My mother sent me a long text message yesterday morning with the details of this amazing story about her and her 94 year old mother. I'm so grateful everyone is ok!! Here are her words:
"Yesterday I had a miracle! I went to B & P, a discount store. My mother loves to go with me but couldn't because she wasn't feeling well. It was rare for me to go without her because this store is one of her favorite places to go twice a month. I usually drop my mother off at the store while I go get a massage. Then I return from my massage to do my shopping while she waits on a bench inside of the store.
Once I arrived at the store after my massage, I had a choice of 2 parking spots. I usually take the one that is the shortest distance between the driver's door and the store's door. This time I was prompted to just take the first one (a tad farther away). I no sooner got in and had only placed one item in my basket when what sounded like a bomb went off. Screams sounded all around.
The car that took the other parking spot went clear into the building! We couldn't see the car. The metal had flapped down behind him. His car sat on the other side of the potato chip isle. Thank goodness there was only storage there. The driver was elderly and had pressed hard on the wrong pedal.
Had I taken that parking spot and he had mine, he would have gone right into the middle of the store where there were many people. It was a miracle that no one was hurt!
Had my mom been with me she would have been in his path sitting on a bench in the store waiting for me. It was a miracle that she too was not hurt. I believe God prompted my mother to stay home just in case I took the wrong parking spot. :-) "
Friday, August 30, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Perspective
Some days are just plain hard. Today was one of them. I was in tears over several issues in my life. I was on my way to resolve some of those issues when my dear sister-in-law called me out of the blue. She and I only talk on the phone only a few times a year because we're both so busy with our lives. She said she called to ask how Florida was. I told her the superficial news and was ready to hang up, but then she asked if there was anything else. I casually said I was having a hard day. She almost cut me off saying she just felt like she should call me.
That's when I burst into tears in the grocery store! I had to quickly go hide in the stationary department. I told the kids to look at the cards while I listened to one of the wisest women I know. (Everybody should have a woman like this in their lives.)
Her wisdom and perspective were exactly what I needed to hear. She calmed my heart. I know we should only need validation from God, but her validation, strength, and wisdom were inspired by God.
As I tearfully thanked her for her guidance, she humbly acknowledged God's hand and reminded me of HIS love for me. When these tender moments come into our lives amidst the trial, we have got to know that our Heavenly Father loves us.
My sister-in-law said she wished I didn't have to feel these sadnesses and reminded me that passing through the refiners fire is the only way to become stronger and better instruments in HIS hands.
Gosh! Sometimes that fire feels REALLY hot until the Lord's perspective enters into our minds and hearts. I feel much better already!! God loves us through every painful, imperfect detail of our lives.
That's when I burst into tears in the grocery store! I had to quickly go hide in the stationary department. I told the kids to look at the cards while I listened to one of the wisest women I know. (Everybody should have a woman like this in their lives.)
Her wisdom and perspective were exactly what I needed to hear. She calmed my heart. I know we should only need validation from God, but her validation, strength, and wisdom were inspired by God.
As I tearfully thanked her for her guidance, she humbly acknowledged God's hand and reminded me of HIS love for me. When these tender moments come into our lives amidst the trial, we have got to know that our Heavenly Father loves us.
My sister-in-law said she wished I didn't have to feel these sadnesses and reminded me that passing through the refiners fire is the only way to become stronger and better instruments in HIS hands.
Gosh! Sometimes that fire feels REALLY hot until the Lord's perspective enters into our minds and hearts. I feel much better already!! God loves us through every painful, imperfect detail of our lives.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
My Angel Sister, Christy
My final submission for Time Out for Women is about my dear angel sister, Christy. Please read and know my whole heart was placed in this story. Feel free to share your experiences about the angels in your life. I would love to hear them.
Here is the link:
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Windy Waves of Wonderful
First and foremost...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABE!!!
Abe is honestly the kindest man I know. He wants everyone to be happy. He tries so hard to be the best he can be. He is strong! He is wise! He is a hard worker! He loves people and places his relationships with them above being right. He wants everyone around him to believe in themselves. My dear Abe even supports my crazy ideas... and he doesn't even think they're crazy! I love my dear husband and the miracle of his beautiful life. He is truly wonderful.
On the way out the door to finally go to the beach in the early afternoon, a downpour started with flashes of lightning. The kids were anxious to still spend the day at the beach, so we decided to go anyway and see what weather we would encounter.
As we drove, the rain on the windows made it seem like a truly pointless beach trip.
It was about an hour drive away. I checked the weather at the beach, and it reported clear at that moment. As we drove into the beach city, dark clouds began to roll in. I felt like it wouldn't be fair for me to ask God to not let it rain for our beach day because we really should have left earlier in the day. Instead, I asked God to make our experience a wonderful, safe, and memorable one even though the weather wasn't perfect.
As we pulled into the parking lot, several families eyed the dark clouds as they left the beach. I quickly informed the children I was sure we would NOT be swimming.
The wind blew on us hard as we all ran down the sandy hill to only look at the water.
Seeing no lightning, we eventually inched our way into the water. We quickly realized that despite the cold breeze, the water was VERY warm!
We ALL threw ourselves into the wild waves accompanied by dark clouds and heavy winds.
Not a single drop of rain fell on us the entire time! We played for hours and had a spectacular time!
The following day, my kids asked me if we could go back to the beach on a cloudy, windy day because that was a "WAY BETTER EXPERIENCE!" They began to list all the reasons that cloudy, windy days were better beach days. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was really just hoping for it to be a fun day, but God turned a dark, cloudy beach day into the most wonderful, safe, and memorable experience they'd ever had at the beach! ... just as I had requested.
I have no question God cares about the details of our lives.
In our real lives, God usually doesn't take away the dark and cloudy experiences... HE turns those dark, cloudy experiences into something WONDERFUL! ...and often, when necessary for our greatest, overall happiness, HE surprises us and takes away "the rain and the lightning" just when we think we can't go on.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Familiar Face
Abe is usually the first one to be ready in the morning and walks around as the champion helping everybody else. This morning something strange happened with him. The kids and I were all ready, and he was still in his pajamas! Church was at 1pm, and it was already 12:30; he had lost track of time. He quickly threw on his clothes, and then we raced out the door.
Our family slipped in a few minutes late and sat close to the back of our new, very large congregation in Florida.
A few minutes after we settled into our seats, a woman came in with 3 kids and a big double jogger stroller. She parked her stroller just a few feet behind me in my aisle at the back of the chapel. Soon, her children became restless, and 2 of them started to cry at the same time.
My children were all sitting quietly; even baby Jayden was sound asleep. I was available to help and immediately felt inspired to reach for her child who was still strapped in the stroller. My thought was, "Rachel, this is too bold. She doesn't know you, and you don't know her. You're going to offend her." Despite my doubts, the inspiration came pretty strong; so with her nod of approval, I placed her little girl on my lap. The mother soon leaned over to me and said, "You visited here last year. I remember you. You're from Michigan visiting your in-laws."
After Sacrament meeting, I informed her we were not just visitors this time; we were now living in Florida.
I was taken back by her excited response: "Oh yay! I have a friend! I need to get your phone number." I wondered why she would be so excited to have a friend because surely she had lots of friends since she lived here. I was the one with no friends!
I saw her again during the 3rd hour of our Sunday classes. It was Relief Society- where only the women meet together. They asked for the new people to introduce ourselves. My new friend stood up. What?? I was so confused. My mother-in-law, who was the Relief Society President at the time of our visit last year, said she didn't have any idea who my new friend was.
I quietly walked over to where she was sitting and crouched down beside her. I asked her how it was that she was new, yet she recognized me from a year ago. She said, "I am new in the last year. I haven't been coming. This is my first time back at church." I couldn't believe we would both return on the same Sunday.
We quickly exchanged phone numbers before I returned to my seat. I felt very strongly that our meeting was not by chance.
This woman bravely returned to church after a year of absence and needed to see a familiar face. What are the chances that I would be that only familiar face? I believe it was a miracle from God. I am glad we were a few minutes late so we could be right where we needed to be when this woman entered. I thank God for our meeting and blessed to have a new friend and a familiar face.
Our family slipped in a few minutes late and sat close to the back of our new, very large congregation in Florida.
A few minutes after we settled into our seats, a woman came in with 3 kids and a big double jogger stroller. She parked her stroller just a few feet behind me in my aisle at the back of the chapel. Soon, her children became restless, and 2 of them started to cry at the same time.
My children were all sitting quietly; even baby Jayden was sound asleep. I was available to help and immediately felt inspired to reach for her child who was still strapped in the stroller. My thought was, "Rachel, this is too bold. She doesn't know you, and you don't know her. You're going to offend her." Despite my doubts, the inspiration came pretty strong; so with her nod of approval, I placed her little girl on my lap. The mother soon leaned over to me and said, "You visited here last year. I remember you. You're from Michigan visiting your in-laws."
After Sacrament meeting, I informed her we were not just visitors this time; we were now living in Florida.
I was taken back by her excited response: "Oh yay! I have a friend! I need to get your phone number." I wondered why she would be so excited to have a friend because surely she had lots of friends since she lived here. I was the one with no friends!
I saw her again during the 3rd hour of our Sunday classes. It was Relief Society- where only the women meet together. They asked for the new people to introduce ourselves. My new friend stood up. What?? I was so confused. My mother-in-law, who was the Relief Society President at the time of our visit last year, said she didn't have any idea who my new friend was.
I quietly walked over to where she was sitting and crouched down beside her. I asked her how it was that she was new, yet she recognized me from a year ago. She said, "I am new in the last year. I haven't been coming. This is my first time back at church." I couldn't believe we would both return on the same Sunday.
We quickly exchanged phone numbers before I returned to my seat. I felt very strongly that our meeting was not by chance.
This woman bravely returned to church after a year of absence and needed to see a familiar face. What are the chances that I would be that only familiar face? I believe it was a miracle from God. I am glad we were a few minutes late so we could be right where we needed to be when this woman entered. I thank God for our meeting and blessed to have a new friend and a familiar face.
Friday, August 23, 2013
My Birthday Miracle
After 4 children and several miscarriages, my mother was done having children, but my 9 year old sister Christy kept begging her for more.
Christy had read a story in a children's church magazine entitled "The Friend" about a little girl who went on a drive with her mother. While they were driving, they pulled over in the car to pray for a baby. The mother soon had a beautiful baby girl, and they knew it was because of the prayer.
Christy wanted to do the same. My mother obliged. She and Christy went on a short little drive just so they could pull over and pray the way the mother and daughter had done in the story from the magazine. In her special prayer, Christy prayed for a baby sister to come... not just a baby... she specifically prayed for a sister.
My mother tried to explain to her that God would give them who was supposed to come to their family, and that they should just pray for a healthy baby. Christy made sure everyone in the family remembered to pray for the baby.
Soon after, my mother became pregnant with me!! It was a high-risk pregnancy, and she gave birth by C-section. My birthday? August 23rd... just 8 days before Christy's birthday.
My dear sister Christy passed away a year and a half later from Burkitt's Lymphoma. Knowing my sister prayed me here has been a great spiritual strength to me throughout my life.
Next week I plan on writing more of my beautiful angel's story. Her life is one of near perfection.
Christy had read a story in a children's church magazine entitled "The Friend" about a little girl who went on a drive with her mother. While they were driving, they pulled over in the car to pray for a baby. The mother soon had a beautiful baby girl, and they knew it was because of the prayer.
Christy wanted to do the same. My mother obliged. She and Christy went on a short little drive just so they could pull over and pray the way the mother and daughter had done in the story from the magazine. In her special prayer, Christy prayed for a baby sister to come... not just a baby... she specifically prayed for a sister.
My mother tried to explain to her that God would give them who was supposed to come to their family, and that they should just pray for a healthy baby. Christy made sure everyone in the family remembered to pray for the baby.
Soon after, my mother became pregnant with me!! It was a high-risk pregnancy, and she gave birth by C-section. My birthday? August 23rd... just 8 days before Christy's birthday.
My dear sister Christy passed away a year and a half later from Burkitt's Lymphoma. Knowing my sister prayed me here has been a great spiritual strength to me throughout my life.
Next week I plan on writing more of my beautiful angel's story. Her life is one of near perfection.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
An Inconvenient Downpour!!
Before you read today's story, please visit Time Out for Women's website again! I wrote part 3 of 4 about an extremely special miracle in my life. As always, I would LOVE to hear from you. Please share your heart, your thoughts, and your faith.
Here's the link:
http://www.tofw.com/Many-
This week's post was also published in their newsletter as well! If you would like to sign up for their newsletter of fabulous messages to lift us all higher, this is their link:
Today, we finally unloaded our big moving truck. Several men from the area came to help us!
We were loading most of our stuff into a storage unit, and it took careful consideration to decide what would go in the far back. Some things we would need in the front, and some things were too fragile to be placed on the bottom. In order to fully asses the situation, our new-found friends/movers decided to take most of the boxes out of the truck.
I knew I would need to take those to another location to re-box them or dry them out. We had a ton of furniture and plastic bins which could be salvaged, but we couldn't put them into the storage unit while they were wet... not in Florida!! It would create instant mold through our whole unit.
The men asked if I knew where any towels were. I had no idea which box they would be in. There were boxes everywhere, and I mostly used the towels individually to pack fragile items more safely. "Did I even pack a box of towels?" I wondered.
I stood there for a moment looking at our drenched dressers, dining room table, and ping pong table. I needed a solution. Then, the thought came to me. "You believe I can do anything. You believe in miracles."
I immediately said a prayer. I hadn't prayed for the rain to stop. I prayed to find some towels, so we could clean up the damage from the rain. I ended my prayer and walked directly to a random box. I started opening it and saw a piece of a towel. "Could it be?" I wondered. "Oh my gosh I think it's a towel!" I exclaimed.
I ripped the rest of the tape off the box and found about 5 towels! I shouted, "I have towels everybody!"
I immediately thanked Heavenly Father for directing me so quickly to the towels, and we all got to work wiping the furniture down!
Here's the link:
http://www.tofw.com/Many-
This week's post was also published in their newsletter as well! If you would like to sign up for their newsletter of fabulous messages to lift us all higher, this is their link:
Today's Story: An Inconvenient Downpour!
We were loading most of our stuff into a storage unit, and it took careful consideration to decide what would go in the far back. Some things we would need in the front, and some things were too fragile to be placed on the bottom. In order to fully asses the situation, our new-found friends/movers decided to take most of the boxes out of the truck.
Without any warning at all... no dark clouds... nothing...
It was an instant downpour for about 10 minutes!! My babies squealed with excitement as water rushed out the gutter, and I squealed with panic!
All of us threw everything back into the truck and under the awning as fast as we could, but we were too late.
By the time the downpour stopped, a huge amount of our boxes, blankets, bean bags, and mattresses were soaked through.
I knew I would need to take those to another location to re-box them or dry them out. We had a ton of furniture and plastic bins which could be salvaged, but we couldn't put them into the storage unit while they were wet... not in Florida!! It would create instant mold through our whole unit.
The men asked if I knew where any towels were. I had no idea which box they would be in. There were boxes everywhere, and I mostly used the towels individually to pack fragile items more safely. "Did I even pack a box of towels?" I wondered.
I stood there for a moment looking at our drenched dressers, dining room table, and ping pong table. I needed a solution. Then, the thought came to me. "You believe I can do anything. You believe in miracles."
I immediately said a prayer. I hadn't prayed for the rain to stop. I prayed to find some towels, so we could clean up the damage from the rain. I ended my prayer and walked directly to a random box. I started opening it and saw a piece of a towel. "Could it be?" I wondered. "Oh my gosh I think it's a towel!" I exclaimed.
I ripped the rest of the tape off the box and found about 5 towels! I shouted, "I have towels everybody!"
I immediately thanked Heavenly Father for directing me so quickly to the towels, and we all got to work wiping the furniture down!
Abe and I will be drying out our boxes tomorrow. That's certainly NOT what we wanted to do all day, but we'll be alright. The kids promised to pray for Mommy and Daddy to have added strength to repack. Also, I KNOW God will bless us because God was in the details of the towels right at the moment we needed them. I'm grateful for that miracle, so I can move on to our next task with a happier heart. A happier heart lifts most any burden.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Our Crossing Guard
I homeschool my kids, but I am enrolling them in the public school for their elective courses like band, theater, robotics, etc.
My mother-in-law decided to become a crossing-guard this year before she knew we were coming to Florida. She has never done it before, but she decided she wanted to try it out. She started working at the middle school on Monday at the same school where they'll be attending! There is an elementary school closer to her house, but "by chance" she'll be right where my children will be.
I was concerned about driving 20 minutes there and back several times a day to pick up the children for their varied elective courses. Now she'll be giving them a ride for some of the classes because she works there. The children will have wonderful bonding time with their grandmother, and her presence alone will be a great comfort to them in a new place.
I thank God for arranging this wonderful opportunity before we even knew we would be living here! HE is amazing! Is there any question God is working in our lives? Nope! Not for me! HE is there, and I love HIM with all my heart.
My mother-in-law decided to become a crossing-guard this year before she knew we were coming to Florida. She has never done it before, but she decided she wanted to try it out. She started working at the middle school on Monday at the same school where they'll be attending! There is an elementary school closer to her house, but "by chance" she'll be right where my children will be.
I was concerned about driving 20 minutes there and back several times a day to pick up the children for their varied elective courses. Now she'll be giving them a ride for some of the classes because she works there. The children will have wonderful bonding time with their grandmother, and her presence alone will be a great comfort to them in a new place.
I thank God for arranging this wonderful opportunity before we even knew we would be living here! HE is amazing! Is there any question God is working in our lives? Nope! Not for me! HE is there, and I love HIM with all my heart.
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL CROSSING GUARD!!
WE LOVE YOU MOM!!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Top 10 Miracles of Our Move
#1: It was our last night packing before we would move to Florida, and I had just called Abe to tell him we were officially out of food. We would have to break down and spend the money we were trying to save to buy pizza for the family.
VERY shortly after, Abe received a text message from a friend saying, "We'll be there in a minute with pizza for dinner tonight!" What?? No way!! We were so happy! We all cheered with joy when they showed up.
#2: We had a broken window. Abe bought glass to replace the window, but the glass was an 1/8 of an inch too big. Abe struggled over an hour trying to fix the problem. I suggested he say a prayer about it.
He said the prayer; and five minutes later, our friends showed up from across town. The father makes his living doing construction! He fixed the window in no time at all.
#3: I had been quietly wishing for a Snickers the whole week. This was our last day of packing, so my need had reached its peak!
My sweet friend showed up with a HUGE bag of Snickers. It was just what I needed!
#4: We always go to Walmart before a big trip to buy treats for the kids. My kids had just asked if we were going to go the store this time. I explained to them that this time we were saving every penny we could.
A special friend of mine showed up at my house with special treat bags for every member of our family. Can you believe it?? This woman has 18 children for the summer, yet she followed the Spirit and served our family.
#5: I still had a gigantic list of things to accomplish. Even staying up all night, I doubted I would be able to accomplish it all.
These parents with 18 children sat at our table with all these treat bags and then said, "Alright! We're here to work!" She sent her kids off to work, and we had an immediate army taking down beds and tables and washing walls. I was in complete awe!! She had PLENTY of reason to NOT stay up late and help!! Her help was a miracle to our household!! They returned the next day with breakfast for our family as well.
#6: I wanted everything to be ready because we had LOTS of help coming right at 9am to load up the truck. Abe went to get the truck which he had reserved, and the company had overbooked it! We had no truck!! The only other option was to drive over an hour away to another location and pay an extra $200.00. I was so frustrated. We had worked hard to budget everything just right. We had to have a truck, so Abe went on his way to the other location. Mid-way, our original rental truck company found another truck for us and gave us a $200.00 discount from the original price because of our troubles.
The stress of not having a moving truck for a few hours saved us $200.00- which was what we needed to in order to rent an additional U-haul trailer because we ran out of space. That was a blessing in disguise!
#7: Abe scheduled the additional U-haul and asked all the necessary questions about the hitch. He went all the way to the rental company and discovered we needed to install special wiring to be able to take the trailer home. That location would be closed by the time we would return with the special wiring. We couldn't leave our stuff on the street all weekend- we felt stress rising again.
We finally found another location to get our additional trailer, AND our dear friend from down the street happened to have the right wiring. He even installed it!
#8: I was worried about my little babies while we loaded up the moving truck. They were running underneath heavy boxes and too close to our very busy street while we busily packed the truck.
Another dear friend showed up in the morning with donuts and milk and took my 4 youngest children to her house for the entire day!! She and her daughters played all day with them; I felt comforted knowing they were in safe hands.
#9: I had cleaned most of the house, but there were details that my brain (on only 45 minutes sleep) was honestly having a hard time sorting out.
Every time I went to do a chore, this beautiful family had already done it! Their pregnant daughter washed every window in my house! They even packed up my cooler of food. I don't know when they bought ice for it, but they included that in there as well!
#10: This was the first move we would not be able to buy pizza for all the help. We had made a giant bag of popcorn; but because of all our truck/trailer problems, this move was turning into a full day's job. I knew people were getting hungry, and I wondered what to do.
It was enough of a miracle that we even still had so many people helping for the ENTIRE day! Moments later, two men showed up with food. One bought pizza, and the other bought tacos. I couldn't believe they were buying food for OUR movers!! In addition to the pizza, several loving friends brought fresh fruit, donuts, and cookies!! Our sweet neighbor sent several bags of goodies to our house.
VERY shortly after, Abe received a text message from a friend saying, "We'll be there in a minute with pizza for dinner tonight!" What?? No way!! We were so happy! We all cheered with joy when they showed up.
#2: We had a broken window. Abe bought glass to replace the window, but the glass was an 1/8 of an inch too big. Abe struggled over an hour trying to fix the problem. I suggested he say a prayer about it.
He said the prayer; and five minutes later, our friends showed up from across town. The father makes his living doing construction! He fixed the window in no time at all.
#3: I had been quietly wishing for a Snickers the whole week. This was our last day of packing, so my need had reached its peak!
My sweet friend showed up with a HUGE bag of Snickers. It was just what I needed!
#4: We always go to Walmart before a big trip to buy treats for the kids. My kids had just asked if we were going to go the store this time. I explained to them that this time we were saving every penny we could.
A special friend of mine showed up at my house with special treat bags for every member of our family. Can you believe it?? This woman has 18 children for the summer, yet she followed the Spirit and served our family.
#5: I still had a gigantic list of things to accomplish. Even staying up all night, I doubted I would be able to accomplish it all.
These parents with 18 children sat at our table with all these treat bags and then said, "Alright! We're here to work!" She sent her kids off to work, and we had an immediate army taking down beds and tables and washing walls. I was in complete awe!! She had PLENTY of reason to NOT stay up late and help!! Her help was a miracle to our household!! They returned the next day with breakfast for our family as well.
#6: I wanted everything to be ready because we had LOTS of help coming right at 9am to load up the truck. Abe went to get the truck which he had reserved, and the company had overbooked it! We had no truck!! The only other option was to drive over an hour away to another location and pay an extra $200.00. I was so frustrated. We had worked hard to budget everything just right. We had to have a truck, so Abe went on his way to the other location. Mid-way, our original rental truck company found another truck for us and gave us a $200.00 discount from the original price because of our troubles.
The stress of not having a moving truck for a few hours saved us $200.00- which was what we needed to in order to rent an additional U-haul trailer because we ran out of space. That was a blessing in disguise!
#7: Abe scheduled the additional U-haul and asked all the necessary questions about the hitch. He went all the way to the rental company and discovered we needed to install special wiring to be able to take the trailer home. That location would be closed by the time we would return with the special wiring. We couldn't leave our stuff on the street all weekend- we felt stress rising again.
We finally found another location to get our additional trailer, AND our dear friend from down the street happened to have the right wiring. He even installed it!
#8: I was worried about my little babies while we loaded up the moving truck. They were running underneath heavy boxes and too close to our very busy street while we busily packed the truck.
Another dear friend showed up in the morning with donuts and milk and took my 4 youngest children to her house for the entire day!! She and her daughters played all day with them; I felt comforted knowing they were in safe hands.
#9: I had cleaned most of the house, but there were details that my brain (on only 45 minutes sleep) was honestly having a hard time sorting out.
Every time I went to do a chore, this beautiful family had already done it! Their pregnant daughter washed every window in my house! They even packed up my cooler of food. I don't know when they bought ice for it, but they included that in there as well!
#10: This was the first move we would not be able to buy pizza for all the help. We had made a giant bag of popcorn; but because of all our truck/trailer problems, this move was turning into a full day's job. I knew people were getting hungry, and I wondered what to do.
It was enough of a miracle that we even still had so many people helping for the ENTIRE day! Moments later, two men showed up with food. One bought pizza, and the other bought tacos. I couldn't believe they were buying food for OUR movers!! In addition to the pizza, several loving friends brought fresh fruit, donuts, and cookies!! Our sweet neighbor sent several bags of goodies to our house.
Last of All
Abe and I have been very humbled and deeply grateful for the numerous people who privately slipped us money to help us with gas and food for our move. One person tried to disguise it as a wad of money they found in one of our boxes because they knew we wouldn't have taken it otherwise. Another said they were merely early birthday gifts.
We wanted to solve our own problems without anyone's monetary help, but we soon discovered that God was moving them to serve us because we needed it. They kept saying they felt the Spirit tell them to do it.
I'm in tears right now pondering all the many miracles at the loving hands of the saints. I'm in tears knowing God loves us enough to give us what we need monetarily and spiritually even though we sometimes would rather be independent.
God is giving me deeply spiritual lessons through this process. I feel like I am learning a deeper empathy for others. I will better know how to serve others in a similar situation. I am seeing into the goodness of people's hearts. Oh my!! There are so many good people! I am learning how to be a better person!
I want to be better, and I thank God for the opportunities to grow!!
Abe has a job and will be starting it on August 27th! Abe can do anything!! He will do GREAT!! :-)
Monday, August 19, 2013
Strengthened
The day before we left Michigan for our big move, I looked around my house feeling overwhelmed wondering how we would finish it all. We still had so much to do. For my morning scripture study, everything I read had the same message: "Christ will strengthen you."
I knew I would need to be strengthened, but I had no idea the magnitude of the strength that would come. My heart is bursting with desire to put it all in writing- but we'll have to wait until we arrive in Florida.
We had a truck fiasco, so we had to leave a day later. I only slept 45 minutes Friday night. There were times I questioned if we were even supposed to go! I pushed those thoughts away; and as promised, God strengthened all of us involved beyond our physical and emotional capabilities.
We are currently in Knoxville, Tennessee with our fellow "Jericho Road" friend Bret Bryce, and we're moving forward to our new home: Florida!
I look forward to writing again tomorrow once we arrive!
As we travel, I can't stop thanking my Heavenly Father for the strength HE has delivered to our family.
I knew I would need to be strengthened, but I had no idea the magnitude of the strength that would come. My heart is bursting with desire to put it all in writing- but we'll have to wait until we arrive in Florida.
We had a truck fiasco, so we had to leave a day later. I only slept 45 minutes Friday night. There were times I questioned if we were even supposed to go! I pushed those thoughts away; and as promised, God strengthened all of us involved beyond our physical and emotional capabilities.
We are currently in Knoxville, Tennessee with our fellow "Jericho Road" friend Bret Bryce, and we're moving forward to our new home: Florida!
I look forward to writing again tomorrow once we arrive!
As we travel, I can't stop thanking my Heavenly Father for the strength HE has delivered to our family.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Our Destination Is...
Today is a special day!! "Time Out for Women" posted part 2 of my "Many Mighty Miracles" on their website entitled "As I Am."
I have included a never before heard song from Abe's proposal to me. I pray with all my heart you will feel the spirit of this message.
...and for those who have been anticipating information about our upcoming move, I have also included our new destination!! :-) I think you'll want to come visit us there!!
Please follow this link and share your experiences of acceptance and love!!
http://www.tofw.com/Many-
I have included a never before heard song from Abe's proposal to me. I pray with all my heart you will feel the spirit of this message.
...and for those who have been anticipating information about our upcoming move, I have also included our new destination!! :-) I think you'll want to come visit us there!!
Please follow this link and share your experiences of acceptance and love!!
http://www.tofw.com/Many-
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
I Love Police Officers
We are moving this Saturday across the country!!
With a big move comes a lot of expenses!!
Abe got a pricey traffic ticket recently to top it off. (My husband wears my sunglasses at times- don't laugh. :-) )
This morning he went to court to contest the ticket.
We said a lot of prayers that he would not have to pay it because we needed every penny we had!! We also rehearsed how to best explain the situation to the judge, and Abe showed up in a suit and tie to present himself properly.
While he was in court, I anxiously awaited Abe's phone call to find out the results.
I answered the phone, and Abe shouted, "I love police officers!!" He then began singing his favorite police song, "Bad Boys" from the TV show "Cops."
Apparently, Abe didn't have to say hardly a thing. The police officer actually defended Abe by explaining why he really shouldn't be charged the fine he himself had given him!
By law, the police officer had to write Abe that particular ticket. By kindness, the police officer chose to help us out. I know we won't get out of a traffic ticket every time we pray about it, but I can't tell you how much we needed that miracle this week. The fact that the police officer was the one defending him leads me to believe the Spirit must have touched this good man's heart.
I've said it before; I'll say it again: "Believe in the Goodness of Humanity!"
I thank God for this miracle today.
With a big move comes a lot of expenses!!
Abe got a pricey traffic ticket recently to top it off. (My husband wears my sunglasses at times- don't laugh. :-) )
This morning he went to court to contest the ticket.
We said a lot of prayers that he would not have to pay it because we needed every penny we had!! We also rehearsed how to best explain the situation to the judge, and Abe showed up in a suit and tie to present himself properly.
While he was in court, I anxiously awaited Abe's phone call to find out the results.
I answered the phone, and Abe shouted, "I love police officers!!" He then began singing his favorite police song, "Bad Boys" from the TV show "Cops."
Apparently, Abe didn't have to say hardly a thing. The police officer actually defended Abe by explaining why he really shouldn't be charged the fine he himself had given him!
By law, the police officer had to write Abe that particular ticket. By kindness, the police officer chose to help us out. I know we won't get out of a traffic ticket every time we pray about it, but I can't tell you how much we needed that miracle this week. The fact that the police officer was the one defending him leads me to believe the Spirit must have touched this good man's heart.
I've said it before; I'll say it again: "Believe in the Goodness of Humanity!"
I thank God for this miracle today.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Stop Panicking! :-)
As a young girl, I vividly remember sitting in the back of the van on the way home from church when my dad realized he had lost his huge ring of
keys. This ring of keys was extremely
important to him, and I could hear the stress in his voice. Once we arrived home, the whole
family searched in a panic for the keys. I remember seeing everybody running past me. They searched the van, the house, and everywhere else.
I was alone- quietly searching. I stopped and said a prayer asking God to guide
me to my daddy’s keys. I opened my eyes
and felt like I should return to the van to look for the keys. I knew everybody had already looked there, but I returned to the van anyway.
I walked straight to the front seat of the van and saw the keys sitting right in the middle of the front passenger seat. Everybody was shocked
because several of them had looked on that very seat.
Imprinted
on my mind was the knowledge that God loved me enough to listen to my prayer even though I was the youngest one in the home. Maybe it was easier for me to listen because I was the youngest one. I didn't quite understand the panic of those around me. Whatever the reason, I learned the one who is not panicking, is the one who can better listen. Now, as an adult I try to stop and listen. Sometimes it's hard to push away the panic long enough to let the Holy Ghost speak and guide, but that is the best way to hear such a soft prompting.
I thank God for the experiences of strength HE offers us.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Jefferson's Triathlon
My children are very physically active. Last summer they did two local triathlons and loved it!!
This summer, their plan was to do the same.
The 1st triathlon was in July at the YMCA, and they competed like champs!
The children try so hard to do their best. My favorite part is watching my kids' intense expressions on their faces. I truly love the excitement of competition... whether they win or lose!!
My children couldn't wait for their next triathlon on August 10th. They would actually swim in the lake. They competed in it last year, and I couldn't wait for it either. As the date got closer, we realized we wouldn't be able to register for the race for reasons beyond our control.
I broke the news to the children that we would have to wait for next year's triathlon. The children took it well, but I hated not being able to give them the opportunity. I hated missing the experience they had waited so long to be a part of!!
This experience was gone, but a much better blessing and experience came: an invitation to Jefferson's birthday party.
Jefferson has a disability which makes him incapable of walking or talking. He has the sweetest, most gentle, loving spirit. He would be turning 15, and this would be his 1st birthday party of his life.
Guess what Jefferson's mother decided to do for him on August 10th?
She planned a mini-triathlon for him!!
I couldn't believe it would be a triathlon of all the things! I knew the kids would be excited to still do a triathlon and to of course celebrate Jefferson's birthday.
When Jefferson was a young child, Abe's music (Jericho Road) was his favorite music. It calmed his little spirit and gave him great joy.
Abe felt honored for the opportunity to sing for Jefferson on his special day. Many of us cried with love for Jefferson's brave spirit as Abe sang these words:
...and just like any great birthday party, presents were next. His father held him tenderly while his dear mother opened the many gifts of love.
It was a sweet miracle to consider the timing that my children would still have the opportunity to do a triathlon on the very same day as the one they would be missing- August 10th!! However, the GREATER miracle rested in the fact that God turned one missed opportunity into an even richer, life changing opportunity. To race with Jefferson, the purest of souls, brought a greater love into all of our hearts.
No competition could have matched this day's experience. God wants us to experience the greatest of what HE has to offer. I'm sure the triathlon in the lake would have been fun, but a triathlon with Jefferson was life-changing. I should have known better than to feel discouraged about a missed experience for the children. God knows how to orchestrate the very best life experiences as long we trust in HIS process.
I will always cherish the look on my children's faces as they ran for a greater, more meaningful purpose... in celebration of Jefferson... who cannot run on his earthly legs.
We thank Jefferson and his family for allowing us to be a part of this very special day.
This summer, their plan was to do the same.
The 1st triathlon was in July at the YMCA, and they competed like champs!
The children try so hard to do their best. My favorite part is watching my kids' intense expressions on their faces. I truly love the excitement of competition... whether they win or lose!!
For their age categories: Mariah took 1st place overall, Jordan took 2nd place overall, Tyson took 3rd place for 9 year old boys, and Jackson took 4th place overall!!
My children couldn't wait for their next triathlon on August 10th. They would actually swim in the lake. They competed in it last year, and I couldn't wait for it either. As the date got closer, we realized we wouldn't be able to register for the race for reasons beyond our control.
I broke the news to the children that we would have to wait for next year's triathlon. The children took it well, but I hated not being able to give them the opportunity. I hated missing the experience they had waited so long to be a part of!!
This experience was gone, but a much better blessing and experience came: an invitation to Jefferson's birthday party.
The date of the party? August 10th- the same day as the missed triathlon.
Guess what Jefferson's mother decided to do for him on August 10th?
She planned a mini-triathlon for him!!
I couldn't believe it would be a triathlon of all the things! I knew the kids would be excited to still do a triathlon and to of course celebrate Jefferson's birthday.
When Jefferson was a young child, Abe's music (Jericho Road) was his favorite music. It calmed his little spirit and gave him great joy.
Abe felt honored for the opportunity to sing for Jefferson on his special day. Many of us cried with love for Jefferson's brave spirit as Abe sang these words:
"If you don't walk as most people do, some people walk away from you,
But I won't, I won't!
If you don't talk as most people do, some people talk and laugh at you,
But I won't, I won't!
I'll walk with you,
I'll talk with you,
That's how I'll show my LOVE to you!"
~LDS Children's Song Book (See John 13:15)
After he finished singing several songs, Abe reached down and tenderly hugged Jefferson. As I pondered on the words of each song, I felt an overwhelming, deeper love and understanding for this little boy's mission in his life. I think we all wanted to wrap our arms around sweet Jefferson too.
We all treasured the moment, and then prepared for the race to begin!! Jefferson was strapped into his new, birthday cart!!
The children were definitely ready!
Even several adults ran and walked in honor of Jefferson!
Jefferson's parents touch my heart. They know with every part of their being that Jefferson is a treasure. They have sacrificed much over the years, but their faces and actions portray a deep joy, admiration, and adoration for their heavenly child. There was no greater love and no greater cheers of love than for this magnificent father-son duo.
Biking was next!! It was a beautiful sight to watch sweet Jefferson ride freely behind his father's bike for the first time in his life.
Swimming was not necessary for Jefferson- the other kids did that portion for him. :-)
...and just like any great birthday party, presents were next. His father held him tenderly while his dear mother opened the many gifts of love.
It was a sweet miracle to consider the timing that my children would still have the opportunity to do a triathlon on the very same day as the one they would be missing- August 10th!! However, the GREATER miracle rested in the fact that God turned one missed opportunity into an even richer, life changing opportunity. To race with Jefferson, the purest of souls, brought a greater love into all of our hearts.
No competition could have matched this day's experience. God wants us to experience the greatest of what HE has to offer. I'm sure the triathlon in the lake would have been fun, but a triathlon with Jefferson was life-changing. I should have known better than to feel discouraged about a missed experience for the children. God knows how to orchestrate the very best life experiences as long we trust in HIS process.
I will always cherish the look on my children's faces as they ran for a greater, more meaningful purpose... in celebration of Jefferson... who cannot run on his earthly legs.
We thank Jefferson and his family for allowing us to be a part of this very special day.
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