Holidays!?

Holiday are a great reminders for us to celebrate. That special recognition that we show to a person or a event. For the most part we don't need reminders for the "secular holidays" most work places give you the day off! (well some places) As adults we should all remember the family celebrations, dad, mom, birthday, anniversaries, giving honor to them on their day.

Today is fathers day and as we remember our fathers, living or dead, we search for the right words to lift them up with great memories.

My dad died a few years ago and there are times I wish I could call and tell him I love him. Yeah, I did it while he was here but after they are gone there is an emptiness there. The need just doesn't seem to disappear.

Dad had taught all of us girls the basics of taking care of car troubles. He also showed us how to fix things in the house some things you could fix with duct tape (lol) and most things duct tape would do until you got the right thing. It seemed we always had a drawer in the kitchen that we named the "junk drawer". It was usually pretty full of odds and ends that someone had found but wasn't sure where it came from. That is where we started our search for the right part to fix whatever we were working on. So to this day I have a junk container, one in the house one in the shed. So dad I do remember you every time I go to that jar/container and find just the right thing to fix what I am working on.

The other day Bekah and I were in the process of mowing the flooded property with a friend "Joe". When she went to pick up the extra mower at his house, my mower had lost the wingnut that held the handle on. I quickly called and asked if Joe had such a thing as a junk drawer that might have a new wingnut for the mower. She said probably not, so I mentioned the duct tape and she said he was more likely to have that! And he did.....we mowed the rest of the yard with duct tape on the handle! It worked, when I got home I found a good replacement here at the house! Thanks Dad for all of the ideas.....with this I remember you each day.

But I really don't need a fixed day on the calendar to remember him, it is an everyday event, that also goes for any member of my family. I would hope that my everyday actions would show them that there is a lot of love and appreciation for them. I know some days are so filled that there couldn't possibly be any room for appreciating family and friends.

BUT...Remember this, I do appreciate everything my family and friends mean to me. As each day goes by I thank the Lord for you! Thank you for all the love and support you have given me through the years. I have some great memories that will last a lifetime.

But for those of you that need reminding "Happy Fathers Day"!

In his Steps......

I went to a women's conference a few weeks ago and "In his steps" was the theme. I was asked to give a short devotional on Friday morning. I have done this a few times over the last 25 or so years of being as a pastors wife. But I must say, I get nervous and probably talk a lot faster, so I usually never volunteer for these things.

Anyway, I prepared for probably about 2 weeks, working through what I would say, the scripture and what kind of visual I would use. (these always take up a little time and slow down my talking) I didn't want to duplicate anything that would have been said in the services before my part. Ed is always good about listening to me practice, an abbreviated version.

So I had an idea on what to talk about.......steps!! I looked up inspiring talks on walking in Gods footsteps. I learned quite a bit, it prepared me for the conference and really set my mind to walking within the footsteps of God.

But God was kind enough to lead me to find the perfect visuals, the kids shoes. The following is my printed copy of my devotional.

Learning to walk is not an easy thing. Parents will remember when their kids were little and were attempting to take those first steps. It was almost a chore for them, like their little feet were stuck to the floor. Slowly but surely they would get the hang of picking up one foot, balancing on the other one then placing it firmly down on the solid foundation, like it weighed a ton just to pick it up. Then starting the process all over again, hanging on tightly to something or someone to make sure they could stay in the upright position. As time went by they became more and more confident in their ability to take those steps. As the steps became easier to accomplish, the grip on people and furniture became less and less. You could see the look in their eyes that they were enjoying the new ability to move around and enjoy their new found freedom. Then the day came that they took off…………..Still a little wobbly…at times taking a few steps then stopping and catching their balance and starting again.

The Shoes:
Our daughter Bekah wore this little white one over 26 years ago.

She has learned to walk with the Lord in ways that I could not imagine me doing. Last year she did an 11 month/11 country mission trip, called the “World Race.“ This bigger shoe belongs to our baby! He wouldn’t like me to call him that, he also has taken steps that I could have could never have taken. He is in the US Army and served 15 months in Iraq, driving armored vehicles and protecting our country.

I am proud of the kids accomplishments, they all have achieved great things in their walk. It all started with those first steps, holding on for dear life, knowing God was there. God leads and directs each step that we take and has people come into our lives for HIS purpose. Throughout our lifetime God has guided our steps to bring us to this place for HIS purpose. We are not here by chance!!! God has called us here.






Philippians 3:14 says:
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus


Let us continue to walk in his steps.

I appreciate the Lord so much.....he has reminded me of how we do walk in his steps. The speakers at the conference were fantastic and I would go again in a heartbeat. I learned (but always knew) that he is still leading guiding each step we have ever taken. Looking back I praise the Lord for providing for me and my needs.

Each of us are different and he has "ordered our steps" for such a time as this!

Being "50" in 2010

When I grew up we lived in the country until I started first grade. Then we moved to the big city of Sandusky, Ohio. My parents bought a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1 car garage and unfinished basement ranch style home. We thought we were really special having such a big new house. We roller skated in the basement, it was so nice and cool down there. Of course the laundry room was there, but besides bringing clothes to the basement for wash day, I only remember folding the towels and wash clothes.

So we about 3-4 blocks to school, a nice walk back then. I remember my sister Sharon not wanting to walk to school on days that it had rained, too many worms on the pavement lol. You would think that she would be all prissy and dainty?? She actually fell off of their roof while trying to finish the chimney (that's another story).

So the house we grew up in did not have any air conditioning. Although the basement was plenty cool enough for dad to sleep there, he worked 3rd shift and slept while we were at school. I can't actually remember being hot in the house, and I don't remember any fans. I know there weren't any ceiling fans back them. Dad eventually bought a window air conditioner for their bed room in the late 1970's. The had finished the basement, so there was actually a living area down there and that is where we stayed at.

So getting back to being "50" my mom was pretty close to 50 at that time. Right now I am trying to compare my self to her at that time. I know with global warming the earth is MUCH warmer now, otherwise I am sure my parents would have had more than one air conditioner.

So we went to turn on the AC yesterday and we got nothing!! Just the furnace blowing, AC unit just humming not turning. So I think when you know you don't have AC it feels so much hotter. Because until we tried it late in the afternoon it didn't seem too bad just a little humid. So we decided that we could use a fan to move the air inside around a little. Well by the time we got back from the store, which has AC, and then riding in the car with AC, the house seemed really hot! Well it could be menopause kicking her ugly heels too!

So since I was on-call for the hospital all weekend I was not working this morning, so I called the repairman. They said they will try to fit me in today but no guarantee. He called me back around 10:30, telling me he would be stopping by to see what we would need and hopefully getting it fixed today. So I closed all the shades, opened all the windows, finished the few things that I had started so the house would at least look a little better. Now I am sitting in front of the t.v. "chilling" so to speak.

Top 5 reasons I was thinking to turn 50 in the 70-80's would have been o.k.
1. Global warming was not too warm yet!
2. A nice cool basement to do laundry in!
3. Window air conditioning for the adults at night!
4. 4 Great girls who were happy with just a
cool basement to play in on hot days.
5. The best repairman was my dad!

Mothers Day Serenity Prayer from Me

Mothers Day Serenity Prayer:

Dear God in whom we dedicate our children to.

Thank you for granting us the privilege of having these children

and being able to accept them for who they are
challenging them each day.

Having courage to bring them into this world
so that they might change it.

Wisdom to tell them about you
so that they might follow in your footsteps.

Thank you for the blessing
that they have brought to me each and everyday.

To God be the glory for their faith, Amen

"Thanksgiving"

First I would like to say Happy Thanksgiving!

This is a great season, I love all the aromas in the house. As we start getting prepared for Thanksgiving day, with food for the church baskets and also food for our families.

With our immediate family we have always invited people to join us. It seems that there is always somebody whose family is not in town for one reason or another. Some of the ones we invited never came but knew that the invitation was a valid one. Part of the tradition also included going around the table and saying what we were thankful for.

I was grateful that our oldest daughter and her husband had started the same tradition at their home. She has a friend who's spouse would be out of town, so she invited the family to her house.

Through the years I can only remember a few distinct memories of the Thanksgiving meals.

Our very first one that he celebrated at out own home, we had made the turkey and fixings. We set the table and things looked beautiful, I had bought film for the camera (back in the none digital days). Needless to say that in the rush of getting everything ready and the hunger that had set in we forgot to take a picture of the "perfect meal". Once I remembered I grabbed the camera and took the picture, when they were developed we noticed that the turkey's leg was sitting in front of the turkey. We laughed and tried to make sure we took our pictures before the meal. Chad was only 3 and he started the thanks with the food, then the silverware and each family member.

Another one I remember was in Killeen Texas, we had a older lady who was alone, she was very helpful during the process of making the meal. She was also trying to make the meal a special event too, she involved the kids in making the table look good. When it came to go around the table and tell some of the things that we were thankful for, she had a wonderful list. She included everything from the food, kids, family and everything that the Lord had done in her life.

As Thanksgiving week is drawing near we need to look back and see what the Lord has done for us. Each year we always find something big (in our eyes, small to God)that we have to be thankful for.

This year I am extremely thankful for our family, friends whose love has been shown to us throughout the whole year. Those are important things to me. I am also thankful for the doctor that did the surgery the first part of November, and taking such good care of me. I am thankful that our kids and grand kids are healthy and all back in the country (as of 11/23)last year at this time we had one in Iraq. We also had one child get married, and another celebrate 5th year anniversary.

So you can see why I am thankful! So look back on your year and see all the things that you can be thankful for. It shouldn't be hard to find a few things.



(1 Th 5:18 KJV) "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

In memory of Dad - Alzheimers Walk 2009

This year was a little different for the Alzheimers walk. In the past my daughters and I raised money and went on the walk. Each year it is a challenge for us to raise money and get the time off from work to participate in the walk. But each year we do accomplish it some how.

The first year that we did the walk was 2005 we had 5 that walked for the team. In 2006 we had only 4, the 2 girls, Alexis and I. Sarah and Bekah even designed shirts for us to wear to honor the memory of their grandpa. In 2007 we had the addition of Jaxen to our team, also Stormy came along to help out with the kids.

We all enjoy taking the time to pay tribute to dad.

I remember the time when I was just 5 years old and he had taken me to the Norwalk clinic, very late in the evening, because my tonsils were very swollen. Making my breathing very labored. Mom had to stay at home with the other girls, although my littel sister also was having similar problems. "Back in the day" you could tell the family physician you had another one at home and they would get medicine for them too.

Dad also taught all of his girls basic car stuff. We could easily change oil, tires, check transmission fluid. Like I said the basics, we could use this to impress a boyfriend as well! :-? Well I don't know that dad knew that trick. I tried to pass this on to my girls, thinking that they too would need the basics. They were not intent on learning the car stuff. Although I did impress my boys, it was very funny to see the look on their face when I could show them where to check things at. Even on Facebook I beat one of the scores for knowing the car parts.

He also was the one to teach us to drive!! He made us learn how to drive a stick shift too. That could also be used to impress a boyfriend, just ask my older daughter!

Dad could do just about anything he set his mind to. He worked with a friend during the summer months doing odd jobs. this inclu ded adding on rooms to houses, rewiring and roofing to name a few. He let us work with him in the summer, paying us for our work too. I believe that he taught us more thatn we will ever realize during the summer. I remember him
telling us "always look busy, even if it is just sweeping".

My mom tried to get dad to talk to us when the Alzheimers diseas had gotten worse. He would only talk for a few minutes before he could not answer any of the questions. Ed and I have talked several times about when dad started getting worse, we both decided that when dad asked for help with the water heater which had gone out. Needless to say we are not that mechanically inclined!! We were able to get the water heater out of the basement, and hook up the new one. But dad would have been able to do it in half the time in his good times.

Dad died in 2004 due to complications of Alzheimers. I think of dad often and know that others miss him too.

Dad I miss you a lot! Look forward to seeing you again!

Love ya! Debbie

"Mamaw"

When I was growing up I loved to visit "Mamaw". She lived in Kentucky, by a creek, with a hill and a cemetery! Just the coolest place to visit, my younger sister and I used to spend the summers there when we were about 10 years old. It was always just about the time Vacation Bible School was in that area, which is another story.

Each time we visited with our family, she would always be on the run. It seemed that as soon as we finished breakfast and did the dishes, she was peeling potatoes for lunch, then the same for supper. She also took us to milk the cow and was very willing to share the milking duties. We have some short movie clips of us trying to milk the cow, needless to say we were not very good at it, she would have to finish the job. Our other grandparents seemed to be a bit older, but now as I look back they probably weren't, just a few more health problems. Funny how as we age we finally realize that even though you look 80, doesn't mean you are.


Mamaw would also go pick apples and then sit on the porch and peel them for us to eat, all 5 of us, till we were full! That is a lot of apples! But I can still remember the smile she would always have.
Although I loved "Mamaw" when I became a grandma I didn't want to be called that because I thought of it as a southern name. I had been raised in Ohio and was not a southerner! Alexis called me "grannnnna" when she first started to talk, which I thought was very cute. As she got a little older it changed to grandma! She will laugh now if you remind her that she used to call me that, she will tell us that was when she was a baby, so silly.


When Jaxen first started talking called me grandma, I think it was because his sister was calling me that. Most of the time he still called me grandma, but when he is excited it changes to "Mamaw"! Just the thing I didn't want to be called. I do not correct him I just let his excitement carry him!!! Just like all little boys he is very excitable.


As I began to think about the reasoning behind not wanting to be called "Mamaw". I just didn't like the sound of it. It doesn't have a pleasant ring like grannnnnna, or grandma. When thinking about the name I also began to remember the great times I had with my Mamaw. I tried to see if I could live up to the name. Was I sweet, caring, willing to show the kids how to do ordinary things, peel apples till the kids were full, find jars for bugs. Well for the most part I was doing a pretty good job doing most of the things I remember her for.


So I have taken a different look at being called "Mamaw". I think I am going to love fulfilling the footsteps of my grandma, I just hope I will be able to.

Thank you Lord for the blessing of being a "Mamaw".