, we have grown up together. We left the states as 20 yr old newlyweds, him in March me in May of that year(1989). We returned to the states as parents in Dec 1990. We had not seen either of our families since leaving the states! For many of those first few years, it was just us and God. We didn't realize then what a blessing that was, because when the tough got going and we wanted out, God had other plans that we just could not ignore!!!
I am thankful for our daughters!
They are precious points of light in my day! I know they struggle with truly feeling loved...I hurt so badly to watch them make wrong decisions based on something they perceived the wrong way!!! However, they are truly a gift from God and I would not trade any of this journey!!!
There are so many other things...the dog that was a gift from God, who gave us a gift shortly before she had to be put down, the two 90ish cars that drive well and get us from place to place...and on, and on, and on.
However, if you are reading this, you have a life as well. And yours may be even fuller than mine!!! I pray you are so blessed.
PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW...
God's girl, Pamela
I pray this blog will be all that I spent most of the past couple of hours dreaming of! I just feel so called to this computer to put down the many things I am THANKFUL for because of Christ!
A wonderful prayer from my children's elementary school years says:
God is so good
God is so good
Thank Him for the blessings of life
Blessings when you're coming in
Blessings when you're going out
Always plenty of blessing when you walk in His way.
That last line chokes me up every time! Sometimes it is so hard to walk in HIS WAY!! I want to do it my way, but the promise is that when I surrender to God, there will be blessings. This goes along so well with the verse displayed at the top, Jer 17:7,8.
I am thankful for salvation and my relationship with my Lord.
I am thankful for my home, my house and my family.
My home: y'all know that place when as parents we are fully surrendered and the peace in our home truly passes all understanding...that is the home I am thankful for. It doesn't happen all the time, but the frequency has increased in the past couple of years!
My house: I love my house! It is what I dreamed of as a young lady! We moved here in Oct '96 and by God's grace, I don't plan to move for a llloooooonnnnngggg time!
My family: obviously the first ones will be dear hubs, dd1 and bunny. But also for Mom, Dad, my sissy, DL, my niece....this list could go forever!
I am thankful for our employment.
My dear hubs lost four jobs from 1999-2004. This is what prompted him to start his own business. Most of these losses were due to layoffs and downsizing. However, God's grace and provision has been so abundant in our lives! When he was just starting the biz, God led me to a verse in Psalm to pray over our family before we went our separate ways in the morn:
Ps 90:17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us-- yes, establish the work of our hands.
How awesome to know that God himself wants to establish the work of my hands...no matter what that work is!
I am thankful for our marriage.
We have walked through some trials that have made lesser marriages crumble. We have walked through no longer loving one another - and then of course, God decided to move in and continue to love us so we could love one another again, except better! Does that last sentence make sense? I hope so!!!
At this point, we have grown up together. We left the states as 20 yr old newlyweds, him in March me in May of that year(1989). We returned to the states as parents in Dec 1990. We had not seen either of our families since leaving the states! For many of those first few years, it was just us and God. We didn't realize then what a blessing that was, because when the tough got going and we wanted out, God had other plans that we just could not ignore!!!
I am thankful for our daughters!
They are precious points of light in my day! I know they struggle with truly feeling loved...I hurt so badly to watch them make wrong decisions based on something they perceived the wrong way!!! However, they are truly a gift from God and I would not trade any of this journey!!!
There are so many other things...the dog that was a gift from God, who gave us a gift shortly before she had to be put down, the two 90ish cars that drive well and get us from place to place...and on, and on, and on.
However, if you are reading this, you have a life as well. And yours may be even fuller than mine!!! I pray you are so blessed.
PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW...
God's girl, Pamela
July 15, 2008
GOD IS SO GOOD!!!! All the time!
We learned today that the favor of God is greater than the state of Texas!!! There is not much that I can say because it is a very sensitive nature but just know that God has moved in mighty ways here!
I grew up in a Christian home so seeing the favor of the Lord is nothing new. I know you cannot see it but I am struggling to write this out because I want all the glory to go to God and I want to get it right!
Some of you visited my blog around my parents vacation and may have picked up that my little brother is handicapped. I want to share just a bit of my story with you.
DL was born when I was seven and up to that time, I was the baby of the family. At birth, it seemed everything was normal except for a lazy eye. However, by the time he was six weeks old Mom and Dad knew something was not right. Through a lot of trial and error, we learned he had what is called Herschsprungs disease which encompasses a myriad of birth defects. For DL this includes a heart murmur, undeveloped intestinal system and a non-functioning motor nerve. He has had many surgeries over the years, and many drs didn't give much hope for his life. BUT GOD...DL is 32 yrs old, will be 33 in Dec.
Hubs and I married when DL was 13. The toughest part of leaving home was leaving him! One day, shortly before I left, I was writing a letter and DL was sitting at the table with me. He grabbed a pen and began marking on my arm...I was 20! We were sitting at the table fighting like two teenagers with those pens...the pen marks took up our whole arms and took days to remove!
As I look back now, that is one of my fondest memories of that time of life! That DL had the muscle coordination to hold a pen and mark up my arm is just one of the many miracles of his life. In spite of the miracles I have seen in my marriage and my girls, the first major miracle God gave me was DL!!! I have learned through his life that no matter what anyone says, God is in control. I am still learning to not listen extensively to those around me, but to hear exactly what God is saying.
Now, that faith is being used to pray for our little PD. I know the diagnosis is not the greatest but I also know that God is in control!!! I swear, she was looking right at me today!! It was the sweetest thing! I swear she locked in, if only for a few seconds and saw my face! Yesterday, she did it with my sweet hubs, too!!!
I know that my history with DL is one of the things that drew the adoptive Mom to ask us to care for PD and I am so happy to have this opportunity!
I know that all of us have stories of faith! Times when we have seen God move in a mighty, miraculous way. Would you please share yours with me? I love to hear all that God has done and is doing!
I hope your week is awesome and that God performs miracles in your life even now!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
I grew up in a Christian home so seeing the favor of the Lord is nothing new. I know you cannot see it but I am struggling to write this out because I want all the glory to go to God and I want to get it right!
Some of you visited my blog around my parents vacation and may have picked up that my little brother is handicapped. I want to share just a bit of my story with you.
DL was born when I was seven and up to that time, I was the baby of the family. At birth, it seemed everything was normal except for a lazy eye. However, by the time he was six weeks old Mom and Dad knew something was not right. Through a lot of trial and error, we learned he had what is called Herschsprungs disease which encompasses a myriad of birth defects. For DL this includes a heart murmur, undeveloped intestinal system and a non-functioning motor nerve. He has had many surgeries over the years, and many drs didn't give much hope for his life. BUT GOD...DL is 32 yrs old, will be 33 in Dec.
Hubs and I married when DL was 13. The toughest part of leaving home was leaving him! One day, shortly before I left, I was writing a letter and DL was sitting at the table with me. He grabbed a pen and began marking on my arm...I was 20! We were sitting at the table fighting like two teenagers with those pens...the pen marks took up our whole arms and took days to remove!
As I look back now, that is one of my fondest memories of that time of life! That DL had the muscle coordination to hold a pen and mark up my arm is just one of the many miracles of his life. In spite of the miracles I have seen in my marriage and my girls, the first major miracle God gave me was DL!!! I have learned through his life that no matter what anyone says, God is in control. I am still learning to not listen extensively to those around me, but to hear exactly what God is saying.
Now, that faith is being used to pray for our little PD. I know the diagnosis is not the greatest but I also know that God is in control!!! I swear, she was looking right at me today!! It was the sweetest thing! I swear she locked in, if only for a few seconds and saw my face! Yesterday, she did it with my sweet hubs, too!!!
I know that my history with DL is one of the things that drew the adoptive Mom to ask us to care for PD and I am so happy to have this opportunity!
I know that all of us have stories of faith! Times when we have seen God move in a mighty, miraculous way. Would you please share yours with me? I love to hear all that God has done and is doing!
I hope your week is awesome and that God performs miracles in your life even now!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
July 12, 2008
Elias Jude
How many times have I mentioned to my sweet hubs how nice this internet thing would have been when we were overseas and having our first daughter? ALOT!!!
But I didn't think I would be witness to a practically total stranger having a baby in the blog world...but that is exactly what I have spent most of last night and first thing this morning doing!
As many of you know, I have a link to Bring the Rain and her friend, Jessica, has just had her first baby, Elias Jude, this morning! Things did not go as planned but you can visit either of the blogs to get the full scoop.
I hope all of these links work out...if not just click Bring the Rain on the right side and you can get there!
Have a terrific Saturday!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
But I didn't think I would be witness to a practically total stranger having a baby in the blog world...but that is exactly what I have spent most of last night and first thing this morning doing!
As many of you know, I have a link to Bring the Rain and her friend, Jessica, has just had her first baby, Elias Jude, this morning! Things did not go as planned but you can visit either of the blogs to get the full scoop.
I hope all of these links work out...if not just click Bring the Rain on the right side and you can get there!
Have a terrific Saturday!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
July 11, 2008
Where I saw myself at 40
Well, I can sure tell you, this is not it!!! PD is absolutely precious and we have all fallen head over heels in love with her, but to have a wee one at this age is not what I expected!!!
We took Bunny to meet some friends at the mall today so DD1 and PD went with me to a cute little boutique called "Butterflies and Bowties"...they have really cute stuff! However, we did not last 20 min before PD was crying and fussing and shopping was no longer worth it!
And forget my baking for a while! I got a batch of no-bake cookies made today but can't see whipping up a Buttermilk Pie or Something Else until she is a bit older and on more of a schedule!!!
I did make two cards today, though. One for a church anniversary, one for a friend's baby who will soon turn 1 - unfortunately they look a lot alike!!! My supplies sat in the middle of the floor in between, so the dogs have walked all over it. The husky mix stepped on the cutter that I had left the wide portion open, so it closed and scared her! She jumped pretty high, and that was funny!!!
PD will be 3mo old on Monday - she is working on lifting up her head, occasionally puts both hands on the bottle and will grasp your finger so tightly! Mom and PD have an appt with a neuro next week because the original diagnosis for her eyes is not good. The dr's she saw this week say she has no tracking ability...but I swear there are times when she does see something! Her favorite thing to do is lay in your lap and look up at the ceiling fan!
Please be praying with us that God will touch her sight, if that is His will.
I am only on the computer now because hubs is at work, Bunny is at the mall and PD is asleep, apparently taking her shopping wore her out....it about did me!!! See, life has changed pretty quickly around here, but we would not trade anything for the way it was last week. God in his graciousness has opened up a door for us to serve a friend in need, and love PD in the process!!! That is just a bonus!
Okay, she is beginning to squirm so I will close! Have a blessed weekend! We will be having our pizza tonight, no idea what movie we will see...has anyone seen Martian Child, is it good or not worth the time?
Really closing now...
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
We took Bunny to meet some friends at the mall today so DD1 and PD went with me to a cute little boutique called "Butterflies and Bowties"...they have really cute stuff! However, we did not last 20 min before PD was crying and fussing and shopping was no longer worth it!
And forget my baking for a while! I got a batch of no-bake cookies made today but can't see whipping up a Buttermilk Pie or Something Else until she is a bit older and on more of a schedule!!!
I did make two cards today, though. One for a church anniversary, one for a friend's baby who will soon turn 1 - unfortunately they look a lot alike!!! My supplies sat in the middle of the floor in between, so the dogs have walked all over it. The husky mix stepped on the cutter that I had left the wide portion open, so it closed and scared her! She jumped pretty high, and that was funny!!!
PD will be 3mo old on Monday - she is working on lifting up her head, occasionally puts both hands on the bottle and will grasp your finger so tightly! Mom and PD have an appt with a neuro next week because the original diagnosis for her eyes is not good. The dr's she saw this week say she has no tracking ability...but I swear there are times when she does see something! Her favorite thing to do is lay in your lap and look up at the ceiling fan!
Please be praying with us that God will touch her sight, if that is His will.
I am only on the computer now because hubs is at work, Bunny is at the mall and PD is asleep, apparently taking her shopping wore her out....it about did me!!! See, life has changed pretty quickly around here, but we would not trade anything for the way it was last week. God in his graciousness has opened up a door for us to serve a friend in need, and love PD in the process!!! That is just a bonus!
Okay, she is beginning to squirm so I will close! Have a blessed weekend! We will be having our pizza tonight, no idea what movie we will see...has anyone seen Martian Child, is it good or not worth the time?
Really closing now...
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
July 8, 2008
She's Here!!!
Little Miss PD has made her arrival in the area, and in our home! The hours are not bad, around 8:30a to 6:30p, but having a little bitty one is definitely different!!! She is so precious!!! Absolutely adorable! Big, brown eyes! The cutest little button nose, even cuter than my babies noses! And a smile that will just warm your heart, even if it is just 'gas'!!!
There really isn't much to say, believe it or not! After two days, I am tired! And we get to do it all again tomorrow! We love her dearly, hubs is absolutely smitten! Did I mention she is a cutie???
My girls are doing great, I think!!! They are pitching in with the baby which helps in so many ways.
I hope y'all get a good nights sleep, I know a new Mom that really is praying for one!!!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
God's girl, Pamela
There really isn't much to say, believe it or not! After two days, I am tired! And we get to do it all again tomorrow! We love her dearly, hubs is absolutely smitten! Did I mention she is a cutie???
My girls are doing great, I think!!! They are pitching in with the baby which helps in so many ways.
I hope y'all get a good nights sleep, I know a new Mom that really is praying for one!!!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
God's girl, Pamela
July 4, 2008
It's Independence Day
It is hard to imagine that more than half of 2008 has already passed! And here we are once again, ready to celebrate our national freedom!!! Happy 4th of July!!!
I don't have many memories of July 4 until after we got married....now, several of those years seem to be seared into my memory bank! Our first July 4, hubs was stationed at Wiley Kaserne, Neu-Ulm, West Germany. I remember sitting in the beer tent and listening to some half drunk soldiers singing patriotic songs - it was surreal! But watching the fireworks show was AWESOME!!! There is nothing like standing as a spectator watching a fireworks show celebrating American independence in some field across the Atlantic Ocean, on the continent of Europe!!! I was 20 yrs old, had been in Germany for about 6 wks and had only spent a handful of days with my still-new husband! The next year was even more unforgettable....
By that time, dd1 was 9 days old! It was 88 degrees the day she was born, but the next week a powerful cold front hit and by July 2, it was down into the low 40's overnight. Here we had all kinds of summer clothes for this precious baby, and it was freezing!!! So, July 4, we wrapped her in all the blankets we could find and headed to post for the fireworks show. Wouldn't ya know, as soon as they started going off, she decided it was time to eat! So, we pulled the car around to a place where she could nurse and I could watch the fireworks! We turned on the heater, 'cause it was freezing, but then the windows started fogging over!!! To this day, when I hear God Bless America during a fireworks show, I start to tear up remembering the sacrifice that so many families make for our true freedom. And the next year was even more unforgettable....
This time, we were back stateside; Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Through the grace of God, my little family was all together and hubs had not even been called on to go to Iraq because of schooling issues! It was definitely a summer to be thankful for. The post threw a big shindig, of course, and because America was feeling so patriotic and thankful towards her troops, Lee Greenwood came and put on a huge concert! Oh, great!!! Another song to start the tears as I watch the fireworks!!!
Over the course of the next few years, we watched fireworks displays sitting on the side of a mountain or sitting in a church parking lot! And sure enough, when I hear God Bless America or God Bless the USA the tears start to fall! But when they play our national anthem, my heart still swells with pride as I stand beside my soldier! Of all the holidays and special days (b-day and anniversary!) we were apart, we were always together on July 4!!! Somehow that just strikes me as funny!
Even more important than our national freedom, though, is our freedom in Christ. When I came to Christ, I followed a particular set of rules REALLY WELL! I even got awards from school because I was such a "good Christian". Well, the last few years as I have begun to give my life to Christ, He has begun to show me just how rotten my attitude has been!!! Oh, I can follow the rules really well, but can I obey when He calls me outside my comfort zone??? Is it easier for me to serve others than to serve those in my own household? Unfortunately, some of you know the answer to that last question!
I am learning that true freedom in Christ has very little to do with rules that our society puts upon us! The law (ten commandments) was given to show us what is right and wrong, but the New Testament puts the sum of it in heart form! In other words, if I hate my neighbor, then I might as well have committed murder, because in God's eyes sin looks the same - HE CAN'T LOOK AT IT!!!
But to follow the first commandment given in the New Testament is hard, y'all!
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
And these words are written in RED!!! I am still learning just how this looks in every day life. Some days are easier than others! But I want to sing I Am Free and mean it!!! I want to say, "The truth will set you free" and people believe I have the truth!
Okay, I guess I've preached enough for the day! Y'all enjoy the different celebrations and the fireworks! Please remember those serving our country...wherever they are! Please pray for them and their families.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
PS. I forgot to give a shoutout to Pananma City...wish I was there to see the show over the water! Kiss those babies!!!
I don't have many memories of July 4 until after we got married....now, several of those years seem to be seared into my memory bank! Our first July 4, hubs was stationed at Wiley Kaserne, Neu-Ulm, West Germany. I remember sitting in the beer tent and listening to some half drunk soldiers singing patriotic songs - it was surreal! But watching the fireworks show was AWESOME!!! There is nothing like standing as a spectator watching a fireworks show celebrating American independence in some field across the Atlantic Ocean, on the continent of Europe!!! I was 20 yrs old, had been in Germany for about 6 wks and had only spent a handful of days with my still-new husband! The next year was even more unforgettable....
By that time, dd1 was 9 days old! It was 88 degrees the day she was born, but the next week a powerful cold front hit and by July 2, it was down into the low 40's overnight. Here we had all kinds of summer clothes for this precious baby, and it was freezing!!! So, July 4, we wrapped her in all the blankets we could find and headed to post for the fireworks show. Wouldn't ya know, as soon as they started going off, she decided it was time to eat! So, we pulled the car around to a place where she could nurse and I could watch the fireworks! We turned on the heater, 'cause it was freezing, but then the windows started fogging over!!! To this day, when I hear God Bless America during a fireworks show, I start to tear up remembering the sacrifice that so many families make for our true freedom. And the next year was even more unforgettable....
This time, we were back stateside; Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Through the grace of God, my little family was all together and hubs had not even been called on to go to Iraq because of schooling issues! It was definitely a summer to be thankful for. The post threw a big shindig, of course, and because America was feeling so patriotic and thankful towards her troops, Lee Greenwood came and put on a huge concert! Oh, great!!! Another song to start the tears as I watch the fireworks!!!
Over the course of the next few years, we watched fireworks displays sitting on the side of a mountain or sitting in a church parking lot! And sure enough, when I hear God Bless America or God Bless the USA the tears start to fall! But when they play our national anthem, my heart still swells with pride as I stand beside my soldier! Of all the holidays and special days (b-day and anniversary!) we were apart, we were always together on July 4!!! Somehow that just strikes me as funny!
Even more important than our national freedom, though, is our freedom in Christ. When I came to Christ, I followed a particular set of rules REALLY WELL! I even got awards from school because I was such a "good Christian". Well, the last few years as I have begun to give my life to Christ, He has begun to show me just how rotten my attitude has been!!! Oh, I can follow the rules really well, but can I obey when He calls me outside my comfort zone??? Is it easier for me to serve others than to serve those in my own household? Unfortunately, some of you know the answer to that last question!
I am learning that true freedom in Christ has very little to do with rules that our society puts upon us! The law (ten commandments) was given to show us what is right and wrong, but the New Testament puts the sum of it in heart form! In other words, if I hate my neighbor, then I might as well have committed murder, because in God's eyes sin looks the same - HE CAN'T LOOK AT IT!!!
But to follow the first commandment given in the New Testament is hard, y'all!
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
And these words are written in RED!!! I am still learning just how this looks in every day life. Some days are easier than others! But I want to sing I Am Free and mean it!!! I want to say, "The truth will set you free" and people believe I have the truth!
Okay, I guess I've preached enough for the day! Y'all enjoy the different celebrations and the fireworks! Please remember those serving our country...wherever they are! Please pray for them and their families.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
PS. I forgot to give a shoutout to Pananma City...wish I was there to see the show over the water! Kiss those babies!!!
July 1, 2008
I guess summer is here!
Okay, so I complained about not having a summer....and someone was listening! Now that "summer" has begun, I can't seem to get the rest of these guys moving to get to the gym in the morning! They want to sleep until oh, late morning!!! Of course, the dog won't let me do that!
And now, I have this summer cold thing! I had a migraine with it for a few days, took some NyQuil last night, got a GOOD night's sleep, and the headache is gone this morn - Yahoo!!!! I started losing my voice last night, which would not normally bug my family, but since Nashville Star was on...I just had to sing along!!! I'm not sure it was even a joyful noise!!! But when Shawn Mayer started singing Forever and Ever, Amen, I mean, that was OUR song, I couldn't help but TRY to sing as loud as possible so that hubs could hear my enduring love even at the grill - outside!!! That was when the girls LOST IT with me!!!
Well, maybe next time they won't think my singing is so bad!!!
For those of you that personally know us, we start the babysitting next week, IF all continues to go well in social services world! I talked with the adopting Mom on Sunday and we are praying that the baby comes Thursday evening which would give some bonding time for the new adoptive family. Then on Monday, we will have her during the day!!! Please pray with us that all will go well. We know God's hand has been upon this precious life since day one and that His will precedes all that our human minds can think up, so He is watching out for her best interest!
So, my new 'job' starts Monday morn and dear daughter one (DD1) has a job interview this afternoon at a Christian book store! She is excited, as this will be her first actual interview. Her two previous summer jobs have been with people we knew so they skipped this process!
By the way, we had her 18th birthday party Friday night! We had family and close friends over for sandwiches, chips, cake and cinnamon rolls!!! Most everyone left, though, before the actual party started...late in the game the girls decided to play "Taboo" instead of just settling for girl chat! It was a hoot, especially when we realized the copyright on our game is 1989!!! No wonder the younger ladies kept asking "What is ..."!!! Words like Glasnost and Citizen Kane and Compact Disc!!! I didn't know the latest slang for police until my dd1 used it that night!!! One of the young ladies started off nearly every clue by saying, "It was in a movie..." We laughed so much at them!!!
Meanwhile, Friday afternoon my niece called and asked if one of the girls wanted to go shopping with her...of course 'Bunny' would love to!!! So the two of them got some much needed visiting time in! Today, we are spending time with a friend of hers from school and hopefully, if time permits, going to see a movie!
Hope your day and the week ahead is blessed!! Do y'all have plans for seeing fireworks this weekend? If so, leave me a comment, I want to know where you are headed!!! I might just join ya!!!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
God's girl, Pamela
And now, I have this summer cold thing! I had a migraine with it for a few days, took some NyQuil last night, got a GOOD night's sleep, and the headache is gone this morn - Yahoo!!!! I started losing my voice last night, which would not normally bug my family, but since Nashville Star was on...I just had to sing along!!! I'm not sure it was even a joyful noise!!! But when Shawn Mayer started singing Forever and Ever, Amen, I mean, that was OUR song, I couldn't help but TRY to sing as loud as possible so that hubs could hear my enduring love even at the grill - outside!!! That was when the girls LOST IT with me!!!
Well, maybe next time they won't think my singing is so bad!!!
For those of you that personally know us, we start the babysitting next week, IF all continues to go well in social services world! I talked with the adopting Mom on Sunday and we are praying that the baby comes Thursday evening which would give some bonding time for the new adoptive family. Then on Monday, we will have her during the day!!! Please pray with us that all will go well. We know God's hand has been upon this precious life since day one and that His will precedes all that our human minds can think up, so He is watching out for her best interest!
So, my new 'job' starts Monday morn and dear daughter one (DD1) has a job interview this afternoon at a Christian book store! She is excited, as this will be her first actual interview. Her two previous summer jobs have been with people we knew so they skipped this process!
By the way, we had her 18th birthday party Friday night! We had family and close friends over for sandwiches, chips, cake and cinnamon rolls!!! Most everyone left, though, before the actual party started...late in the game the girls decided to play "Taboo" instead of just settling for girl chat! It was a hoot, especially when we realized the copyright on our game is 1989!!! No wonder the younger ladies kept asking "What is ..."!!! Words like Glasnost and Citizen Kane and Compact Disc!!! I didn't know the latest slang for police until my dd1 used it that night!!! One of the young ladies started off nearly every clue by saying, "It was in a movie..." We laughed so much at them!!!
Meanwhile, Friday afternoon my niece called and asked if one of the girls wanted to go shopping with her...of course 'Bunny' would love to!!! So the two of them got some much needed visiting time in! Today, we are spending time with a friend of hers from school and hopefully, if time permits, going to see a movie!
Hope your day and the week ahead is blessed!! Do y'all have plans for seeing fireworks this weekend? If so, leave me a comment, I want to know where you are headed!!! I might just join ya!!!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
God's girl, Pamela
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