Update: Timm had a day without a headache yesterday. Praise the Lord! Hopefully we are starting to see some positive results.
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Yesterday, a dear family friend of my husband's went to be with the Lord. Aleah Masters was a wonderful woman. She, her husband, and kids were long-time neighbors and friends of Mike, his parents, sister and brother. All the kids still keep in touch. His sister, Jodi and Sharon are best friends. They talk a lot, are there for all the joys and tragedies and heartaches. Tom and Darrell are close and we are all thrilled every time we see them. I know that sounds weird, but it is true. Even in the sorrowful times, we love to see them. They are extended family.
Even though funerals are sad times and I cry at most of them, it is nice to see our friends and family. Sad to say, but sometimes it is the only time we catch up. Everyone is so busy and moved around and away, and none of us seem to be able to make time for everyone. So we get together and see each other for a few hours during the visitation and funeral. Is this not a sad commentary of life in the United States?
Aleah was like a mom to Mike. When the kids were born, Aleah and Harrell were one of the first people Mike took them to see. Aleah never minced words, was a wonderful cook and I always thought she was funny. She always told of how she came up to Ohio with her husband, did not know a soul. How she moved in and set up house and got to know her neighbors. That was when neighbors really got to know and depend on each other. She developed Alzheimer's several years ago, but in the last few months, just not done very well.
We pray for the Masters family.
Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Thankful for my Family
Today I am thankful that no matter what, I have family and friends who love me. I am thankful for my husband, my children, my parents and pray that God will keep them close. I am thankful for my church family too.
Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.
-- Christiane Northrup
This quote says a lot. I hope that you are thankful for someone in your life that helps you appreciate other things.
Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.
-- Christiane Northrup
This quote says a lot. I hope that you are thankful for someone in your life that helps you appreciate other things.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Family
Yesterday, our new minister, Michael Dawson, brought a message that really hit home in my heart. He talked about how family dynamics have changed over the years from the "Leave It To Beaver" family, then on to "The Brady Bunch" blended family, to sometimes the almost non-exist family we see today. What kinda of family do you have?
Television has really been shaped by our culture just as much as we have been shaped by television. In the 1950's, the core family of Dad, Mom and kids were shown. It was expected and the norm. In the 1960's, blended families, such as "The Brady Bunch" were popping up in our living room as well as our schools, neighborhoods and families. In the last thirty years, that has exploded into divorced families, single-parent families, non-married families, and same sex partners. The media is now shaping our surroundings more than we are shaping ourselves.
From our parents to our grandchildren, we need to take charge of our families. We need to let them know that God loves them and that we love them. We need to help them shape their lives so that when they leave us, the outside world won't have more of an impression on them than we did. Families today seem to see less and less of each other. We are trying new things in our family. We make sure we have several meals a week together, we all keep in touch and we talk. We talk about the shows we watch, the friends we have and the love we have for each other.
Michael stressed spending time together and that is important for all of us. I hope you and your family find time to spend together. Whether it be game night, watching a show, or just taking a ride. Talk to your spouse, your children, your parents. God loves you and them. Let them know that He does, and that you do too!
Galatians 6:10 "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
Television has really been shaped by our culture just as much as we have been shaped by television. In the 1950's, the core family of Dad, Mom and kids were shown. It was expected and the norm. In the 1960's, blended families, such as "The Brady Bunch" were popping up in our living room as well as our schools, neighborhoods and families. In the last thirty years, that has exploded into divorced families, single-parent families, non-married families, and same sex partners. The media is now shaping our surroundings more than we are shaping ourselves.
From our parents to our grandchildren, we need to take charge of our families. We need to let them know that God loves them and that we love them. We need to help them shape their lives so that when they leave us, the outside world won't have more of an impression on them than we did. Families today seem to see less and less of each other. We are trying new things in our family. We make sure we have several meals a week together, we all keep in touch and we talk. We talk about the shows we watch, the friends we have and the love we have for each other.
Michael stressed spending time together and that is important for all of us. I hope you and your family find time to spend together. Whether it be game night, watching a show, or just taking a ride. Talk to your spouse, your children, your parents. God loves you and them. Let them know that He does, and that you do too!
Galatians 6:10 "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Sick?
When your child is sick, you worry. Do you think God worries when we are sick, physically or spiritually? I do. When a child is sick, the parent does what they can to help them. Mom prays, gives the medicine that is prescribed, and gets advice from the doctor. Dad usually does the running to get the medicine at the pharmacy, and does what is asked of them.
If it is a spiritual sickness, what does a parent do? Hopefully they can pray, read the Bible and seek the advice of their Elders. God has given us all great people in our lives to help us through the turbulent times. He has also given us the Bible, which is the greatest help to Christians. You can read it and understand it if you want. It is full of wonderful stories of people who went through similar things that we go through. But you have to be willing to read it.
Sickness of any kind is hard for us to deal with. We don't like seeing suffering. We want everyone to be upbeat and happy. When someone we love is heartsick, down-trodden, or soul-sick, we ache for them. We want to take that burden away. But only time and God can really do that for them.
James 5:13 - 16 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
I pray that if you feel sick any way, you will pray about it, ask for help and lean on your family and friends. It helps to have others praying for you and for God to know you know that you can not heal yourself.
If it is a spiritual sickness, what does a parent do? Hopefully they can pray, read the Bible and seek the advice of their Elders. God has given us all great people in our lives to help us through the turbulent times. He has also given us the Bible, which is the greatest help to Christians. You can read it and understand it if you want. It is full of wonderful stories of people who went through similar things that we go through. But you have to be willing to read it.
Sickness of any kind is hard for us to deal with. We don't like seeing suffering. We want everyone to be upbeat and happy. When someone we love is heartsick, down-trodden, or soul-sick, we ache for them. We want to take that burden away. But only time and God can really do that for them.
James 5:13 - 16 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
I pray that if you feel sick any way, you will pray about it, ask for help and lean on your family and friends. It helps to have others praying for you and for God to know you know that you can not heal yourself.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Season of Busyness
Today is the last day of September. So you are thinking, 'Big deal.' Well that means there are only three months left of this year. WOW! And they are always such busy times. With football, band functions, basketball starting, Thanksgiving, shopping, Christmas holidays, concerts, and New Year's Eve, it is amazing we will have time to breathe.
I don't see it as a man-I-am-busy kind of season, I see it as opportunities to spend it with those I like and love (and even some I don't like). I have lots of opportunities to show God's love to others and to help others. I am becoming less of a homebody and more of a on-the-go person. It makes me try and budget my time more wisely, make me plan my days and meals better and hopefully make better decisions in my life. It also makes me a little more stressful. With both kids in so many activities it makes for a careful coordination and cooperation with all of us. So we can do what we want and make sure we spend some quality, family time together.
God puts such seasons in our lives to make us appreciate the times we are slow, the times we spend together as a family, and to let us know that we are not in control. I hope that as we start toward the end of 2009, all of us can reflect on some of the important things of our lives and not on worrying on how to get it all done. If something doesn't get done, then it wasn't meant to be. But that's a whole other devotion!
Psalms 104:19 The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.
UPDATE: Dad is taking the meds that the doctor order him to. Mike talked to him yesterday and said that his voice and breathing are much better and he is eating more! This is wonderful news. Say a prayer of thanks to God for this and that he will have a complete recovery from all of it soon.
I don't see it as a man-I-am-busy kind of season, I see it as opportunities to spend it with those I like and love (and even some I don't like). I have lots of opportunities to show God's love to others and to help others. I am becoming less of a homebody and more of a on-the-go person. It makes me try and budget my time more wisely, make me plan my days and meals better and hopefully make better decisions in my life. It also makes me a little more stressful. With both kids in so many activities it makes for a careful coordination and cooperation with all of us. So we can do what we want and make sure we spend some quality, family time together.
God puts such seasons in our lives to make us appreciate the times we are slow, the times we spend together as a family, and to let us know that we are not in control. I hope that as we start toward the end of 2009, all of us can reflect on some of the important things of our lives and not on worrying on how to get it all done. If something doesn't get done, then it wasn't meant to be. But that's a whole other devotion!
Psalms 104:19 The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.
UPDATE: Dad is taking the meds that the doctor order him to. Mike talked to him yesterday and said that his voice and breathing are much better and he is eating more! This is wonderful news. Say a prayer of thanks to God for this and that he will have a complete recovery from all of it soon.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Raising Cane
He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son. Proverbs 10:5
Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." Acts 14:17
Wednesday I canned green beans. Isn't it amazing that just two plastic bags from Kroger full of string beans makes 8 quarts of beans I canned and still there is enough for supper tonight? I love canning. It is hard because I am working full time, but it is one of my favorite things to do.
Two weeks ago my Mom, Dad, #1 daughter, #1 son and I did 15 dozen ears of corn. That isn't that much when you realize that we usually do 30 dozen. I have a friend who always gives us great corn and we love it. We shuck it, use the turkey fryer to parboil it, and then plunge it in ice cold water in a cooler to cool the ears down. Then we take it out, cut and scrape it off the cob and bag it. We have fresh, frozen corn for months.
I am proud of the fact that of my farming grandparent's grandchildren (there were 9 in all) I am the only one that has kept canning alive. Some of my greatest memories are of us all gathering out at the farm and doing corn for 2 days. We kids would sneek some of the cut corn in our mouths, we would all shuck the ears and then we would go play by the pond or in the barn. We also would gather to dig up potatoes. I only remember doing that once or twice.
But the best thing was the sugar cane. My grandfather would grow it and my grandmother would "raise cane" because she always thought he grew too much. :) Any hoo, we would strip the cane of it's leaves, press it through and the juice would come out. Then we would cook the juice until it thickened and it made the best molasses ever. It happened in October and was the best time ever! I don't have enough land to raise cane, but my husband and I have a nice small garden where peppers, cukes, beans and 'maters rule. Now if only the weather would cooperate and dry out. I need the sun to poke it's hot head out from behind all these gray clouds and warm the earth and turn my 'maters. I have a lot of green ones, but they don't make for good juice and chili. We aren't a green 'mater family!
Farming is a noble and dying heritage. I love my heritage and love the little portion that I keep alive in gardening and canning and sharing with others.
Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." Acts 14:17
Wednesday I canned green beans. Isn't it amazing that just two plastic bags from Kroger full of string beans makes 8 quarts of beans I canned and still there is enough for supper tonight? I love canning. It is hard because I am working full time, but it is one of my favorite things to do.
Two weeks ago my Mom, Dad, #1 daughter, #1 son and I did 15 dozen ears of corn. That isn't that much when you realize that we usually do 30 dozen. I have a friend who always gives us great corn and we love it. We shuck it, use the turkey fryer to parboil it, and then plunge it in ice cold water in a cooler to cool the ears down. Then we take it out, cut and scrape it off the cob and bag it. We have fresh, frozen corn for months.
I am proud of the fact that of my farming grandparent's grandchildren (there were 9 in all) I am the only one that has kept canning alive. Some of my greatest memories are of us all gathering out at the farm and doing corn for 2 days. We kids would sneek some of the cut corn in our mouths, we would all shuck the ears and then we would go play by the pond or in the barn. We also would gather to dig up potatoes. I only remember doing that once or twice.
But the best thing was the sugar cane. My grandfather would grow it and my grandmother would "raise cane" because she always thought he grew too much. :) Any hoo, we would strip the cane of it's leaves, press it through and the juice would come out. Then we would cook the juice until it thickened and it made the best molasses ever. It happened in October and was the best time ever! I don't have enough land to raise cane, but my husband and I have a nice small garden where peppers, cukes, beans and 'maters rule. Now if only the weather would cooperate and dry out. I need the sun to poke it's hot head out from behind all these gray clouds and warm the earth and turn my 'maters. I have a lot of green ones, but they don't make for good juice and chili. We aren't a green 'mater family!
Farming is a noble and dying heritage. I love my heritage and love the little portion that I keep alive in gardening and canning and sharing with others.
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