This was my son, Dalton, and his wife, Megan's 1st Thanksgiving as a married couple. They hosted dinner. It was just nice getting the 2 families together. We were only missing Megan's sister, Emily, and her boyfriend.
It's truly amazing to watch young love.
There's a purity about it that can only be recognized by people who have been in themselves.
Thank you for a wonderful Thanksgiving. I pray you have many more!
At church, we are going through the book of 1 Samuel, and today we talked about David and Goliath. A favorite story of kids everywhere.
When Dalton was little, he had a Super Heroes Bible. I'm sure no one is surprised by this! (He may still have it.) It highlighted some heroes in the bible and their characteristics
Some of David's characteristics are: obedience, humility, patience, courage and faith
We can see these 6 tactics when David faces the great Goliath.
- Obedience: David obeyed his father who sent him to take food to his brothers on the battle field. He obeyed GOD when he told him to fight Goliath
- Humility: Samuel had already told David and his father, Jesse, that David would be the next king of Israel. It would have been so easy for him to become a cocky, prideful teenager. But he was honorable and obedience; which is probably one of the reasons GOD chose him. A man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14)
Luke 12:48 says, "From everyone who has been given much will be demanded, and from the one who's been entrusted with much, much more will be asked(This just happens to be one of Dalton's favorite verses, plus it was somewhat reference to in Spider-man.) Because David was such good shepard, GOD trusted him with bigger and better things.
-Patience: The kid was a shepard, and at night on top of that. It may have been a ,little more exciting than watching paint dry.
I think its interesting The GOD likens HIMSELF to a shepard. Sheep are suppose to be one the dumbest and most vulnerable animals alive. David is very patient with his sheep, just as GOD is patient with us.
-Courage: It is believed that Goliath was between 8 and 12 ft tall. My Daddy was 6"7' tall, Everyone at school thought he was a giant. So, I couldn't imagine being a youth (some people think he was under 5" tall) and facing someone that tall. Hearing stories of how others who were taller and older than him, may have made David quake in his boots. Then King Saul placed his armor on David; which was too big and heavy for him. He knew that unless he followed GOD's command, then he would have enough courage and wouldn't be able to defeat Goliath.
-Faith: Not only did David have to obey GOD, but he also had to have faith that He would take care of him. I've come to the conclusion that faith is either really simple or really difficult. Hebrew 11:1 " "Faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence pf things unseen. Some people only believe in things they can see. In John 20:29 JESUS tells Thomas; "Because you have seen me, You have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen but still believe." Without faith, we can't even take our next breath. David had to have faith in order to gather up the courage to fight Goliath.
We all have giants and the same 5 tactics can apply to slaying our own giants:
1. We have to be obedient to what GOD tells us about our giants.
2. We have to be humble enough to say that we can't fight our giants without GOD
3. We have to have patience to wait on GOD to tell and show us how to fight our giants.
4. It takes courage to fight our giants. Sometimes it takes just as much courage (if not more) to NOT fight our giants, because GOD wants us to learn to cope with our giants, not slay them. They are intended to be part of our testimony .
And finally
5. We have to have faith to slay our 9 ft giants. We have to know that GOD is with us, even when we can't see evidenced of it.
How do you slay your giants? Comment below, please!
If the $money$ genie gave you an endless amount of money, what would you do with it?
I would:
- Get a wheelchair-accessible van
-Help out Dalton, Megan, and Bobbye
-Go to Paris
-Go to Israel
-Barrett can retire
-Give to charities
-Buy Mama a new house
-Get help with stuff I need for dealing with my CP
-Go to Italy
- Get my master's and Ph.D. in Social Work
So, what on your if- money-was-no-object bucket list?
Comment below...
My parents were told I would never talk, but I did.
I hate my VOICE.
It has been compared to fingernails screeching down a chalkboard. I actually like the sound. Our 3rd and 4th-grade math teacher, Sister Helen would make us work problems on the chalkboard. I guess because of the way I wrote, my nails scraped it. It irritated her. (I may or may not have done it on purpose.)
Psalm 98:4 says:
"Make a joyful sound unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise; rejoice and sing and praise."
I've never been accused of this. You know you're a bad singer when your 5-year-old begs you to stop. (Barrett said we just had to have kids.😂😂😂)
Having a speech impediment isn't easy. About a month ago we had a tech who yelled at me because I was trying to tell him I have to speak loud and annunciate my words to be understood. He had no right to yell at me~`even if I yell at him. (I'm not saying I should.) The speech therapist put a sign above my bed that reads:
"When I annunciate my words, my voice gets louder. Please note I am not yelling."
It's kinda ironic that I am married to a radio broadcaster, who minored in speech.
As I get older, my speech will get worse. but there are some things I can do to improve it.
I keep telling Barret the more I talk the better my speech will be, but...
However, the reasons I am thankful for are because:
Welcome a new resident
Be a friend to someone in need
Go get help for someone if they need something
Thank the staff for what they do for us
Speak up for those who can't speak for themselves
Tell Barret I love him
Tell Dalton and Megan I love them
Tell Bobbye I love her
But, most importantly,
Telle GOD I love HIM
Regardless of who likes my
"JOYFUL NOISE"
Remember when the teachers use to make us write a letter to our future or past selves? Here's another one...
When you're 22, you'll get your one and only tattoo. It's a small teddy bear on the inside of your left ankle. This way, no matter what job you get as a Social Worker, you'll be able to hide it when you need to and show off when you want to. You believed the Bible loosely says that you are not supposed to make cuts on your body and that your body is a temple of GOD. You didn't see your body as a temple of GOD. So, naturally, you got a tattoo. You'll like it until your 4-year-old daughter asks if she can get a tattoo. (PS. she'll get one when she 17.)
When you're 23, you'll take a Philophsy class during a 2-and-a-half-week summer class (turns out you even need the class) that will change your life forever. You'll meet the guy you've been praying for. His name is Barrett and he'll tell you he just wants to be "friends". So, you'll be "best friends" for a year. Right after you graduate from MTSU with your BSW, he'll tell you he loves you.
You will marry your best friend and the love of your life on November 7, 1998.
On July 13, 1999, You'll have a little baby boy. Dalton Keith and your greatest job as a Mama will begin.
In July of 2002, you'll be 6 months pregnant with Bobbye Susanna and you'll find out you're in preterm labor; this will win you a 6-week vacation in the hospital. One of the hardest days you'll ever have is the day your 3-year-old will call you and he'll say "Mama, please let me come home. I promise I'll be a good boy." It will break your heart and you'll cry for hours. On September 5th, you'll give birth to the most beautiful, precious little girl in the world.
In the summer of 2018, you'll be on vacation and you'll fall. You'll look up at Barrett and say "It's time," and you'll know he'll understand what you're talking about. You've always wanted to be the one to decide when you needed more care and decide when it was time to go to a nursing home; you didn't want him or the kids to have to make the decision. Although it gets hard at times, you know it's been the best thing for the whole family. It has also allowed you to use that Social Work degree. Well, your minor was in gerontology and all...Plus, you've met people and friends you might have never met otherwise.
Those are the big moments. But remember, these moments are surrounded by smaller ones that are equally important. Enjoy yourself. Love and pray for everyone like it's the last thing you'll ever do. Never regret telling people you love them. Make more friends than enemies. Forgive others, even if they don't apologize and you think they should. Trus GOD even when, especially when, you don't want to.
And...and...
Forgive and love yourself...Because GOD does.
I'm one of those who thinks everyone and everything has a purpose.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says: (NIV)
There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.
a time to be born and a time to die
a time to plant and a time to uproot
a time to kill and a time to heal
a time to tear and a time to build up
a time to weep and a time to laugh
a time to mourn and a time to dance
a time to scatter stones and a time to gether them
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from
embracing
a time to search and a time to give up
a time to keep and a time to throw away
a time to tear and a time to mend
a time to be silent and a time to speak
a time to love and time to hate
a time fore war and
a time for peace
Not only is this in the Bible, but the Mamas and the Papas wrote a song about it!!!
When I was 13, I started going to visit a nursing home once month with my church.
I LOVED IT!!!
Something in me just clicked....I felt like I belong and I really enjoyed working with the residents.
Then I met...
HER!!!
I can't remember her name (which is sad that I can't remember the name of of the women that shaped so much of my life). She was in her mid 50s and she had Cerebral Palsy. I think she had been institutionalized for most, if not all, all of her life. I can just remember being scared, thinking; I don't want to end like her.
So, I went to college at MTSU. My major was in social work and my minor was in gerontology (The study of getting old -yes, this is a thing). I wanted be an advocate for those who didn't have a voice. The elderly is a part of society that time sometimes forgets. I wanted, at one point wanted to an adult daycare. I really think that with the price of insurance rising and that there are many younger disabled people who need more advance care, the adult day facilities are becoming more popular because many families are choosing to ro keep the loved ones at home.
So what changed?
You guessed it...
BOY MEETS GIRL
BOY MARRIES GIRL
BOY AND GIRL HAVE
A DALTON AND A BOBBYE
Now, I love being married and I loved staying home with my kids. Like many women, I thought when I the kids got older and in school I'd get a job but I physically couldn't. We were very blessed and GOD gave Barrett a great job and has always provided for our needs.
So, I posted yesterday about how I chose to live in a nursing home. It's certainly doesn't evade that I did end up in a nursing home: I just thought I be working in one not living in one. You know the old saying...when you plan, GOD laughs
I do believe that GOD has me here for such a time as this. In here I am able to be a friend to a person who may not have anyone else to / I can smile at a tech or a nurse who's having a bad day. I can pray when I see a family who are having to say goodbye to there loved ones. I can advocate when I see there is something wrong.
Yes, there is a time for everything under the heavens!
Heyia!!! So, it's been a moment or two since I've blogged. It's been four years and coincides with a major change in my health and my life. In the summer of 2018, we went to Florida and I fell in the bathroom. It was then I looked at Barrett and said; "Its time."
We always knew that there was a high possibility I would end up in a long term care facility. It was hard to make the decision. I have always told Barrett that I wanted to be one to decide when I needed more help. I didn't want him or especially Dalton and Bobbye to have to make that decision and feel guilty: they do feel to some extent. It's one thing to have to decide as a middle aged adult to put your elderly parent (65+) into a nursing facility, it's another to be 19 and 16 to have put your 45 year old Mama in one.
I have many people who judge us; especially Barrett. It is easy to say; "Well, I'd never do that to my loved one." You don't know what you'd do in our situation. A couple of days before I moved in here, I fell. I didn't have my phone (my fault). Barrett was at work, Bobbye was at school and Dalton was asleep at the other end of the house. I laid here for a couple of hours. They needed to be able to go out and do what they need to do without worrying about me being OK. The kids have to have their own life. People like to say "O, why don't you have home health come and help out?" Great idea! Home health is expensive, and most insurance doesn't pay for it. My Mama has some friends who are a bit more financially comfortable than we are, they've been using home health for about 2 years and it's really been rough for them. I don't think that when we judge others and say "Well, if..." we count all the costs, because we don't know all the costs. I'm also bipolar, which can be just as taxing, if not more, as a physical disability on a relationship. It's better for all of us to see each other once or twice a week and have a really good time, than to be with each other day by day and be stressed and even resentful towards each other.
Before I go any further, I owe my Mama a HUGE apology for all those times I wouldn't let her sleep!!! I love to sleep; like I could s...
