First, let me say thank you for praying for our great state as Ike was breathing down our necks! Here, 250 miles inland, we ended up being on the west side of the storm as it blew through our area...that is the nicer side! We had this really cool soft rain coming down, pretty muchly off and on for a while then for about 3 hrs straight in the afternoon. Some wind, but not even enough to blow over my patio chairs. And we woke up to bright sunshine on Sunday morn, or should I say "Son"shine? We needed the rain, and a chance to stay indoors was pretty nice since it came in on Saturday.
I know the destruction in Galveston is really bad, and many other areas down that way. We stayed at the Flagship on our honeymoon and saw where the east side of the bldg took quite a hit...that was the side our room was on so everytime the news footage came on, we made the girls watch...they were tired of our memories by the time it ended! Also on our honeymoon, we took a ferry to Port Bolivar and that is where so many people had to be rescued from and so many houses were destroyed. It was quite a storm and thankfully with all of our technology, they can send out warnings early enough that anybody that wants to move inland has plenty of time to do it.
I asked hubs if he wanted to make the trip back down there for our 20th... in 3 short months. For some reason, he turned me down...some excuse about how big of a mess the area would still be in! Imagine that! (tongue in cheek, of course!!!)
I have a friend that needs some prayers at this time. If you look to the right you will see Makenna and Makenna's family listed. If you can, please take time to read one or both of those and if not, please lift up this family in prayer...especially the Mom.
Well, I finally jumped on the Beth Moore bandwagon...I had nothing against her, just had never had the opportunity to do a study, until now. Our church women's group is doing The Patriarchs and we just started last month and I am already loving it! She just has an awesome, God-given way of encouraging you to search deeper in scripture and find the Truth of the Gospel!!!
Several of y'all have posted comments or contacted me by e-mail about the blog and y'all have given me so much encouragement! I appreciate it so much! This journey that God has placed in front of us is meant to be shared with family and good friends and I pray I can be worthy of many good friends to journey with! I am so blessed by God to have my wonderful hubs and precious children along for the ride, as well.
My niece is in her senior year, studying journalism at Baylor University and I would hate for her to critique any of my blog posts! I know they lack so many things...like punctuation, capital letters and that I add way too many exclamation points and .....! But I am having fun here!
I should probably close for now...somehow, the clean clothes just thrown in the basket are calling my name! The new to me Elfa shelving system is telling me in no uncertain terms that it is ready to move into it's permanent home, the pantry. Most of all, the floors are letting me know they are tired of suffocating under the dog hair...how do they shed so quickly???
Y'all have a terrific weekend!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.....
God's girl, Pamela
September 19, 2008
September 12, 2008
There's an Ike comin'
Our dear friend, Casey, asked an interesting question when she moved to the area a couple of weeks ago and my answer was truthful...She asked if we were in the path of a hurricane very often - and my answer was not very often! Yet, here we are twice within the first month of Casey living in Texas under the gun of a hurricane!!!
I have lived in this area about 20 yrs of my life and have only been really affected by a hurricane about 8 times. Rita was the last one and we didn't get much rain from that one, just really heavy winds for a few hours...and the allergies that blew up from Southeast Texas!!! Generally, in order for us to feel the effects of a hurricane, it has to hit Galveston or Houston dead on...and guess where Ike is headed!!! We did get some rain and wind from Gustav recently, and for a few days, cooler weather. I am looking forward to the cooler temps Ike is bringing, too...next week they are expecting the highs to only be in the 80's! Whoo, Hoo!!! I might even have to wear a jacket to get the girls to school....only 70 degrees in the morn???
I know that God directs the weather and it has been really cool to 'watch' the hurricane on the satellite views. I was mesmerized to watch as Ike came off of Cuba and strengthened immediately...you could see the eye start to reform as it moved out into open waters. The Psalmist tells us that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, and that includes the oceans, winds, the whole enchilada. I would not want to live along the coast and have to move out of the path every so often, but it is cool to watch from my far inland living room as the storm moves and grows!
On a different note, we are going to our first football game of the season tonight! And Bunny will get to march! So, I've already taken my allergy pill, plan to take a nap later on...'cause those little white pills just put me out!...and then pack up my spirit to root for Bunny's team for the first time! Of course, DD1 plans to wear one of her high school shirts, since they are rivals! Oh, the joy of teenagers!!!
Well, that is all for today...I pray your Friday and your weekend are blessed beyond your imagination!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
God's girl, Pamela
I have lived in this area about 20 yrs of my life and have only been really affected by a hurricane about 8 times. Rita was the last one and we didn't get much rain from that one, just really heavy winds for a few hours...and the allergies that blew up from Southeast Texas!!! Generally, in order for us to feel the effects of a hurricane, it has to hit Galveston or Houston dead on...and guess where Ike is headed!!! We did get some rain and wind from Gustav recently, and for a few days, cooler weather. I am looking forward to the cooler temps Ike is bringing, too...next week they are expecting the highs to only be in the 80's! Whoo, Hoo!!! I might even have to wear a jacket to get the girls to school....only 70 degrees in the morn???
I know that God directs the weather and it has been really cool to 'watch' the hurricane on the satellite views. I was mesmerized to watch as Ike came off of Cuba and strengthened immediately...you could see the eye start to reform as it moved out into open waters. The Psalmist tells us that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, and that includes the oceans, winds, the whole enchilada. I would not want to live along the coast and have to move out of the path every so often, but it is cool to watch from my far inland living room as the storm moves and grows!
On a different note, we are going to our first football game of the season tonight! And Bunny will get to march! So, I've already taken my allergy pill, plan to take a nap later on...'cause those little white pills just put me out!...and then pack up my spirit to root for Bunny's team for the first time! Of course, DD1 plans to wear one of her high school shirts, since they are rivals! Oh, the joy of teenagers!!!
Well, that is all for today...I pray your Friday and your weekend are blessed beyond your imagination!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
God's girl, Pamela
September 4, 2008
September means....
We are back into the school routine..and already had a day off!!! This was our first Labor Day parade as a family, Bunny's band marched and played. It was still hot outside but fun, nonetheless. Of course, a Monday off only means Tuesday is really difficult! I'm still not on a real schedule...my body is thinking it is Wednesday!!!
Friday nights are for football!!! We didn't make it to last weeks game, it was 2 1/2hrs away and due to Bunny's foot injury she didn't march. DD1 has church friends that played each other in last Friday's game so she went to see that rivalry. Ya know what that means...we had a Friday evening to ourselves!!! We acted like 'normal' people and went to see a movie!!! We saw Hancock and I was not impressed! It was okay up until the plot twist, then they just lost my interest! Thankfully, it was at the cheap theater! It was fun, though, to be together, just the two of us!
Cooler mornings! Although a bit early this year thanks to Gustav! I will take it...we slept with the window open last night! I have the living room windows open right now! I know this afternoon, the air will come back on but I'm going to enjoy the cooler weather while I can!
This is for my Mom: I have a bit of sad news...Miss Persnickety is dead. We kept trying to revive her in her window, then hubs sat her out in the front and she has now fully wilted away.
For those of you wondering...Miss Persnickety was my first impatien plant. She was beautiful and showy but really picky about where she sat, how much water she got and who she liked! She lived with us for more than five years...I was amazed at that! I am not a green thumb...that would be my Momma, but the more Miss Persnickety grew, the more I desired to care for her. She was a gift from one of my students during a Teacher Appreciation week and sat in a pot that her class gave me.
I will miss her pink petals but I am pleased by the fact that she became such a part of our family...we all talked to her when we passed by the table! She is a reminder that God loves us all..even those of us that are persnickety!
Well, that is all I have for now..nothing earth shattering - thankfully! I pray y'all have a blessed day and are looking forward to the weekend ahead!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
God's girl, Pamela
Friday nights are for football!!! We didn't make it to last weeks game, it was 2 1/2hrs away and due to Bunny's foot injury she didn't march. DD1 has church friends that played each other in last Friday's game so she went to see that rivalry. Ya know what that means...we had a Friday evening to ourselves!!! We acted like 'normal' people and went to see a movie!!! We saw Hancock and I was not impressed! It was okay up until the plot twist, then they just lost my interest! Thankfully, it was at the cheap theater! It was fun, though, to be together, just the two of us!
Cooler mornings! Although a bit early this year thanks to Gustav! I will take it...we slept with the window open last night! I have the living room windows open right now! I know this afternoon, the air will come back on but I'm going to enjoy the cooler weather while I can!
This is for my Mom: I have a bit of sad news...Miss Persnickety is dead. We kept trying to revive her in her window, then hubs sat her out in the front and she has now fully wilted away.
For those of you wondering...Miss Persnickety was my first impatien plant. She was beautiful and showy but really picky about where she sat, how much water she got and who she liked! She lived with us for more than five years...I was amazed at that! I am not a green thumb...that would be my Momma, but the more Miss Persnickety grew, the more I desired to care for her. She was a gift from one of my students during a Teacher Appreciation week and sat in a pot that her class gave me.
I will miss her pink petals but I am pleased by the fact that she became such a part of our family...we all talked to her when we passed by the table! She is a reminder that God loves us all..even those of us that are persnickety!
Well, that is all I have for now..nothing earth shattering - thankfully! I pray y'all have a blessed day and are looking forward to the weekend ahead!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
God's girl, Pamela
August 30, 2008
Common to man
Ecclesiastes 9:1-3
1 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him. 2 All share a common destiny--the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them. 3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all.
My Sis and I were talking recently about a trait that I have...and it is not a very good one! The trait is that someone can tell me an issue or a problem they are going through, and I have a tendency to say, "Oh, I understand...this is what I'm going through, or have been through." How selfish of me!!!
The verse above tells it like it is; we all have problems and issues!!! They are common to ALL men! I am reminded of a conversation that took place several years ago between a good friend and myself that points out this same truth, only how God is involved in our lives is no different! My friend was being treated for throat cancer, while being a wife, a Mom to a sweet 5 yr old boy, and a business owner. I mentioned my fear of needles, and drs!, and that I would never be able to walk through something similar with the grace and poise that I saw in her! This same friend knows the issues in our home and said how funny that I felt that way, because she had recently told God she could never handle the things I was going through.
What are you going through that others cannot see themselves doing? Are you a spouse to an addict? Mother of a strong-willed teen? Friend of a broken marriage? Mom of a handicapped child? Mom of a shunned child? Do you have a physical ailment that limits you in any way? Are you disabled? Is your marriage breaking at the seams?
Could you possibly handle issues that others are facing? Could you be the Mom of the strong-willed teen? Could you handle being the spouse of an addict? Could you be the Mom of a handicapped child? Could you be disabled? Could you face singlehood after decades of marriage?
Being the big sister of a handicapped man, my perspective changed as I grew into adulthood and began to know people outside of my parents circle. I learned that we all have a handicap...it looks different for everyone, though! As humans, we really are alike, usually in more ways than we desire to admit!
I know when we have very little, I tend to look at others and feel they don't understand! But I also know that we all go through times when things are tight!
I know when I am sick, I feel like no one can possibly know the pain and agony I am in. However, everyone gets a headache or the flu!(amongst other things!!!)
How arrogant do I appear when I feel I am alone? Oh, how my ego suffers when I really consider that I don't have it all that bad! When I realize I could not handle the pressure of being a Mom to a handicapped child, or a person with a debilitating disease! I will stay where I'm at, knowing that God's grace has not given me more than I can bear! Knowing that I can do all things through Christ who is my strength!
I will be honest, this is not an easy, nor fun, post to write. I just feel so strongly that I need to share because I know arrogance is not that far off my radar! I would much rather tell you how fun the Friday night games were for my children...I'll do that one day next week. I would rather tell you how nice it was to have a date night with my sweet hubs...y'all can relate to that, though! But I feel compelled to put down my feelings, to be accountable and ask you to lift me up! I know I am not alone! I know God walks beside me!
I desire to become the daughter He wants me to be. When I do this, all other relationships fall into place! When I praise, all other worries melt away. When I give, I recieve so much more than I could have imagined! These are the promises I have been given - and I am not the only one!!!
Well, I think I'm through for now! If you are at a point that you need a shoulder to cry on, please don't hesitate to let me know! I promise I will try not to tell you how hard of a time I am having...and if I do, remind me to shutup and listen!!! Thank you for your soft shoulders!!! They are a Godsend!!!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
1 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him. 2 All share a common destiny--the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them. 3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all.
My Sis and I were talking recently about a trait that I have...and it is not a very good one! The trait is that someone can tell me an issue or a problem they are going through, and I have a tendency to say, "Oh, I understand...this is what I'm going through, or have been through." How selfish of me!!!
The verse above tells it like it is; we all have problems and issues!!! They are common to ALL men! I am reminded of a conversation that took place several years ago between a good friend and myself that points out this same truth, only how God is involved in our lives is no different! My friend was being treated for throat cancer, while being a wife, a Mom to a sweet 5 yr old boy, and a business owner. I mentioned my fear of needles, and drs!, and that I would never be able to walk through something similar with the grace and poise that I saw in her! This same friend knows the issues in our home and said how funny that I felt that way, because she had recently told God she could never handle the things I was going through.
What are you going through that others cannot see themselves doing? Are you a spouse to an addict? Mother of a strong-willed teen? Friend of a broken marriage? Mom of a handicapped child? Mom of a shunned child? Do you have a physical ailment that limits you in any way? Are you disabled? Is your marriage breaking at the seams?
Could you possibly handle issues that others are facing? Could you be the Mom of the strong-willed teen? Could you handle being the spouse of an addict? Could you be the Mom of a handicapped child? Could you be disabled? Could you face singlehood after decades of marriage?
Being the big sister of a handicapped man, my perspective changed as I grew into adulthood and began to know people outside of my parents circle. I learned that we all have a handicap...it looks different for everyone, though! As humans, we really are alike, usually in more ways than we desire to admit!
I know when we have very little, I tend to look at others and feel they don't understand! But I also know that we all go through times when things are tight!
I know when I am sick, I feel like no one can possibly know the pain and agony I am in. However, everyone gets a headache or the flu!(amongst other things!!!)
How arrogant do I appear when I feel I am alone? Oh, how my ego suffers when I really consider that I don't have it all that bad! When I realize I could not handle the pressure of being a Mom to a handicapped child, or a person with a debilitating disease! I will stay where I'm at, knowing that God's grace has not given me more than I can bear! Knowing that I can do all things through Christ who is my strength!
I will be honest, this is not an easy, nor fun, post to write. I just feel so strongly that I need to share because I know arrogance is not that far off my radar! I would much rather tell you how fun the Friday night games were for my children...I'll do that one day next week. I would rather tell you how nice it was to have a date night with my sweet hubs...y'all can relate to that, though! But I feel compelled to put down my feelings, to be accountable and ask you to lift me up! I know I am not alone! I know God walks beside me!
I desire to become the daughter He wants me to be. When I do this, all other relationships fall into place! When I praise, all other worries melt away. When I give, I recieve so much more than I could have imagined! These are the promises I have been given - and I am not the only one!!!
Well, I think I'm through for now! If you are at a point that you need a shoulder to cry on, please don't hesitate to let me know! I promise I will try not to tell you how hard of a time I am having...and if I do, remind me to shutup and listen!!! Thank you for your soft shoulders!!! They are a Godsend!!!
Praise God from whom all blessings flow....
God's girl, Pamela
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