Archive for October, 2007

Your memories are held within your heart
And your heart in one of two treasures.

That of the earthly or that of the heavenly;
The Creator of universe measures.

Hold not so close the earthly dear
And all that glitters here.

Value that which is worth more
And within your heart keep near.

When eternity draws close at hand
And rusting possessions fade

Consider your soul and your eroding land
And “forever’s” meaning made.

-BreezyTulip

My sister Breezy wrote this for my blog quite a while back. I thought now would be a good time to share it.

Yesterday evening my Grandma Jenny passed away, leaving this world to meet her Lord and Savior and live with Him for eternity.

In July she was not able to hold food down, so her husband, Phil, took her to the hospital. After some tests they found she had a brain tumor, about the size of a golf ball. This seemed to be the reason she wasn’t keeping food down. They scheduled for her to have the surgery to remove the cancerous tumor in August.

My daddy and uncle traveled down to a hospital in MO to be there before and after her operation. She was overjoyed to see them, it had been almost a year since she’d last seen them. The surgery went well, and she began recovering nicely. But there was still one problem: she still couldn’t keep food down.

After some more tests, they realized that she just needed her esophagus stretched. They stretched it and she was able to hold about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food down at each meal. By this time she has lost 40 lbs.

Her lungs began to sound gravely at the beginning of this past week. Phil took her to the hospital, and the doctor said she was in a near pneumonia condition. This progressed and she acquired severe pneumonia. Her lungs and heart filled with liquid, and her esophagus collapsed.

From there it was a fast downward spiral. My Daddy and uncle were able to travel down to AR and visit with her for the last time late that night. It seems she was holding strong, so that she could see her boys one last time. By Sunday morning she was not responding, and her body was shutting down. She was moved to the Hospice section of the hospital.

All throughout the day, Daddy and his brother Randy were praying with her and comforting her. Last night as Daddy was reading the Bible out loud to her, a tear dropped from her eye, and she left this world.

“And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4

Throughout  this whole journey, the Lord has kept up her strength, and she held on strong, praising God continually.

Today she is in God’s Presence, praising and enjoying Him in His Glory!

Here is a picture of Grandma Jenny and Me in 2005.

I miss her dearly, and look forward to being in Glory with her praising our wonderful Lord and Savior!

To God Be the Glory!

Categories: Family | No Comments »

(to get the full effect, you need to say the mom’s lines with a low growl)
If you notice, all the pencils in the mom’s hand are Ticonderogas.

It was funnier in person.

For more posts on pencils go to the HSB Community Blog.

Categories: Homeschooling | No Comments »

My family camped from Monday through Friday. My camping family includes my Uncle Chris, Aunt Lou, Cousin Magg, Daddy, Momma, my Dearest (and only) sister Breezy, and, of course, my own little self.

Below is a brief synopsis of the holiday.

Monday: We got up and left our dearest abode around 10 am. When we arrived at the campgrounds we saw that “the other family” had already arrived and were parked in lot #12A, which left us our beloved #11A, both lots are in a cul de sac (we try to get as little traffic as possible). We popped-up our pop-up campers, and filled them with some of our most valuable items. After all the setting up, and preparing for our week of holiday, we sat down and melted, but this wouldn’t last much longer. That night we ate hamburgers, simple, but sweet.

Tuesday: We got up, after sleeping in of course, we were on holiday, Ami and her family stopped by for the day. This day had the best temperatures (low 70°’s F). Us girlies took Elijah and Simon (Ami’s sons) on a walk around the grounds, as well as to a playground. Elijah later went fishing with my uncle Chris and Jason (Elijah’s dad) and with collaboration from his father he caught a catfish. Now, Breezy is taking biology and had a fish dissection coming up, so we went ahead and took the opportunity to “dissect.” Daddy took care of the gruesome work, with Bre, Mag, Jason, Elijah, and I watching. We had seen one “taken care of” before, so it wasn’t quite as gross as it could be.

Tuesday was Maggie’s birthday, so we celebrated it with pumpkin pie and presents (here is her post about it).

Wednesday: We did the usual camping things. Lou made us all chicken noodle soup for dinner.

Thursday: We did the usual camping things, including eating Dough Boys. Dough Boys are crescent rolls wrapped around a one-inch-square stick, and cooked over the fire. We fill the holes with apple pie filling or smoky links. They are very deliciously scrumptious! The last night we went to bed, a bit sadly, knowing that in the morning we would need to prepare to depart.

Friday: We unloaded the campers, packed the trucks and cars, and headed out, and arrived at home a bit more tired then usual. It was a refreshing “holiday.”

Oh, and before I forget, I read aloud to Bre and Mag the first fourth of Silas Marner by George Eliot. So far it’s been an extremely good book.

And now I will share with you a few of the several hundred pictures taken on our trip. :)

Above is a picture of us three girls: Maggie, Me, and Breezy.

Simon and Elijah (under Simon) playing in the leaves at our campsite.

Daddy and Charlie. That lil’ doggy always seems to pose while biting his lip. He must think that’s funny or something.

Maggie and her dog Jenna (who can’t stand getting her picture taken, she always looks away, we tricked her into posing for this picture).

Maggie and I while on a jaunt.

Thank you for taking your time reading this. :) I hope you’ve enjoyed going over my dearest family’s camping trip.

God Bless,

Categories: Family | No Comments »

I’m sorry I’ve not yet gotten back to ya’ll.

And, yet again, I won’t be posting for a while. But this time it’s for a good reason. J

I’m going camping!!!

Around the time of my dearest Sweet Magnolia(my cousin)’s birthday, my family goes camping with her’s.

I’m very excited.

And I will try to update you all more often when I get back! J

Goodbye. (There, I said it.) :)

God Bless,

Categories: Miscellaneous | No Comments »

That’s What Friends are For

by Alex, Brett, and Gregg Harris

How do we sustain this excitement? Sustain the resolve to rebel against low expectations?

-

ALEX HARRIS

We need to understand the power of companionship.

We must choose our companions carefully.

We become like our companions. With bad companions we will suffer harm. With good companions we will become wise.

He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.

-Proverbs 13:20

This not only applies to human companions, but also to movies, music, magazines, media, and the internet.

-

GREGG HARRIS

Addressed to Parents

Don’t use “Do Hard Things” to nag or ridicule your teens. Encourage your teens—“I see you Doing Hard Things.” Pray for your children. Aim them at the targets that matter to God.

Be wise in your own life and the way you invest your time. Consider what kind of companions you have.

Your walk with God fans the flames of their lives.

Protect your meal times and evenings to do what is meaningful, like family worship. Work together, coach your children. Serve God together as a family.

Become a household who Does Hard Things for the glory of God. Don’t try to do everything. Do a few things WELL.

Fan the flames of the Rebelution.

-

BRETT HARRIS

How to keep the fire burning to DO HARD THINGS.

1. Have a Hero – in different areas of life, spiritual, political, etc.

2. Make Friends With Dead People – read dead authors’ works and writings, get to know them; there’s way more dead people than there are alive.

3. Take Advantage of the Movement – get on board with what God is doing with these ideas.

4. Find the Secret Rebelutionaries – others need to see an obvious rebelutionary. There are like minded young people.

5. Walk With the Wise – find godly people and ask them what they wish they’d done or had known at your age; take advantage of your opportunity.

6. Make God Your Ultimate Companion – no matter what your situation. God, our Father. Christ, our King. He’s our source. Get to know Him.

To make changes in our life, we have to cut some things out. Fill that place with Hard Things.

We are children of God . . . rebelutionaries.

Categories: Encouragement | No Comments »