Saturday, June 16, 2007

Merry Patriarch's Eve!

Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. —Ephesians 6:1-3

Encouraging our husbands, fathers, and sons as future husbands and fathers, we gals have a important task at hand. During my first marriage (ha!) counseling session, I was told that one of the greatest needs of a husband is significance, while one of a wife's greatest need is security. Over the years, I have witnessed this is true. What an honor and what a task it is to be called to be a husband and a father, i.e. family shepherd and patriarch!

I am ever-so-thankful to have grown up in a home witnessing first hand the blessings of these needs being met by my parents. My father served our family by providing for us spiritually, physically and emotionally.

Thank you, Daddy, for being such a wonderful father to me!

Happy Father's Day!

I pray now for the husbands (and their families!) of my daughters and fathers of their children. May they be wonderful, godly men who wish to serve the Lord with all of the hearts as well as provide for our future generations!

For a really wonderful poem, check out The Patriarch, which can be found at Poems for Patriarchs: The Verse and Prose of Christian Manhood, compiled and edited by Doug Phillips.

Monday, June 04, 2007

May's out; June's in!

I absolutely can not believe it, but Celeste ('07) and Jonathan ('04) have both graduated and moved on! I only hope that we get to continue to see them! What an honor it's been to get to know the Stoddard family...feel free to come back, Amy!

We did get to see everyone (thankfully, Jonathan was able to return home from deployment for Celeste's graduation!) at Celeste's senior recital...what an amazing voice she has! Our love and prayers go with you all! And, Jonathan, don't be surprised if you open your door one day to find that the Chandlers have taken you up on your offer to come and visit you in Hawaii!

Later that weekend, we had the Bowers and the Dorizas' over for cinco de mayo! What a great evening it was to get together with friends and good food! Once again, this year, I made Alal's spinach-chicken enchiladas (amazing!) in honor of her, for May 5th is the first anniversary of her death. She is still so greatly missed, and I can weep for her at the drop of a hat; however, I have to just think about what she would do or say if she were standing next to me...she would shrug off my sadness (I'm the emotional one in the family!) and then she'd quickly change the subject...which I'll do right now!

Brownie's Birthday! Every, single day we hear,"Today is a special day....it's Brownie's birthday!"

So one rainy Saturday, the girls planned a birthday party which we were all invited to attend! Macy made him a beautiful, three-layer birthday cake our using her easy bake oven while Tressie and Annie set the table and took care of the decorations. We all assembled, sang "Happy Birthday" to him, took some photos and definitely wrote it on the calendar...surprisingly, we haven't heard mention of his birthday...we all know now that his birthday is May 12th! What fun days these are to be able to celebrate the love that a child has for a floppy-eared, brown "magical" dog! Oh, to be loved like that!
Surprise... Happy 3rd birthday, Brownie!

Talk about surprises...we got a call early one Saturday morning to learn that K-ren was going to be passing through our area...well, we said, "Come'on! You must!" What a wonderful surprise it was, and what a great time we had! Please come back again, soon!

The next week was quite a busy one...not only are we trying to wrap up our school year, but we also had several "social" engagements....our church had a going away party for Andy and Moriah, Lindsey's bridal shower (such a sweet girl...I can't wait until she marries and moves here so that I can get to know her better!), Kellie's high school graduation party, and a farewell party at our house for the Bonds. So all week long, the girls and I made some progress toward our completions of 3rd grade, 1st grade, and Kindergarten; tidied up the house; a little gardening; and party planning! After several trips to party stores and Sam's with Lorrie for Kellie's party as well as our party, Friday came. And what a fun evening we had getting to catch up with friends that we haven't seen in a while at Kellie's party, and then we rushed home to set up our "drive-in" movie party for the Bonds. Eric and Rob R. set up the movie and popcorn machine while Nicky, the gals and I set up the tables...and once night fell, we relaxed and were able to visit with our friends before we had to say farewell....for a little while at least...y'all are coming back; right?!?!?

That Sunday, we ran into our good friends Scott and Kathy at church...so we insisted that they come home with us for lunch and to catch up! What sweet friends they are...Kathy spent most of the day snuggled on the sofa while Macy read to her, and Scott spent most of the day helping Annie find/count her and Brownie's 800 invisible puppies! We were able to talk to Jen and Mom, and we went and fed the reindeer. It was really great...and surprising to see them! I thought all week long...K-ren visited last weekend; Scott and Kathy visited this weekend; who will we get to see next weekend?!?

Well, after a month-long time of such fun, it was bound to happen...we wore ourselves out! One by one, we began to drop like flies! We've all sweetly shared a lovely allergy/cold virus which is unrelenting! And of course, we get a call saying that a good friend of mine is coming to town...Eric Hathaway! I haven't seen him in over 10 years! I just hope that we can all get better!

Although I don't have a voice, I do want to wish Brite and Elaine..."Happy birthday!"

Friday, June 01, 2007

A most memorable Mother's Day!

The Friday afternoon before Mother's Day, I answered the phone to hear a lady asking to speak to.... Macy, so I gave Macy the phone and watched her slowly walk into the other room...as if for privacy. I overheard her say, "Yes, ma'am! Oh! Thank you! Yes, ma'am! Wow! Thank you! May I have my daddy call you back? Thank you! Bye!"
It was then obvious that she was successfully scheming...after all, she had been looking at her calendar for the past month and then letting me know 'how many more days it was until Mother's Day'!
She then asked for permission to call her daddy, and then she once more walked into another room...again, as if for privacy. She spoke to him and then hung up the phone.
The phone rang again a little later, and it was daddy telling her to get ready, for he would come home and pick her up...they had a little errand.
All the while, Macy was fully gleaming with pride and excitement. She later left with her daddy and then returned with an even bigger grin...perhaps she'd tell me now...I couldn't wait until Sunday morning...and she certainly couldn't either!
I watched her hop out of the back of her daddy's car, as she gleefully ran up to me saying, "I was a runner up! I won a contest, Mommy! I won a gift bag for you from the Mtn. Escape Spa!"
She then handed me the gift bag along with the sweetest essay that has ever been written...
Why My Mother is So Special
By Macy C.
age 8

My mommy is special because she makes my life special. She loves me very much.
She is my teacher, she is my best friend. She teaches me my school lessons, but also teaches me how to sew, how to cook, how to take care of a family, and what the best kind of chocolate is.
She has taught me how to love other people, especially those who may not feel loved all the time.
My mommy tries to make each day as fun and interesting as it can be. She makes sure our birthdays are extra special, and even celebrates my half birthday because mine is so close to Christmas.
She tries to be the best mother she can, but I think she already is.
She makes me want to be a mother just like she is.