WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE (except it's Friday)

A blog friend of mine has been doing this an I thought it might be fun to participate in for awhile.

1. It is officially fall here in North America...I realize not everyone who participates in the Hodgepodge lives in North America, but if you do what's your favorite memory of Summer 2011? If you're not in North America, what's your favorite memory of the season just ending on your side of the world?

I do not have a lot of favorite memories of this summer because it's been a rather rough one for us.  See my precious post as to why.

2. Your favorite nut? You know I mean the edible kind, right?  I love pecans and use them a lot in baking.

3. What activity puts your sense of balance to the test? To get into a narrow open space where I might fear falling.

4. How would you describe your sense of humor?  I laugh easily and often.  Natural humor is the funniest to me and if I really get tickled I have a hard time shutting it off.  

 5. September 28th is National Ask a Stupid Question Day...what's your stupid question?  Why would you want me to ask a stupid question?

6/. Roller skates~hula hoop~jump rope...which activity would you most enjoy? Yes, you have to choose.
Rollger skates for sure but I've done and enjoyed all three.

7. What's your most sentimental possession?  My leather bound King James Version of the Bible that my husband gave me on our 1st wedding anniversary in October 1958.

8. Insert your own random thought here.  Thank you for letting me participate in this, even late!!

BEING REAL

This is the one year anniversary of the 2nd worse day in my life - September 28, 2010 when our beloved oldest daughter, Suzette,  was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer.

I struggled a little bit each day last week as we were approaching this day and I shed tears.

I was actually dreading today because I was afraid I'd wake up today and completely fall apart.  Surprisingly enough I did not and in fact I woke up and was keenly aware that this was a new year and to truly rejoice that I know, without a shadow of a doubt, where Suzette is and how glorious happy she is and that the last thing she would want any of us to be doing is mourning for her.

Suzette & Dave, at dinner with Mickey & I as we celebrated our 52nd Anniversary, October 4, 2010, 8 days after her diagnosis.

Yes, we miss her terribly and I know the Holidays this year will be difficult and that we will always have that empty place in our lives and at our table ...... but I also know that some day we will join her in that glorious place with our Lord and Savior. 

WE LOVE YOU, HONEY

and

WE MISS YOU

and 

WE'LL SEE YOU SOON.  

A REMINDER

While helping our son, Marc, pack up things at the house he is selling, a few weeks ago, I stumbled on this picture.

It was taken Christmas of 1996 with my 2 granddaughters.  Oksana was 10 months old and Jessica had just turned 10 on the 23rd.

Just a reminder to me of how time flies and how very precious every moment is.  Also, a huge reminder of how very much I've aged!!!!  I was also celebrating my 59th birthday that December 25th.

Very happy memories.

Yet another MEME of questions

I saw this over a year ago on a friends blog and thought I would do it "sometime".  I guess "sometime" has finally arrived!

1) What is your biggest pet peeve?  People who are not straightforward and honest would be #1 and #2 is someone who constantly complains about all that is wrong in their life.

2)  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?  Right here in Coweta, Ok because it is close to 2 or our 3 living children, and because of the church family we have and the wonderful church we attend.  Plus it is a nice, small town that still has a lot of christian values and principles.

3)  Have you ever been searched by the cops?  NO!!!!  I have only been stopped by them a few times over my life and that for a driving infraction.

4)  What is the one thing on your mind right now?  Struggling with the loss of our daughter, Suzette.  It will be 1 year (on the 28th) that she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.  This has been one difficult year.

5)  What is your favorite song right now?  I Can Only Imagine.....because I truly can only imagine!!!!

6)  What talent do you wish you had?  I have always thought it would be so wonderful to be able to draw and/or paint.  Just to see the beauty of God's world and capture that on a canvas must be a really wonderful feeling.

7)  What is your favorite drink?  Mickey & I are avid coffee drinkers.  I also drink a lot of water.  If I do drink soda, which is not often, I like the lime/lime flavors.

8)  Describe yourself in one word?  Perservering.....and I have a pillow to prove it!!

If you desire to play along and do this let me know so I can be sure and read yours. 

LIFE IS ..........BUSY (Part II)

Last week, Sept. 12-14, Marc was in Fargo at their home office. Mickey & I went to Owasso each afternoon to stay with Aric.  Since it is about 40 miles from our house to theirs we decided to just spend the night there.  That was easier than having to get up so early to get to school and get us back here on Tuesday morning by 8:30 for King's Kitchen. 

Then on Tuesday, since I have the WOW Women Bible Study, we decided it would be best for just Mickey to go up after school and spend the night.  On Wednesday we both went up and waited for Marc to arrive home about 9 p.m. 

Coweta Fall Festival was held from Thursday evening, the 15th, until Sunday the 18th.  Some wonderful friends of ours from church who have started Koweta Work Force (which is a program to train  developmentally challenged youth) had one of the food booths to raise funds.  We called & told Marc about it and he and Aric came down to Coweta to have lunch with us and help support this effort. 

It rained, and it poured rain!!!  You can see the main area almost completely deserted.

Nevertheless, we bought our meals.  Marc & Aric are literally standing under the canape of the food trailer to try and stay out of the rain as they eat.  We were soaked to the skin by the time we got home, but you can tell we were still having fun and enjoying ourselves.

Last night, September 23rd was our dear friend, Don's birthday.  Mickey & I took he & Barbara out to dinner at Zio's and had Marc & Aric join us.  Don & Barbara are truly "extended family".

Wonderful friends for many, many years and also wonderful prayer warriors. 

Marc & Don

Susan, Mickey & Aric

Marc & Don with his birthday sundae.  I always tease Don because he's OLDER THAN I by 3 months & 2 days.  That counts......doesn't it?!!!!

Aric having typical 12 year old fun where ever we go or whatever we're doing.

Then we came back to the house for cake & coffee.  I made a cake called "Preacher Cake".  A new recipe and it was so good.  A fun, enjoyable evening.  Life is good.

LIFE IS.......BUSY

About 6 weeks ago the Lord prompted me to go to our Pastor Steve and offer to volunteer 1 day a week helping in the church office.  He was delighted and said he'd run it by the Office Manager, Melody,

and if it was okay with Melody he would then present it to the Church Deacon Board for approval.  It was okay with Melody and the Deacon Board did approve me.  I have worked the last 4 weeks.  The first 2 weeks I worked on Wednesday and the past 2 weeks on Monday.  I will be helping each Monday.

The King's Kitchen is still running smoothly.  We have been blessed with such a dependable, faithful group of kitchen help and 5 delivery teams of 2 that help us week after week.  We have now been operating this program, of sending a meal each and every Tuesday to shut-ins, for past year and 8 months.  Pictured is a salad we delivered to them recently.  Of course we also always have milk, bread of some kind, and a dessert. 

I am still hosting a Bible Study every Tuesday night in our home of 12-13 woman.  I'll try and post a separate post about this in the near future.   

My favorite Bible Teacher, Perry Stone, was in Tulsa at a conference September 9th - through 11th.  We went to hear him Friday evening at 7 pm - then Saturday we watched the streaming video for both the 10 & 5 services - then were able to attend on Sunday evening at 6.  What a blessing to hear him in person.  We had only seen him in person one evening 2 years ago at a conference in Arkasas.  We were NOT disappointed!!!!

Our daughter, Jacque, and granddaughter, Jessica, participated in the Race for the Cure last Saturday, September 17th in honor of Jacque's sister and Jessica's aunt, Suzette.  They asked me to join them but I felt that was a little too much for me :o)  I am SOOO proud of them for doing this.  They were joined by 3 of Jessica's friends.  Jessica & Jacque are the 2 on the left.

Yes, our lives are very busy & very full. 

To answer Ginger's question about my working 1 day a week in the church office - No, this is not a paid position - I volunteered.

Transforming our back yard

When we sold the 5th wheel on August 8th and it was removed from our backyard it exposed 82 1/2' of driveway and the very long and overgrown flowerbed behind it.  It had been parked there for the past 7 years so this was a BIG change of view.

I always forget to take "before" pictures when we were weeding and cleaning up the area.  The nice rains we had helped a lot and I was able to help Mickey with some of the weeding.   

One thing we did was buy 5 more dark crimson crape myrtle plants to go with the one we had back there.  Mickey is planting them here.

 The other thing he had to do was thin out this monkey grass and then replant it along the bare spots above, where the trailer actually blocked this area.

 We had some stepping stones to the barn but he moved 5 others which lead acoss the lawn to the RV and filled in the space where the pavement ends to the barn. The distance from the drive to the barn is 27 1/2'.

It is looking so nice.  Mickey is such a hard worker and takes pride in keeping our property looking in tip-top shape.

 Our lovely morning glories that greet us with their bright faces each morning.  They are much fuller than when I took these shorts some while ago.

Mickey loves his birds and feed them from the seed feeders and the humming birds from this feeder but he was beside himself this summer when he had this beautiful Baltimore Oriel not only visit but also eat from the humming bird feeder.

Just sharing a little more of our little piece of God's earth that we are blessed to own and occupy.

A GIFT from one of my GIFTS

My four children and 3 grandchildren are undoubtedly the biggest gifts my Lord & Savior has given me.  I cherish each and everyone of them with my whole heart.  The thing I find the most captivating is how very different and individual they each are!!!  God, in His wisdom, knew just what children and grandchildren I needed to make my life what He intended, and intends, it to be.

I began walking daily on July 7th and walked each and every day for 65 days until September 9th.  I began by walking .4 mile then increased it little by little until I was walking 1 mile a day and then up to 1.5 miles per day.  It was so hot that I would leave just as the sun rose each morning around 5:55 and watched as the days grew shorter and then I was leaving at 7:05 a.m.

My kids and my husband were all so proud of me doing this.  It was a blessed time for me as I walked and prayed each morning.  I have never been a tennis shoe wearing and so was just walking in a pair of black loafers.

NOW to the title of this post:  One of my GIFTS, daughter Jacque, called to tell me she was so proud of my walking each day and she had bought me a GIFT - a pair of tennis shoes!!!

They fit perfectly and I love them.  I never would have gotten them for myself because I wouldn't have known where to begin, or what to get!!!

Even though I've been unable to walk the last 12 days I truly hope to get back on schedule to walking each and every day and it will be even nicer and easier in this GIFT from my GIFT, Jacque.

Thanks sweetheart - I love you.

------------------------------

I participated in Alphabet in August in the hopes of getting disciplined to blogging each day - well it didn't work :o)  Here it is the 21st and this in only my 5th blog for September and 2 of those were finished up Alphabet!!

A LOT has been going on and I have much to share and will attempt to catch up.

LORD DO NOT LET ME BECOME COMPLACENT

One of my constant prayers is 

"Lord do not let me become complacent in my walk with You." 

One of the many tools God uses to accomplish this is putting the RIGHT book in my hands at the RIGHT time.  This is not something new; I had observed this truth at the very on-set of my salvation and it continues as I walk out this journey with Him.  

Forgotten God by Francis Chan is just such a book. We just finished reading this one. 

What is truly amazing me is the fast pace that God had given me 3 life changing books in a row!!!  I've talked about them before but here are the other two......

by Kyle Idleman

And the 3rd is

RADICAL

by David Platt

I am unable to download the picture on this one for some reason :o(

The 4th book that has so impacted my life this year is

I purchased this book last December, in the midst of Suzette's battle, and was so stirred and moved by it I thought "I've got to share this book!". That was the launch of the weekly Tuesday night Bible Study that I began on January 18th in our home for 13 of us hungry for God woman.  

If you truly want to get out of your normal, average, routine, comfortable walk and complacency with God I cannot encourage you enough to read these 4 books. (Or at least 1 of them!)  It will definitely move you to a deeper, higher walk and commitment to your Lord & Savior.

We started another one yesterday!!!  It is going to be just as powerful but I'll save telling you about it until we finish reading it.

Please let me know if you have read any of these 4 or if you do. 

Books 11 - 12 - 13 for 2011

Participating once again in Spiritual Sundhttp://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/ay hosted by Charlotte & Ginger. 

Book #11

This book was an important read, especially after having read "Heaven Is For Real" and "90 Minutes In Heaven".  The reality of Hell needs to be burned into our minds so that we will do everything within our power and influence to show people the way to Heaven.

The pictures for book # 12 & book #13 would not download this morning for me so I cannot show you the covers.

RADICAL

by DAVID PLATT

Book #12

This book goes right along with "not a fan" that was my #11 book.  These books have been shaking me out of my "comfort zone" and that is a very good thing.  I would highly recommend this book if you are serious about following Jesus and not just content to "go to church regularly".

THE BLESSING

by Gary Smalley & John Trent

Book #13

This book is about the importance of speaking words of Blessing over those we love:  our spouse, our children, our extended family, our friends, the people we work with, our church family, literally everyone who is in our lives and we care about.  It stresses the importance of not only our words but our actions an the effect we have on ALL who's lives we touch on any level.  Our words are so important and we literally speak blessings or cursing with those words.

WORDS

After having just finished all those many post on the Alphabet I thought I might try to write something using the various words I had selected during Alphabet in August.  I may be a glutton for punishment on this exercise :o)

I am AMBITIOUS in trying to use all my Alphabet words.  I will not let it take away from my BIBLE time and I think I am CAPABLE enough to do this.  I won't have time to DISCUSS anything but am EAGER to give this a try.  It certainly will take a little FAITH to do this.

My GLASSES are sitting on my nose as I HUMOR myself that I got this GOOFY IDEA!  Oh my!!!  My friend Retha pointed out I'd missed 'J' and in looking it over I saw I'd also missed 'I"   Where or where is my INTEGRITY in doing such a thing.  This little IDEA is not correct and misses the IDEALISTIC goal in leaving out not only one, but two INITIALS!!  You be the JUDGE if this is a good enough JOB to finish off this JOURNEY and bring JOY to not only Susan JOYCE but to JESUS in correcting my mistakes.  So please show me KINDNESS as I study each LETTER, MANAGING to meet this NEED.

Yes, I take full OWNERSHIP of this exercize and while I didn't take the matter to PRAYER I have thought about it today in my QUIET moments.

I trust I will not REGRET this and that you will SIMPLE say, "Oh that SUSAN you never know what she'll come up with."   So I am TENANCIOUS as I strive for the ULTIMATE use of each letter.  Some calming VIOLIN music would be soothing to me right now!!

I probably should WALK but it's already dark and far to hot.  I absolutely hate to have to type XMAS here in this post.  You know how I feel about using that word.  I'm almost finished as I sit here and look at my basket of YARN just waiting for me to have the ZEAL to begin that 10th prayer shawl.

Well, I know it's been silly but it's also been fun and truthfully it was easier than I thought.  I hope my little ditty didn't bore you to death!!!

Until next time.......

'X' - 'Y' - & 'Z' is for ...................

Well, it is now September 1st and I am posting my last 3 letters for ALPABET in AUGUST on Cliot's Run.  I tried hard to finish in August, but didn't quite make it !!!!  This has been a good "exercise" for me and hopefully gotten me back into posting on a more consistent basis.....we'll see!!

XMAS - It was very difficult for me to even type that!!!!  I dislike seeing Christmas written like that and I do not do it.  To me it is disrespectful of the most precious and important thing in my life - Christ - and the relationship I have with Him and all He means to me. 

YARN - Represents the 9 prayer shawls I have made so far.

The one I gave to our daughter, Suzette, on September 28th last year,  the day she was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer.

The last one I made for my dear blog friend, Kathy, when she, Danny, Bethany & Daniel visited us in July. 

I have small amounts of yarn left in 7 colors and I plan for my next prayer shawl to be made out of them as a Joseph's Coat of Many Colors.  I just haven't had the heart to get back to making another yet, but hope to as fall and cooler weather arrives. 

ZEAL - Eagerness, enthusiasm, ardor and zeal!!!  I love that, don't you?  I believe that is the way we are to live our lives and the way I endeavor to live mine each and every day. Reminds me of one of my many favorite Bible verses:  

 Ecclesiastes 9:10 – “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might; for there is nowork, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”

I have endeavored to participate in ALPHABET in AUGUST with ZEAL and it has been a good exercise for me in