Gratitude

count your many blessings, name them one by one.........

Recently my friend Lisha completed blogging 30 days of gratitude. I was encouraged by her take on things for which she was grateful. Today has not been the best day of my life, however, it has certainly not been the worst. So, to put things in perspective here are some blessings in my life:

1. A God who loves me......
2. A husband who loves me......
3. My family...........
4. My church.........
5. My church family..........
6. My job (at church).......
7. My friend, Lisha, who has picked me up so many times recently.......
8. Craig & Mark J (I could not be in ministry with better people)...........
9. Volunteers who take care of church business in my absence..........
10. The ability to find humor in most things and laugh at myself when necessary.........

.......count you many blessings, see what God has done!

Celebrate.......

Today was a good day. After arising at 5:00 am to spend thirty minutes manning the Holy Week Prayer Wall, I downed a quick cup of coffeee, showered, dressed and made my way to church along with my hubby. We arrived around 7:15 am just as the Sunrise Service was adjourning. I actually look forward to these long days at church. I am blessed beyond measure to be able to spend a major part of my time serving the Lord and others, at the Mulder Church. My plan was to catch the early service as well as the late service. I was astounded at the crowd for the 8:15 service. It was so crowded that I gave up my plans to attend so someone could have a seat. Total in worship at 8:15 without nursery numbers:220. PTL! During the wait time for Praise Band rehearsal, I helped my friend Lisha prepare flowers so our children could decorate a cross. Once that was finished I moved to a room adjacent to Carter Hall to pray for the services.......Well, the Praise Band warmed up and the people flocked to the 10:45 service, all 255 of them (no children's numbers included)! I'm thinking Craig's guesstimate of 540 total in attendance is going to be very close. I'll have the final count tomorrow. All 255 of those people were worshipping and praising God...AWESOME!



Immediately after church we travelled to AC to visit my mother, my sister and our daughters along with their families. The children were so cute looking for those Easter eggs!



What a glorious day. Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Celebrate......................

Travel Time

Yesterday, I took a trip to Atlanta, not for fun or for business, but to meet my grandson at the airport. (See previous blog about THE ACCIDENT). Bob and I left early enough to stop and have breakfast together in Opelika. We hardly ever have our morning meal together, so it was nice to able to eat, have coffee and just talk. It was also nice to not be surrounded by children with big ears. As we traveled closer to Hartzfield-Jackson International, the questions about how Wally would look and if he weathered the trip well, began to surface. Arriving at the airport about an hour before the scheduled arrival, we learned that the departure from Green Bay had been delayed due to the rainy weather in Dallas. So we waited and waited and waited. Finally the board showed flight 4684 had landed.....and we waited....the board showed flight 4684 had arrived....and we waited...........then my cell phone rang. It was my daughter saying they were here and where was I? Of course, due to all the 911 regulations you cannot reach a gate without a ticket, so we waited in the Atrium..........and we waited...and waited. Finally, I heard someone say, "Momma" and there they were, the daughter and the grandson. Wally with 2 black eyes and a very flat place on his skull and his mother one tired girl. Braving the rain that had moved in we headed for the parking lot and the van. Bob went on ahead to bring the car closer. What a blessing he is. About 45 minutes into our return trip we stop at Steak & Shake for a late lunch. Wally always orders chicken, but this time he wanted fish.....has the skull fracture changed his taste? We resumed our trip stopping only at a WalMart to purchase the things you might need when you've been away from home for 10 days. At last, we got them to their home, weary but happy to be there. Bob and I continued our travels alone arriving just in time to take communion at out Wednesday service.



Our church is sponsoring a prayer wall this week and my assigned prayer time is 10:30 pm-11:00 pm. I was so tired that my good friend, Lisha, offered to pray in my stead last night. Have I told ya'll how much I love that woman? She's the best and is always willing to do anything to help me out and lately, I've needed lots of help! Anyway, after 9 uninterrrupted hours of sleep, I'm almost recovered from my trip........and looking forward to my next.....travel time!

Big Blessings

I joined the staff of my church almost two years ago. I can't say I came to work, because it is NOT a job, but a ministry. For over 30 years I worked in the textile industry, moving up from an hourly labor position to a supervisory one. During that time, I volunteered for every type of training that was offered: computers, English, management, etiquette. You name it, if it was offered, I was there. Little did I know that God was preparing me for a leap of faith.

My good friend, Lisha mentioned in April of 2006 that the church secretary was leaving. She knew that at one point when the position was vacant I felt the call. Well, this time that feeling did not go away, so I scheduled an appointment with my pastor, to discuss this opportunity. After everyone got over the intial shock and discussions all around, I was offered the position and left the known for the unknown. What a blessing the unknown has been. The pay difference (rather substantially less) has not affected how we live. God seems to provide all we need. The intangible benefits are overwhelming.....Imagine a place where the family is valued and the need to care for your family is honored. How awesome is that? I've been able to care for sick children, an ailing mother and go to the airport to meet an injured grandchild as he arrives back home. I can attend sporting events with my child, school programs or just take a few hours to spend time with my family. The duties of this position are a joy, though sometimes stressful, but I wouldn't want to be any where else. Thank you God for BIG Blessings!

Miracles

Every once in a while, something happens and when it does, you realize that a lot of things in your life really don't matter. On Friday evening, my middle grandson who was visiting his other grandparents in Michigan, had a sledding accident. Wally was front man on the sled and he hit the tree first. I won't go into the gory details but he came away with a fractured skull, a broken nose and a fractured eye socket. Things were scary and he was transferred to St. Vincent's Children's Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The staff there took very good care of Wally and his parents. To make a long story short, he will require some reconstructive surgery further down the road, but he will be okay. Therein, lies the miracle. Wednesday, Wally and his mother will board a plane for home. You can bet I'll be waiting when that plane lands in Atlanta!

Sunny Sunday

.....and it was a glorious, beautiful day the Lord made! The Spirit of God was evident in the worship service with great singing and preaching. This afternoon, my friend, Lisha, coordinated another successful children's egg hunt. Kudos to you, girlfriend! The beauty of the day, coupled with all the good things that happened just made it special all around. This evening....friends came to relax and share a meal and more than a few desserts. Back on that diet tomorrow! Thank you God, for family, friends and those sunny Sundays...........

Mere Musings

Lately, I've spent a lot of time traveling to my hometown. My mother has been ill and although she is a resident in a nursing home, she recently spent 10 days in the hospital. Today she had an outpatient procedure performed on her kidneys and once again, I was in my van riding. I was crossing Kowliga Bridge which is located over beautiful Lake Martin just as the sun began its descent to the west. The beauty of God's handiwork hit me squarely in the face as the sunshine shimmered on the peaceful waters. These words immediately came to mind: Our God is an awesome God, He reigns....................

Wednesday Wisdom

Worry.....most of us do it from time to time. Some people do it constantly. I was reminded tonight that the Bible instructs us NOT to worry...so if we worry....it is sin. The past few weeks have been pretty hectic and I've found myself in that worry-pit. It was good to be reminded to have faith, not to worry about anything, but to pray about everything! God is much bigger than anything that could every worry me. My prayer is that I begin to pray more and worry less.......

My Man

I love my husband! He's been a part of my life for over 34 years and quite frankly, I could not live without him. Now don't get me wrong, there have been times I THOUGHT I could live without him, but they have been few and far between. This man is a keeper....he cooks, he cleans, he mows the lawn, he takes car of my vehicle and he loves me! How good is that? I arrived home from work today to find him frying chicken and----- he cleaned up his mess. He's a quiet guy for the most part but that's okay, I'm loud enough for us both. God blessed me with a wonderful partner in life and I'm a happy woman..................

Forever Friend

I'm convinced we all have friends.....friends for certain times of our lives. I'm also convinced that for most of us (girls especially) there is one true friend. You know the one that will tell you when your behind is big or your mouth has your foot dangling from it. They are also the ones who keep your kids, cook for you, soothe your frazzled nerves, and commiserate when you think your hubby is a jerk (but he really isn't). They hold your hand, pat your back, hug you, pray for you and keep you grounded. You share lunches, laughs, sobs, good times and bad. You try to imagine your life without this person, but can't. Whether they are in your life from the early years or you find them later in life as I did.....you will be blessed beyond measure by this relationship. So Lisha, my friend, for what it's worth.....I love you and count you as my....... forever friend.

Sunday Snippets

Had a great day of worship at church. I can't believe we are almost ready to occupy the new worship center! The next few weeks are going to be exciting and stressful and since I am on staff I expect it will be especially so for me. But I digress, came home from church and had a healthy lunch, I had prepared in advance, with my two favorite guys. After lunch, the guys went out to do some much needed yardwork while I stayed inside and mixed up a loaf of banana nut bread. I also peeled and sliced a fresh pineapple. Once the bread was baking I joined them outside to prepare my herb garden for the spring. I have the perfect place to grow herbs, so I've removed the flowers and will devote that site to rosemary, oregano, parsley, dill, sage...you get the picture. I also enjoyed sitting a bit in the sunshine with my hubby....we don't have a lot of downtime. The bread is done and cooling and I've sampled the pineapple (yummy). Soon it will be time to go back to church for the evening ministries. Life is good..................

Dutiful Daughter

My mother was a very strong person. You know the "Steel Magnolia" type. She raised three daughters on her own for the most part and did a pretty good job of it, if I say so myself. Sadly that person is slowly being replaced by someone I don't recognize, a mere shadow of her former self, an almost child-like being. I go bi-weekly for a visit to her nursing home. Lately I've been more due to a 10 day stay in the hospital that required someone to be with her 24/7. Sometimes she knows who I am, like tonight, and other times she calls me ma'm, I'm a stranger to her. Tonight was a good visit...we ate Cinnasnacks from Sonic and drank Diet Dr. Pepper. She laughed along with me, my sister and my nephew's girlfriend. I savor the moments when I recognize the woman who gave me life and whether or not she remembers my name, I'll make the trek for our visits. Until the Good Lord calls her home, I will continue to be a dutiful daughter.........

March Madness

I admit it, I love baseball! But with my love of baseball and a 14 year-old who loves every kind of ball comes a bit of madness. Not the collegiate kind, where all the ranked teams square off to see who's the best in basketball, but the hometown kind where you hear yourself saying, "You have practice when?". I'm looking forward to this baseball season. The first reason is that my son was drafted by my co-worker, a great guy, who will be joined by three other men (none of whom have children playing - amazing) and myself as team mom. Did I mention I casually said, "If my child happens to be on your team, I'll be the team mother."? Back to my first reason....after a lackluster season last year, I see this year being a year of playing hard, learning more and being a real team. Reason two: my son is growing up, not just in age, but in body as well (6'3" and 170 lbs.). He really wants to play collegiate sports but at that level parents lose the closeness to the player and the sport. I'm a hands-on girl, so it will be difficult to only be a spectator. So I look forward to a spring of getting to know new players and parents, to days spent at the ballpark for practice & games, to watching my child play a sport he loves! Ahhhhh..............I love baseball! Play ball!

The beginning

My best friend is a blogger, a very good one in fact. I've been encouraged by her reflections and knew I wanted to try to blog as well. There are a lot of things going on in my life and hopefully putting words to "paper" will allow me to put things in perspective. Sit back, relax and enjoy (or not) being Barb........