The Season of Thanks

 

Pumpkin Spice Roll

Up front I will tell you that the above picture will not be accompanied with a recipe. I like the first photo in my blog posts to be something beautiful or eye-catching (in a good way), or delicious because that's what gets posted on Facebook when I announce my most recent post. First impressions.... you get it. The picture needs to be something that may encourage the reader to continue.

Although I'm not posting a recipe, I chose the plate with Pumpkin Spice Roll to illustrate that this is the season to celebrate gratitude, thanksgiving, and acknowledgement of the countless blessings every single one of us have.

Christmas decor at a local store

When Gary and I left on the morning of Halloween to drive to the Midwest for my mother's funeral, there were skeletons, spider webs, and spooky jack-o-lanterns everywhere (keeping in mind that, as I've said before, I'm not a fan of Halloween). 

When we got back home just five days later, Christmas had popped out and Thanksgiving is almost nowhere to be found. This was starkly evident when Jersey Girl and I had lunch and then perused through a popular shop where not only was Christmas everywhere, but much of it in non-traditional colors and themes. 

I find this to be disheartening, and I suspect many of you feel the same. ("birds of a feather flock together....") I am reminded of the song by the late Andrae Crouch with these words:

How can I say thanks

For the things You have done for me?

Things so undeserved

Yet You gave to prove Your love for me

The voices of a million angels

Could not express my gratitude

All that I am and ever hope to be

I owe it all to Thee.

My Tribute (To God Be The Glory)

How quickly we forget the simplest of blessings, such as being able to climb out of bed on our own strength every morning to navigate safely to the toilet. We forget the blessings of hot water (running water, even), and the ability to put spoon to mouth as we enjoy our breakfast cereal. 

Yes, yes, I know. Much of the early Christmas emphasis is based on making money. I'll leave it at that. I know I'm preaching to the choir here. But with that said, aside from having completed much of my Christmas shopping a month or so ago (!!!), the Christmas decor is not coming out of storage in our house until after our observation of Thanksgiving Day.

flags at our Reunion Center

This past week began with Veterans Day on November 11. We rode our bikes over to the Reunion Center in our gated retirement community with the expectation to observe the ceremonial flag raising we've enjoyed in the past. Nobody was there. Not a soul except us. We had not seen an announcement about it but just assumed tradition would continue. Disappointing. 

I've been married to two Vets, have a son who is a Vet, and a nephew, just to recognize a few. The willingness of these people to serve in the military on behalf of the rest of us is stunning when one really thinks about it. 

lunch on Veterans Day

That day is special to Gary and me in another way, too, as we celebrate the anniversary of the day we met! A mutual friend basically lured the two of us to that community flag ceremony so we could meet and the rest is happy history! 

For Gary's birthday in October, I gave him a gift card for one of his favorite restaurants. We used that for our lunch. Can you guess where it was? (hint: the black metal cowboy decor is in all of their locations)

cheesecake dessert

Because Gary is a Vet, our waitress said we could have a free appetizer or dessert. We opted for the dessert, taking it home to enjoy later. The above is my half.

selfie at a car show in 2022
taken with the hood of a Corvette

Last weekend we also visited a local car show honoring Veterans. We came across a truck much like one Gary's family had when he was a very little tyke. He was 2 years old. While this one was a bright yellow, Gary's Dad's truck was green. 

Gary beside a 1947 Ford truck

There is a story to be told about this truck. The family was originally from Missouri but was moving to Idaho upon the recommendation of an uncle. Gary's Dad had built a wood camper top and attached it to the bed of the truck. Gary and his two older brothers (ages about 2, 4, and 6) rode in the back while their parents enjoyed the comfort of the cab. 

Gary (the smallest boy) with his dad and two brothers 
and the 1947 Ford truck in Missouri

While driving across Wyoming, a big wind caught that camper top and absolutely blew it off! For the rest of the ride to Idaho, the boys crowded into the cab with the folks. That appears to be one of Gary's earliest childhood memories -- and who could forget something like that?!!

from our home decor

A few paragraphs ago I mentioned that we had ridden our bikes to the flag poles. Yes, Gary has resumed his enjoyment of bike-riding. He's had two surgeries this year, the first one in March. His bicycle has been gathering dust since then as time was given for healing (and a second surgery to tweak what was done in the first procedure). Each day this week he has ridden just a little farther and his body appears to be handling it well. (thanks to all who have been praying about Gary's health)

"bird legs" on her bike

This is the season for craft shows. At the annual Leisure Arts Club craft show in our ball room, I bought a light-weight bag with a long cross-body strap to hold my cell phone while we bike the neighborhood. Several pairs of my spandex bike pants have deep pockets to hold the phone but I prefer this bag (expertly sewn by my former neighbor, MaryAnn!).

Irish Chain for my kitchen nook
Castle Rock, Colorado 2013

Speaking of exercise, those of you who are on Facebook know how they put up pictures from past posts, asking if we want to share them again. I usually don't, but this one popped up recently. It's a wall quilt I designed and sewed specifically for our breakfast area, incorporating the colors of our "country" style of decor at the time. This has been one of my very favorites of all the quilts I made over the years. 

But in reference to exercise: back in my sewing days, I could easily spend the hours from after breakfast until time to start supper all in my sewing room. Often hunched over the sewing machine, an embroidery hoop, bent over the cutting table and so forth, with a sense of satisfaction from my creations also came tight neck and shoulders, sometimes with a raging headache, too.

A LOT of changes have rearranged my preferences over the past four years, including a near abandonment of sewing and a lot more outdoor physical exercise. Walking and biking -- most days of the week. My health has greatly improved as a result. 

TV screen shot from 
The Golden Bachelorette

Also in reference to how my life has changed these past four years, this fall when the TV advertised The Golden Bachelorette, I told Gary I wanted to watch it. I'm not a fan of any of the Bachelor or Bachelorette shows, and to even bring that up makes Gary roll his eyes! 

But I was interested to see how this senior woman (age 61, if you want to call that 'senior') would handle dating as a widow. We watched the first episode and that was more than enough for me because it was just so, so -- fairytale and unrealistic. 

But when the last episode came on, I wanted to see how it turned out.  Filmed in Bora Bora with perfect weather, stunning evening gowns (and she had the absolutely perfect tan with perfect long blond hair), it was, again, just too too [whatever]. Her wisdom about introducing her new love to her existing family was noteworthy. But with that said, I have no intention of continuing to watch the show because even "reality TV" is not completely real. 

ice cream at Culver's
with support group friends

Reality TV is my segue into a paragraph about support groups. "Small groups" or "support groups" are terms often used these days to help people cope with the hardships life throws at us. My first support group was GriefShare, which I began attending only ten days after Tom's death. I was surprised how helpful it was, so much so that I went through its 13-week program twice.

Then without divulging details about Gary's health, we found it helpful to attend support groups regarding his circumstances. For a time we were in two groups but one just wasn't a good fit for us, while the other has been very beneficial. 

In a support group, a good one, people are free to speak aloud those questions, worries, and experiences that have created a need for information, help, understanding, and so forth. As they say regarding Las Vegas, the same is to be true with a support group: what [is talked about] in support group stays in support group. 

sorting the stationery 

As I close out this post, I share something I find to be ironic. One of the things I brought home from Mama's funeral is her collection of stationery. A trained secretary (and I am, too), she had half a dozen spiral-bound steno pads, thank you notes, blank cards, cute note pads, some unused Christmas cards, and an assortment of envelopes of varying sizes. 

I, "my mother's daughter," as they would say, already had my own accumulation of these same things. In this day and age, hand-written notes are becoming rare. And then last night we heard on the news that the United States Post Office will be raising postage prices AGAIN on January 19th! 

Well, it's a pleasant problem, sorting through it all, deciding what to keep, what to donate. I am not complaining, just making an observation.

In closing as I go through some of my mother's things and approach the anniversary of my first husband's passing, I am reminded of this verse:

Teach us to number our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

May we use our days wisely -- not forgetting to be thankful and showing our gratitude to both God and people.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Briefly Through the Recent Past

 

shared from long-time blog reader and friend,
Karen L of Illinois

It's been two weeks since my mother "opened her eyes to eternity." She was well past her 99th birthday, had lived a full life, and it was time. (I know some of you understand what I am saying here.) When quality of life has deteriorated drastically, we wonder within ourselves .... why? 

It occurred to me shortly after her passing that while patients may be limited in their outward understanding and communication with us, most likely God is speaking to them. Perhaps underneath the labored breathing and lack of communication with us, just maybe they are having fellowship with our Lord in preparation for their departure.

sympathy cards sent to my house

So many of you have sent your condolences via blog, Facebook, and text message comments, snail mail cards, and in face-to-face conversations. This has been much-appreciated. 

My friend CC from Colorado shared with me a thought that had come to her mind. The Bible speaks about death being swallowed up by life when we are believers. Sometimes we get that idea reversed, that loved ones passing away who knew the Lord were swallowed up by death. But the glorious truth is that when we pass away from this life, death is swallowed up by eternal life! Ponder that!

Sister (in blue) and me walking her neighborhood
Autumn 2019

If we are honest with ourselves, there are usually many questions flooding our thoughts when someone close to us dies, even for those of us who have been in close relationship with the Lord for a long time. As the recently-passed songwriter, Quincy Jones, was quoted as saying, "You find out who you are when you hit the valleys." I can agree with that. Sometimes it's not a pretty revelation. But I won't dwell on that today.

Mama and me
1950

My mother was my first girlfriend, with my sister coming two years later. Growing up, it was the 3 of us females with my Daddy, and from time to time a dog. Daddy's career choices as first an airline pilot and then in corporate aviation moved us from Oklahoma to Oregon, back to Oklahoma and on to New York. From there we spent years in California, Canada, New Jersey, back to Oklahoma and then Colorado. When another job transfer called Daddy to Illinois, I stayed behind in Colorado to marry (and then my husband's career took us cross country several times..... but that's another story). Mama had to deal with a lot of change over the years.

Mama (now called "Grammer")
with one of my newborn children

Due to all those moves in our growing up years, Sister and I were pretty close because we always had each other. Then in our adult years, always separated by at least a 2-day drive from each other, we have maintained that connection as much as circumstances would allow. We also stayed close in spirit with Mama, although that was a little easier for Sister since the two of them lived in the same state for the next 54 years. I have not lived geographically close to my mother since 1970. Life just did not work out that way for me.

deciding how to dress her

Of course, social media has made keeping in touch so much easier, including our preparation for Mama's funeral. I could not get up to Illinois in time to go with Sister to finalize the arrangements, so when decisions had to be made about what clothes Mama (her body) would wear in the casket, Sister laid out some options on the bed and texted them to me. We went back and forth just a little, then decided it would be this dress, sweater, and a pin. Mama had never got her ears pierced, and clip-on earrings were not to be found in her jewelry box, so the pin seemed a good idea. (it was removed before burial, for those who are wondering about such things)

Mama always had a "good sense of pretty," as I like to phrase it, so we certainly wanted her to look her best, even at this last page of her life, so to speak.

Practically speaking, as many of us as could, managed to travel to the far northwest Illinois farm country for the funeral. As opposed to a planned vacation, attending a funeral is seldom at a convenient time for most people. But we still had a good showing of family.

some of us 
from the south end of the table

The day before the service we all were descending on the home of Sister and her husband. They have a big kitchen and two dining tables are always ready for guests in the dining room, but the crowd required food, too. The best, most sensible option was to meet at a local restaurant for dinner.

The meal was hearty and it was good to see this much family in one place for the first time in a long time. The conversations flowed easily.

Mama, photo
from her church directory

I had every intention of taking lots of pictures that weekend but alas, it just didn't happen. Unusual for me, I simply forgot. I did take this one of Gary when we arrived at the church on funeral morning:

all dressed up

Since we wear what Gary refers to as "Florida casual" 99 percent of the time (Bermuda shorts, T-shirts, sandals or athletic shoes), it's not often that I get to see him like this. Mama would have heartily approved of his wardrobe choices that day.

I debated whether to wear dressy black slacks with a blouse and jacket and cute flats, but decided out of respect for my mother, I would chance being a little cold in the Illinois weather by wearing a dress with hose and coordinating sweater. But I don't have a picture of that. Her generation (and this speaks for me, too) appreciated the respectful "dressing up" for solemn occasions such as this.

flowers from the grand children
and great grandchildren

The visitation was very well-attended, as was the service to follow, and many stayed for the lunch provided in the fellowship hall by the church ladies. As far as I could tell, it all processed very smoothly. Two of my nieces shared from the pulpit a brief favorite memory of their grandmother and the pastor read a tribute my sister had written. 

Mama would have truly loved the music; she may have selected the hymns herself (I forgot to ask Sister).

Amazing Grace

Blessed Assurance

When We All Get to Heaven

It was a joy and comfort to me to stand beside Sister as we both sang the alto notes, a skill learned from our mother.

The burial had to be delayed by a couple of days so the body could be transported to a Chicago cemetery where our father (Daddy) is buried. The drive to the cemetery is 2-3 hours from where Sister lives now and we had reasons to get ourselves on the road back to Florida. We were not the only ones who could not attend the gravesite gathering, but after such a good funeral, we were there for the best parts of it all.

entrance gate to our
+55 retirement community

There were two more days of driving, which went blessedly well, and we were once again at home. Somewhere in all that travel we changed from Levi's, long sleeves, and socks to our shorts, T-shirts, and sandals. That's how it is when we travel from one climate to another!

one of my wall quilts
2013

When we left home, Halloween decorations were everywhere. With our return we saw all that was gone (what a relief; I'm not a fan), and now we can turn our attention to Thanksgiving. 

I have so much for which to be thankful; we all do, even in the worst of times. I am grateful for the many people who took care of my mother in both assisted living and the nursing home over the past 7 years. My sister watched over our mother and did countless tasks for her until outside help became an absolute necessity. I am thankful for all Sister did and continues to do now as the final matters are brought to a close. 

I am thankful both my mother and my father pointed me to Jesus all of my life. "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow," as the song says. 

I sincerely hope and pray the same can be said of you.

Until next time, grace and peace.

 

A Brief Check-in

 

Aspen leaves at Kenosha Pass, Colorado
September 2024
photo by my son, TJr

Hello friends,

I'm checking in here briefly to say I've not fallen off the face of the earth, although I have been mostly quiet since my last post announcing the passing of my mother. 

We will be attending her funeral this weekend and sometime after that I plan to be back in my usual weekly (or so) blogging habit. All is well; this is just a good time to be quiet, reflective, and still grateful that my mother's suffering has come to an end and to know she is in a wonderful place with our Lord and the loved ones who have gone on before us.

I do want to express my sincere, grateful thanks to all of you who have commented here on my blog, on my Facebook page, via snail mail, text messages, and through emails. We appreciate the thoughtful words and care you have shown to us.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Pausing to Honor My Mother

 

source

There is a time for everything...

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Late last night my mother was ushered through Heaven's Gate. Her death came at the age of 99 years. 

A woman who lived for her Lord Jesus, she led me to know Him when I was very young while she was practicing a flannel graph Bible story for her children's Sunday School class. 

A faithful wife, mother to my sister and me, grandmother to 7, and great-grandmother to 21, she was widowed after 37 years of marriage to my father. She was very independent, took good care of herself and was very active in her church until declining health slowed her down. 

She will be missed but we are all thankful her end-of-life suffering has come to an end. We know she is happy now with our Lord and loved ones. 

Betty Jean 
1925 - 2024

God so loved the world

that He gave His only Son

that whosoever believes in Him

shall not perish

but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

Mid-October in Florida

 

Pumpkins at Publix

As I've pointed out many times over the past seven years, Florida is not the mecca for autumn, but attempts are made, all the same, to celebrate the end of [what seems like] endless summer a never-ending heat wave. One morning this week my town is predicted to reach a low temperature of 58 degrees! I love that!!

The weird thing, however, is that I change my clothes two or three times in one day at this time of year. I begin with ankle-length jeans, by mid-morning it's capri pants, and by lunchtime it's the well-worn Bermuda shorts that I've been wearing since last May (or earlier). Ah well. It's the price I pay for not having to shovel snow. 😄

Thus far, this has not been a particularly easy week. The constant barrage of TV news about the hurricane damage both here in Florida and north of us makes us uneasy, although we were blessedly spared the worst of it BY FAR. 

In recent weeks I traded in my old iPhone SE (purchased in 2020) for a new iPhone 16 Pro. While the phone itself is a delight, with that transaction came some business/financial matters that had heretofore been innocently overlooked. The phone I was trading in had belonged to my late husband, and even though the kids and I thought we had addressed all issues regarding such a transfer of ownership, alas, we had not. The account with Verizon was still in Tom's name and that needed to be changed to ME. Not an easy process. I won't bore you with the details. Some of the blame for that is mine -- I've not been very tech-savvy nor much of a business woman until circumstances in recent years threw me into it. 

I'm learning through this (and many other problems since November 2020) to not get my shorts in a twist (or at least such a tight knot!) when things go awry. Adversity thrives on upsets. Often the expressed angst only gets worse with repetition of the story. 

(blotted name for privacy)

When the cemetery wanted to know what I wanted put on Tom's headstone, I chose Proverbs 3:5, "Trust the Lord." It was a favorite verse of his (actually Proverbs 3:5-6):

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will direct your ways.

I have that verse on a small decorative stone beside my bathroom sink and also on a small piece of wood at my desk. It's like Tom's last words to me and believe, me, I ponder those words just about every day. This morning in my daily Quiet Time with scripture, I sensed the Lord speaking to me, 

"You don't have to understand everything but 

I do want you to trust me." 

Even when we don't understand what or why things are happening as they do, the Lord just wants us to trust Him, to trust His loving character. Well, that came in handy just a couple of hours later when I spent 90 minutes at Verizon (again) trying to straighten out matters. Once again, I left the store with an unresolved issue that will be addressed again, soon.

antique accent table

Moving on to a brighter topic (although still bittersweet), I gave this family heirloom to one of my nieces this week. She is actually a niece of my late husband, but in my thinking, all relatives by marriage are my family, too. Anyway, when both of my in-laws had died, Tom and his brother chose which furniture pieces to send home, and we got to keep this beautiful antique table. 

Since coming together with Gary, I have sold/donated/given to my kids nearly all of the furniture Tom and I had accumulated over the 50 years of our marriage, but this was a keeper. However, I have since decided I wanted to be sure this piece went to a place where it would be truly appreciated. My children already have so much of my stuff, so Nancy was the right one for this. Also, her father (who recently passed) grew up with this table in his home, so it was only right that one of his children would end up with it. I miss it already, but we still have enough furniture here, now, that it's actually good to have one less item to vacuum around! 

Before I close out this edition of My Journal Memories, I want to quickly respond to Joyce's Hodgepodge questions for this week, which can be found here. 

1. How did you meet your significant other? If you don't have a significant other, tell us how you met your best friend. 

Gary and me
November 11, 2021

I love responding to this question! A mutual friend here in our +55 community introduced Gary and me. We met (very intentionally on her part) at a Veterans Day flag-raising ceremony in 2021. Natalie had been acquainted with both of us before our spouses died and I guess she felt our two lonely hearts needed to meet! ❤️

2. It's Department Store Day (October 16)...do you still shop in department stores? If not do you miss that kind of shopping experience? Do you have a favorite department store? Any fun memories of department store shopping when you were a child? 

I like shopping in person when the selections are good and so I can try items on before purchase. When I've got $$ to spend and a special occasion in mind, it's a treat to shop at Dillard's. But more often I go to Bealls. Kohl's gets my business but in recent years they've been a little disappointing. 

3. Something you're currently nuts about? 

Lots of things, to be honest. But of late I'm using a new hair product from Sally Beauty Supply:

purchase

My hair is thick but flyaway and often flat, especially when I wear it short, as I do now. This volumizing powder helps a lot!

4. What's your favorite nut and is there a favorite recipe where this nut is used? 

I like all nuts but am partial to walnuts because I've read that's the healthiest nut. 

5. On Wednesday we officially reach the '70 days until Christmas' mark. Have you purchased any gifts? If you don't celebrate Christmas then how about Hanukkah presents? 

Yes, I've already done a significant amount of my Christmas shopping!

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

People, be sure to vote in the November elections. I have read articles saying evangelical Christians, in particular, are deciding to not vote. While some of our choices are questionable (for lack of a better word), it is a privilege to vote and there are issues on the ballots that need our validation even if the people are less than ideal.

And one more thought worth pondering for my Christian brothers and sisters: we are not electing a pastor but a president. Consider that.

Until next time, grace and peace. Oh, one more thing!

These guys know how to have fun!

Happy Birthday to "my" great-grandsons, the Minnesota Twins! (As I said above, in my way of thinking, all relatives by marriage are family, too.)

😉💕🎉

After Hurricane Milton

 

front of our house the day before Hurricane Milton

Hurricane Milton is now well east of us in the Atlantic Ocean. Without doubt I speak for all of Florida when I say he was not a welcome visitor and we are relieved he is gone.

back of our house the day before Hurricane Milton

"They" (whoever that is, probably insurance people) said we should take pictures before the storm in case claims have to be made later. It is with sincere gratitude to the Lord, Maker of Heaven and Earth, that I say "THANK YOU" for sparing us any damage at all, in spite of the most dire of forecasted predictions. 

storm clean-up

Of course, both of our coasts got slammed really hard, as we are all seeing on the TV reports. The above is the only snapshot I've taken related to storm damage. Things look a little ragged compared to the picture above it. I didn't take time to frame it artfully, and this was taken from a farther distance. Look carefully to the right of center to see Gary in the back yard, picking up storm debris (just twigs and branches). 

We had no real damage but the flora and fauna look, understandably, a little "roughed up" for the experience. They look better now, several hours later, with sunshine and a stiff breeze fluffing the leaves, much as a woman would fluff up her hair.

evacuation traffic on I-75

Earlier in the week we drove south to the cemetery for the burial of my brother-in-law. We were surprised to see the amount of evacuation traffic headed northbound. For our trip back home, we took back roads, but that, too, was slow-going due in part to the many cars lined up at gas stations and into the streets, waiting to gas up. 

Let me stop here for a moment to make some comments about evacuating. We should not judge too harshly those who choose to leave and also those who choose to remain. There is a lot to consider either way. It would be wise to make hotel reservations ahead of time, if there is no other place to take shelter. But in the press of storm panic, even those reservations may not be available upon arrival. Then there is the matter of how far does one need to drive from home to get shelter? food? gas? 

And as one wise man told me during my first major Florida hurricane in 2017, returning home after the storm has its perils, too. There is heavy traffic again, of course, and then access to home may not yet be opened up if the damage has been severe, if there are primary bridges to cross, flooding, downed trees and light poles, etc. 

To remain in place at home to weather out the storm may seem safe enough, and perhaps is a deterrent to looters; but as we see all the time on the news, sometimes that proves to be a big mistake when sudden floods or tornados wreak havoc. 

Some people use better judgment than others in these dire circumstances, but we have to just let them do what they think is best and pray for God's mercies on us all.

One of my faithful blog readers who, too, was facing Hurricane Milton sent me this prayer from her Leader of Eucharistic Ministers. I thought it was beautiful and prayed it myself as I read her email:

PRAYER OF PROTECTION DURING A STORM

Loving God, maker of heaven and earth,

protect us in your love and mercy.

Be with us, to still our fears

and give us confidence.

In the stormy waters,

Jesus reassured His disciples

by His presence,

calmed the storm,

and strengthened their faith.

Guard us from harm during this storm

and renew our faith

to serve you faithfully.

Give us the courage to face all difficulties

and the wisdom to see the ways

your spirit binds us together

in mutual assistance.

With confidence we make our prayer

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

We put out some sandbags this time, something we've not done in the past. When we went to a sand station to fill bags, it was not yet operating, and since we only needed 3, we just bought the pre-bagged stuff at Lowe's. 

sand bags and patio furniture secured

Something I learned about sandbags: those fibrous bags don't keep forever. They mold after getting wet, so after using them, you're supposed to dispose of them. I wondered why there is such a run on the sandbagging locations with each storm....

The storm was predicted to hit the Gulf Coast south of here around 8:30pm. I will admit I was a little disappointed that the worst of it would be after dark, as it was for Hurricane Helene a couple of weeks ago. 

With all those very tall pine trees lined up behind our house, as well as a 40-feet palm tree, and our master bedroom is on the back of the house, we decided to sleep in the guest room. If any of those trees were to blow down on our roof, our chances of surviving would be better in another part of the house.

We slept soundly through it all. Yes, there was the strong wind and rain on the window, but maybe our mutual hearing losses served us well? 🙄

Hobby Lobby purchase 2021

I keep the above sign where I see it every day. In the depths of my grief a few years ago, as soon as I saw this, I knew I had to buy it. The Lord has indeed taken care of me. 

Thanks to all of you who have asked about us and prayed. 

Until next time, grace and peace.