Ian turned 18 in July. He is a senior this year! During the summer he had the opportunity to serve at Camp Wow in OK. He worked with the cowboy churches in our area. When he came home after those two weeks he was on fire! We knew God had done something amazing in his life.
Not long after camp Ian received a message from a National Guard recruiter. He wanted to visit with him. I believe Ian was searching for an answer for that all so familiar question for seniors..."what are you going to do after you graduate?" Maybe this was the answer. He and James met with the recruiter. When they came home, they both were excited about what they heard. If Ian signed before his senior year, he would attend training once a month until graduation. If he chose to not continue, he could get out. But it would not be easy. The plan was for him to be able to go on his last youth trip and to go back to Cowboy camp, then enter Basic Training at the end of summer. He would not go to college in the fall. He would start the spring semester. There were many different options he could choose to further his military career. They would pay the tuition for college. Somewhere in the deal there was $20,000! I know when you dangle that much money in front of a teenager, you have their attention!!! Ian was ready to sign. James dug into trying to find out all the loop holes he could, but there seem to be very few. Most people he spoke with thought NG was a great way to go. I had a different take on this! I did not trust the recruiter one bit. I had a lot of questions and needed to know exactly why Ian was choosing this way when he had experienced God in a awesome way. I'm not saying the military is bad. I actually have great respect for it. I know my son. He has never had a desire to go the military way. If this was the way to go, then why sign the beginning of senior year, just wait till you graduate. Senior year is suppose to be the time to explore options. Not many teens know what they want to do when they enter college. I did not have peace and I worried that he was moving way too fast.
He got all the papers ready. The day came for him to go to MEPS. Ian told me several times if this was not what God wanted him to do, He would stop him at MEPS. James was at church camp so Robin, Ava and I went to Dallas to be with him. Once he passed the medical part, he would sign the contract and be sworn in. I still did not feel good about this but was going to try to support him. I saw him come out of the medical part. A few minutes later, he came and got me and said the recruiter needed to talk to me. The medical staff questioned what Ian used on his face for acne. He told them it was a wash. They asked if it was from the doctor and he said yes. So they kicked him out and said he would have to get a letter from the doctor releasing him from their care. It was not a prescription, we just bought it from them.
My first thought...GOD STOPPED IT! Ian did not see it that way. He just saw a little bump in the road. As I pondered the timeline of the next few weeks, I had a feeling all this would go away. You see, the following week was band camp, the next week was football, and then school started! Surely by that time Ian would change his mind and wait till after graduation.
About two weeks later, James and Ian told me they had talked to the recruiter and had made plans to go back to MEPS that next Monday! I could see this was not going like I had planned so I just decided I was ready to get it over with!. My heart hurt because I thought he was not thinking this though. Ian left on Sunday afternoon and James, Ava and I left Monday morning. They told us to be at the Federal Building in Dallas around 9:30. About 8:00 Ian called and asked if we could be there at 8:30 because they were going fast. I told him no. We arrived at 9:15. Ian met us and told us he had already been through the medical part and had been cleared. They had him sign some papers and were pulling up his contract when the computers went down. The recruiter said they would be back up and running in a few minutes. So we stood and waited. James was going to go in with him to go over the contract. We waited longer and Ava and I finally found a seat. At 12:00 they call all the recruits to go eat, so Ian went and got a sandwich. We just waited. Computers are still down. About 2:00, James came in and told me that the computers are down across the NATION!!! Ian told him that if he did not get processed today he was done!. I was shocked! I never thought he would actually not go through with this. I began to watch the clock. The office would close at 4:00. They said they would know for sure if he was going to get processed by 3:45. So we waited and I watched the clock. Ian had a pep rally at school that night and did not want to miss it. In the beginning the recruiter said we would be done by lunch and he would be back at school in time for practiced and pep rally. I assured him we had plenty of time to get there. We could have left right then but I felt we needed to follow this all the way to the end. Around 3:00 I hear them call a National Guard recruit back. So I believe they were up and running. Then around 3:30 they called Ian!. Nothing like the last minute. A few minutes James comes back and said lets go. I just looked at him as I grabbed all of our stuff. He said Ian is done and we are going home!!!
When they called Ian in, they told him the computers would not be back up today. They would put him up in a hotel and he would be the first in line tomorrow. He said no that he had a pep rally. His recruiter said he would pick him up at his house at 5:00 am and then return him to school. One Sargent asked him why he was joining and he said to help with college. James assured him that we would pay for college and he did not have to go through with this just for that reason. Ian said, Dad you preached yesterday about temptation. You said when in doubt, don't do it. I prayed this morning for this to go smooth and it has not, so I am done. The Sargent stood up and shook his hand. He said you are just the type of man we want but we respect your decision. The recruiter said he would not contact him again. If Ian chose to contact him, then he would love to have him.
Wow! I am still amazed. Yes Ian was discouraged and a little upset. He thought this was his planned and God just shut it down. Actually He shut the National Army down. On August 20,2018 no one was sworn into the National Army....not just the National Guard! God showed up...Actually, He showed Out!!!! That's the way He is!
Inspiration
I have been needing something to jump start my Bible study again. Something to inspire me. I just haven't found anything that has appealed to me. Maybe I should just open my Bible and start reading! That seems to work for others. I want to be that guru that knows the Bible and can quote scriptures right when needed. I sat down with my coffee this morning and opened my Bible and it fell open to a quite time book we received at Glorieta a few weeks ago! I guess this as good of a start as any. I started reading where I left off three weeks ago. "Be Inspired"! It asked When was the last time you felt inspired? What inspires you? I always think of how He has spoken directly to my heart and surprised me with revelations!! I think of how wonderful his creation is and how he put it all together. How he knows just what I need when I need it. But as my lesson this morning states, Creation will eventually fade. We were not meant to worship the creation. Inspiration comes from God. It is never ending. We have life because he willed it to us. He desires for us to live in fellowship with him. To live our lives inspired daily by the fact that He is above all. God has inspired us to go, share, and live for His glory. Is there any greater calling? Is there any greater source of inspiration than God himself?? Hummm, there He goes again! Giving me just what I needed! He never ceases to amaze me!
Shepherd Boy
I was recently told I need to update my blog. I told them I would when I had something to write about! I got it!!! I am reading Praying Circles around Your Children by Mark Batterson. (This is what I read today: David's own dad didn't see who he could or would become. When Jesse looked at David, he saw a shepherd boy; when Samuel looked at David, he saw a king! One of the greatest dangers of family relationships is that we become blind to beauty and mystery simply because we live in such close proximity. You need a vision for your children.) So this morning I prayed that I would not just see Ian as a shepherd boy but I would see a King. God, give him confidence and boldness to be the person you have designed him to be.
I remembered that I had taken this picture yesterday of Ian "walking" his goat!! I have to say only a King would think of something like this! If only he could find someone to appoint to do it all for him!! This picture will always remind me to pray this prayer for him! Just love my Ian!!
I remembered that I had taken this picture yesterday of Ian "walking" his goat!! I have to say only a King would think of something like this! If only he could find someone to appoint to do it all for him!! This picture will always remind me to pray this prayer for him! Just love my Ian!!
A view from the top!!!!!!!
All went great with surgery. It took about 2 hours for the doctor to do his part and about 1 1/2 hours in recovery. They put a stent in (pipeline) which eventually closes off aneurysm. I got a little nauseated from the anesthesia. They gave me meds and I slept until about 2:00pm. I had to lay completely flat until about 5:00pm. I think that was the hardest part!!! I was starving when I woke up so I had a little Mc Donald's!!! And after a few more hours, I checked my Facebook!!! Wow! I can't believe it has been so easy! Isn't that what we have prayed for?! God is so Good! So far this Mountain climb has been pretty easy...or maybe I should say it has not been too bad! And guess what, they are going to move me to the 22nd floor! Now that should be a nice view! Not quiet the view from a mountain top I would have wanted to see, but when I look out that window I will be reminded of this mountain view. In fact, I think I will stop writing for now so I can share with you the view from the top!... Well here it is. All the way from the top!
Here we go!
Been waiting for this day for a while! Have you ever just not wanted to do something that you know you have to do? I really don't want to have this surgery. You know, if I felt bad and I knew it would fix something that hurt then maybe I would not mind going through it. Maybe I will ask the doctor to fix something that really hurts on this old body!! Talk about walking by faith! That's how I feel right now! I am so ready to get this over so I can get back to taking care of my family. I finally got all my ducks in a row and left everyone a list of reminders for the week! So far everything has gone smooth. I guess what I don't know won't hurt me! I have put all my kiddos in trusted hands and know they will be taken care of. Isn't that what mothers do? Now if I could just relax and let the doctors and God take care of me. That is so hard. Especially when I have never had any type of major surgery!!! Honestly I am Nervous but at the same time there is a peace that is over me! I know it is the peace that everyone one is praying for me to have! Unexplainable! Just so neat! Thank you all!
And the Rooster crows!...or the Sun shines!
Make an Altar
Thanks to my sister Robin, I have been reading Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson. What a great book!!! Each of you must read it! I just want to share a little about what he made me think about today.
We don't build altars anymore like they did in Bible times. Why not? When God spoke to people, they would build an altar to remember their meeting with God. Do you remember your meetings with God? You know I often forget mine. They mean so much to me at the moment, but then as time goes by and I get back in my routine, I forget the feeling. Sometimes I forget what God told me!!! So why do we not build more altars? I'm not saying to go gather a bunch of stones and stack them up. Let's use what we have with us 24/7. Our phones! Our cameras! Take a picture. Make a note. Then......Share it!!!! I am going to do it more. Of course most of you know that I share my meetings with God here on Miracles Never Cease. I never realized it but I have an altar that I have shared with you before. I will share it again and if you want to know what it means, well....your gonna have to read ALL my past post!!!! Don't you just love God?!!! I
do!
do!
Angels all around
Angiogram went ok. Doctor said if you are going to have and aneurysm mine is in the best spot. I feel very confident in Dr. MaWad. Everyone kept telling me he was the best! That is good to know! I was released Tuesday afternoon and spent the night at Kristie and Jimmy's apartment. We felt the ride home would be too much. James and I left Houston about 9:30 Wednesday morning. I was feeling good, just a little sore. We stopped in Kingwood to eat early lunch and to walk around. I set down to eat and stretched my leg out and felt something pop!! Oh my! I started getting light headed and told James. I stood up to see if I could walk. It felt like a cramp in my groin where they went in for angiogram. I leaned over the table but did not pass out. Out of nowhere I heard a lady ask if she could help. James told her what was going on and asked her to call 911. She went and got the manager to call and immediately came back to help. I kept thinking to myself, I just need to lay down! Before I knew it, this sweet voice said, "Do you want to lay down on the cold floor?" Oh yes! and there I was on the brick floor of Cracker Barrel!! She began wiping my forehead with a cold napkin. She kept saying, "I do this all the time. You are going to be ok". I got a little anxious and she said "it's ok. You can cry." I finally opened my eyes and saw this beautiful young women with long red hair! Her name was Patricia. She is a stewardess for Continental Airlines. All I could say to her is "You are an Angel!" Thank you! The EMTs came and took me to ER. Long story short, all is fine. They did an ultrasound to make sure my site was not bleeding and that that there were no clots. We believe it was just a muscle spasm. After searching, other people have had the same thing happen. The doctors assured me I did the right thing having it checked out. I would have hate to have been three and a half hours away from Houston and this happen!!! I told Kristie that after all of this, we are gonna all have to go have our new gray hairs colored! I think even James is gonna have to have his done!!!
This ordeal was not fun and it scared several people including me!! But I have to stop and think of the moments that God was all around. I can not get this red-headed lady out of my mind! I told Kristie, she is one lady I hope will be in Heaven! Of course I want everyone to be there. I always think of my family and friends first, but then God puts people in my path that I think, Lord I hope they choose You! I don't know if Patricia is a christian. But what I do know is I had a moment where God allowed me to tell her it was a miracle that God led the doctors to find this aneurysm. I was able to tell her she was an angel and blessing to me! Maybe one day while flying on continental airlines, I will look up and see a red-headed stewardess named Patricia! Wouldn't that be awesome?!!!
God, Thank you for my family. I know they have been so worried lately. Please give us all peace and the the calm assurance that you have this all in your hands.
For I know the plans I have for you declare the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11
This ordeal was not fun and it scared several people including me!! But I have to stop and think of the moments that God was all around. I can not get this red-headed lady out of my mind! I told Kristie, she is one lady I hope will be in Heaven! Of course I want everyone to be there. I always think of my family and friends first, but then God puts people in my path that I think, Lord I hope they choose You! I don't know if Patricia is a christian. But what I do know is I had a moment where God allowed me to tell her it was a miracle that God led the doctors to find this aneurysm. I was able to tell her she was an angel and blessing to me! Maybe one day while flying on continental airlines, I will look up and see a red-headed stewardess named Patricia! Wouldn't that be awesome?!!!
God, Thank you for my family. I know they have been so worried lately. Please give us all peace and the the calm assurance that you have this all in your hands.
For I know the plans I have for you declare the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11
Live today as if it were your last.
Those words have a very different meaning to me today! I woke this morning saying them in my mind over and over. God, what do you want me to do with them. I thought about what I want to leave to my family and nothing came to mind. I have no list of items that I want my kids to have. Honestly the only thing I want my family to know is how much I love them. I want them to know how much I love Jesus! I want them to one day experience an extraordinary relationship with him! It will change their life! About three years ago I told God that I did not want to live an average ho-hum ordinary life. I wanted to live an extraordinary life! I wanted to make a difference. I immediately signed up to go to Africa on a mission trip. I just knew that would be out of my box! Non-ordinary! Well, God had a different plan and He led me to a journey of miracles! Finding out I was pregnant with Ava Grace was an extraordinary experience! It was not just having a baby I had long to have , it was my experience with Jesus that was extraordinary. It was during this time that Jesus showed me He had been working in my life long before I had surrendered to be different. I realized what a miracle Ian was. God had a plan for my life and He had been working miracles in my life for a long time but I never stopped to notice them! Needless to say, I never stopped to give Him praise for them! But things are different now! I promise to always give Him honor for everything He does! I look for moments to praise Him. I live an extraordinary life and I want everyone to know about it! You can live this kind of life too! It's not about money. It's not about things. Or positions. It is about JESUS! That's it! He is Extraordinary! He takes care of your worries. He takes care of your past. He takes care of your future! I beg you to surrender your life to Him! Step out and live for Him everyday, all day! You will be amazed at what an extraordinary life you can have!
Looking back at my post title, I ask God, did I do what you wanted me to do? Yes, I have told all who reads this post how wonderful He is. Now I must put actions to my words and go about my day!! Looking for Him all around me. Today, there is a little girl I must play with and a young man I need to listen to. There is also a wonderful Godly man, who spend his days and nights ministering to youth, who needs me to be his "stage manager"! (Ha-Ha I can't believe I thought of that! That is a whole other post I will fill you in on later!! Another way God just showed me He has been working!) He counts on me to take care of stuff he forgets about and most of all, he needs me to love him and respect him. Just another Extraordinary day!!
Doctor's Visit
This is pretty much a full report of what the Radiologist told us at our visit.
There is an aneurysm behind my left eye. Will need to do angiogram to see how big and exact location before will proceed with treatment. It will also tell if there are any additional aneurysms. Treatment will most likely be an invasive stint going through groin. He is concerned with platelet issue I had while I was pregnant So he is checking that today. IF those are ok, may do angiogram on Tuesday (he goes out of town the following wk ...not a rush. Just if I want to do it before he leaves) Angiogram is out patient but the stint procedure will require a hospital stay Yea!! I will need to follow up with hematologist before the procedure. 4% risk of having complications with procedure. Absolutely not related to seizure. Just happen to find this.I will not be able to have procedure until probably in of January. He is very confident that he can fix this.
Thank you all for your prayers! We have felt every one of them!! God works in mysterious ways and for mysterious reasons!!!! Just one reason I love Him so much!!
There is an aneurysm behind my left eye. Will need to do angiogram to see how big and exact location before will proceed with treatment. It will also tell if there are any additional aneurysms. Treatment will most likely be an invasive stint going through groin. He is concerned with platelet issue I had while I was pregnant So he is checking that today. IF those are ok, may do angiogram on Tuesday (he goes out of town the following wk ...not a rush. Just if I want to do it before he leaves) Angiogram is out patient but the stint procedure will require a hospital stay Yea!! I will need to follow up with hematologist before the procedure. 4% risk of having complications with procedure. Absolutely not related to seizure. Just happen to find this.I will not be able to have procedure until probably in of January. He is very confident that he can fix this.
Thank you all for your prayers! We have felt every one of them!! God works in mysterious ways and for mysterious reasons!!!! Just one reason I love Him so much!!
Mountains are made for climbing
Well when I thought of this post title, I stopped and thought "are they really made for climbing or just to look at?" If I just look at a mountain, I really do not get to experience it or get the full experience of its creator.
Back in November, I heard a song on the radio that I had heard many times before. "Only a Mountain" by Jason Castro. As I listen to the words, I thought, why do we have mountains? Why can't they just be hills? Rolling hills are what came to my mind. Hills that we get over but then we have to get over them again and again and....again. MOUNTAINS. There must be something about climbing mountains. I know the mountains in my life I have climbed seem to get easier the higher I climb. I know I always seem to have a clear view of my Savior. Faith can change those mountains. It's only a mountain!
At that time in November I did not know what lied ahead. A mountain that I would have to climb. The last mountain I climbed was getting Ava Grace here safely! It was hard at first but the more we climbed the easier it was to have faith that God had her in His arms and he would soon place her in ours. It was fun! But now a new mountain stands strong and tall ahead of me. The weekend before Thanksgiving I had two seizures. I had had one about a month before and did not think much about it. But now two more! What was going on? I had not had a seizure in years! We decided to change doctors to make sure I was getting the best treatment out there. My driving has ceased!!! One of the hardest things to do! I found a doctor in Houston. First off he changed my medication. It seems the Dilantin was not controlling the seizures like before. Then he ordered a new MRI and EEG. It had been several years since I had had one. The MRI came back with no tumors but there was a lack of blood flow in one area so I had a MRA done. The Friday before Christmas, the doctor called to tell me I had an aneurysm! It was small and in a pocket of my brain not the muscle. I had to wait till after Christmas to set up an appointment with an Interventional Radiologist. We go tomorrow, Friday Jan. 4th to visit with this doctor to see what he suggest.
Of course my mind has been all over. I have looked up everything so I will kinda know what he is talking about. I have had a few melt downs. But through all of that I am at Total Peace! God has this! It's Only a Mountain!!!!! Thanks for your prayers and I will keep you posted!
Back in November, I heard a song on the radio that I had heard many times before. "Only a Mountain" by Jason Castro. As I listen to the words, I thought, why do we have mountains? Why can't they just be hills? Rolling hills are what came to my mind. Hills that we get over but then we have to get over them again and again and....again. MOUNTAINS. There must be something about climbing mountains. I know the mountains in my life I have climbed seem to get easier the higher I climb. I know I always seem to have a clear view of my Savior. Faith can change those mountains. It's only a mountain!
At that time in November I did not know what lied ahead. A mountain that I would have to climb. The last mountain I climbed was getting Ava Grace here safely! It was hard at first but the more we climbed the easier it was to have faith that God had her in His arms and he would soon place her in ours. It was fun! But now a new mountain stands strong and tall ahead of me. The weekend before Thanksgiving I had two seizures. I had had one about a month before and did not think much about it. But now two more! What was going on? I had not had a seizure in years! We decided to change doctors to make sure I was getting the best treatment out there. My driving has ceased!!! One of the hardest things to do! I found a doctor in Houston. First off he changed my medication. It seems the Dilantin was not controlling the seizures like before. Then he ordered a new MRI and EEG. It had been several years since I had had one. The MRI came back with no tumors but there was a lack of blood flow in one area so I had a MRA done. The Friday before Christmas, the doctor called to tell me I had an aneurysm! It was small and in a pocket of my brain not the muscle. I had to wait till after Christmas to set up an appointment with an Interventional Radiologist. We go tomorrow, Friday Jan. 4th to visit with this doctor to see what he suggest.
Of course my mind has been all over. I have looked up everything so I will kinda know what he is talking about. I have had a few melt downs. But through all of that I am at Total Peace! God has this! It's Only a Mountain!!!!! Thanks for your prayers and I will keep you posted!
Let's Give It Another Try
Here I go again. I am going to attempt to try to keep up with this blog once more! I really want to. I enjoy writing about how I have seen God in our lives. So often I forget to look around and notice him. He is always present and I just love letting others know about Him. And when my children grow up, I hope to have many writings to show them just how important He is to me. I have freshened up the face of my blog so I guess I need to post a fresh picture of us!
Why do I wait?
I really don't know why I wait so long between post. I guess I just get busy and forget. It doesn't matter to me if very many people read this blog, it really is just for me to journal what God does in my life. That was just a slap in my face...And WHY do I wait so long to post?? God does so much and I am going to try to give Him more credit. So, this morning as I was getting dressed I thought about how relaxed I have been in ready my Bible. I thought "God where have you been?" Then He said in a loud voice.."Right where I have always been. Where have YOU been?" I grabbed my phone to read a devotional and this was the title. The Danger of Drifting. It talked about how we become so caught up with life that we neglect to think ahead or notice how fast we are moving away from the safety of the Lord's plan. Proverbs 14:15-16 reveals that the wise look to the future to avoid ruin. Drifting is foolish. In countless arenas of life--marriage, family, vocation, finances, etc,--we need a clear destination and navigation plan if we expect to be successful. God provides both. So no more drifting for me. I'm staying close by my Savior!
One Year Old!
What a surprise! Today we celebrated Ava Grace's birthday! Can you believe it? I can't. Even though some days I feel like I have had her forever because I feel like I have been ran over by a mac truck! Wow, she walks and CLIMBS! I told her on the actual day of her b-day that I had made it one year and I was gonna take my vitamins and make it another!! She is such a joy to me. Not easy, not passive. She is full of life. I find myself just dropping everything and sitting on the floor playing with her. My life just stops sometimes with her. What is so funny is she has the same effect on Dad and Brother! She is a mess!So I guess you have seen the picture I posted. At the party, Ms Sharron (Noni) surprised me with a gift and this is what it was. A picture of the Avalon street sign! Yes I cried! Every time I come to this sign I wonder how I could get it. I wonder if the street people would let me have it if I told them the story? Well this is great, I now have it! Framed and everything! Now if you don't now the story about this sign, you will have to go back and read my old blogs. ....I guess I can give you a little hint. I always wanted another child and really felt God was going to give us one. After many years of praying. It never happened but I kept believing. One day I was going to Longview and I was fussing at God for not coming through for me and questioning where I was crazy for believing for so long, I came to this sign. I knew I wanted to name my girl Ava. I looked at this sign and knew right then that he had an Ava for us to love. I was to keep believing! Two years later we were shocked to find out that we were pregnant and of course it was a girls. One year ago November 10, 2010, Ava Grace McRight was born. She was promised to me and I just get chills every time I see my sign!!!!! Thanks Noni!
Growing sooo Fast
I can not believe how fast she is growing. Each day has been full of laughter! I guess one thing about being older parents is we seem more laid back. We find ourselves just sitting and watching her! "Did you see that?" "Watch her." She is so different from Ian. She does not like to give kisses and if you happen to get one, we make a BIG deal about it!!!Our days and nights with Ava have not all been "rosie"! Especially the nights! Ok, yes she is in our bed. And we like it like that except she got in a habit of waking up several times a night and we would stick a bottle in her mouth. She liked that and developed a nasty habit. The only way she would go back to sleep is to have that bottle. Well, Saturday night we decided we had to break her of this. That was a long night. she threw a huge fit! We lived through it and stuck to our guns. Sunday night was a little better. So after four nights, she is getting better. Hopefully tonight we will sleep all night.
Another big thing that has happened is Ian got invited to go to Canada with People to People. I know it is a great honor but that would be hard to let him leave. We really are going to have to pray about this one. Ian told me last night that he thought God had brought this into his life and he thought God really wanted him to go. Oh my, when did he become so in tuned with God? Of course that is how I really want him to be! We will see how God works this one out!
Change the world
Have you ever wondered if your child will be the one to change the world in some way?? After trying to feed Ava yesterday and seeing her determination to not eat the vegetables but the peaches, I thought, girl, you could change the world. Your just that head strong. I asked James if he thought she could and he said well, she's already changed mine!
Last night at bible study, we are beginning to study the books of Samuel. I was reminded of what Hannah's name means ...Grace. Hannah prayed for so long for a child and God gave her Samuel. I know God gave us Ava Grace's name and he continues to remind me that. Bro. Tilley also said Eli the priest taught Samuel how to hear the voice of God. I love that. Oh how I hope we consistently teach our children how to "hear God's voice". I love hearing the voice of God and I want them to know that voice too!
Last night at bible study, we are beginning to study the books of Samuel. I was reminded of what Hannah's name means ...Grace. Hannah prayed for so long for a child and God gave her Samuel. I know God gave us Ava Grace's name and he continues to remind me that. Bro. Tilley also said Eli the priest taught Samuel how to hear the voice of God. I love that. Oh how I hope we consistently teach our children how to "hear God's voice". I love hearing the voice of God and I want them to know that voice too!
A daddy's girl
This was taken at the Ball park. We are not sure we like the ball park yet. But brother sure does and that is why we are there!
Ian and I at field day!
(If anyone would like to spice up my blog for me let me know. I spent the whole day trying to make it better and add some personality. Well once I could figure out how to go back to the basic layout, I am leaving it! Nothing fit like I wanted it to and I could not make it look like those cutsie blogs. So I just left it look plain, just like me!)
Our Purpose
I know we all have a purpose in life. How many times do we wonder what it is? I know I do a lot! Well, today I was once again reminded of yet another purpose for the life of Ava Grace... I have a good friend that came into my life last year. Once we became more acquainted, I found out we had a lot in common. I know with out a shadow of doubt, God placed her in my life. She has a beautiful family. Two older sons and a daughter around Ian's age. She has kept Ava several times and told me how much her family loves and adores her. (don't we all!) They almost fight over her! My friends daughter has had some major health problems. Due to these problems it would be wise if the girl did not carry children of her own. As we talked about this today, I mentioned how it may be a good idea for them to adopt so the little girl could see how special it is and that she could love a child this way just as much. Well they have already thought this and plan to hopefully adopt in the near future. I said until then they could love on Ava! Then it hit me here is another way that Ava has had a purpose for her life. Used so this young girl could learn that love is unconditional. Oh, I wonder what the future holds!! :)
P.S. Today was suppose to be Ava's first haircut. The hair stylist talked me out of it, so Ian got his cut instead! Thank the Lord! He needed it!
I will post a picture later.
Oh My could you be any slower!
Hurry up computer I am about to bust! I know that this is suppose to be an uplifting blog, but I have three sisters and I am the only one that lives away. I know they are tired of me texting and calling them and I just have to vent! All was going well today, I came home from school and of course Ava was crying but not too much. My house has been a wreck so I had planned to meet a housekeeper at 4:30 to give me an estimate. (if she only knew that at that moment i would pay anything!!) I finally called her at 4:45 and she said she would be there at 4:30!? That should have been my sign. Ian had told me he wanted to go watch his friends bball game at 5:30. I really did not want to go because I needed to go get groceries. He started reminding me every 15 min what time it was. Like I did not know. Finally at about 5:15 the lady calls to ask me what road to turn down. I realized she was taking the wrong road and tried to tell her but she insisted she knew where she was going. Time passed and I tried to call her twice. I left messages. Oh and, during this time I was trying to rock Ava, when my new iphone dropped to the floor!!! The back shattered! I wanted to cry. I had ordered an otter box cover this morning! It just kept going down hill....Ian keeps reminding me of the time. I hated to tell him he was not going because I had to get groceries and now go by Verizon and a little lady from church called and wanted me to stop by her house. She had a gift for Ava. I broke the news to Ian then thought "what the heck", who knows where the cleaning lady is. Lets go to town. "Ian grab your phone I am going to drop you off at the ball park then I am going to Verizon". Did I just leave my 10 year old at the ball park by himself????? Yes I did!!! I ran to Verizon to find out for $169 I could have a new phone. Man, insurance is good!! I decided when I got that otter box no body will ever see my shattered back! So, I ran by and got the precious little dress for Ava then headed back to the ball park to wait on Ian. Of course, once I stopped, Ava cried. Got her out and held her while I tried to cancel the otter box using my phone. (I needed one asap) I got Ian and we headed to the grocery store....half way there I forgot I did not have my wallet! We went home. I did not want to go to the store on sat morning because I was expecting Edward at6:30am and Ian had to be somewhere at 9 and I WANT TO GO SEE MY MOMMA!!!!!! One guess what starts playing on the radio?...You got it! This is the stuff that drives me CRAZY!! Don't we just love God! Thanks for letting me vent-Julie
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