thehereandafter

Today is Friday, the day I will go to the grocery store. I haven't been grocery shopping all week long. Believe me withdrawal is hard! We live in a small town and to grocery shop we have only have two choices... yes, there are still things that give you limited choices even in this day and age...Wal-Mart superstore and our friendly Bi-Lo store. My husband and I will go grocery shopping together. We have been doing it that way for as long as we have been married. During the first twenty some years it worked out that way because he was a fireman and worked twenty- four hour shifts. He would take us all to the grocery store and push the children around in the buggy(showing off the little ones), or just keep them occupied (pride fully accepting all compliments given him by all the ladies in the store who thought this was such a sweet thing). This gave him time with the children and he also felt like he was helping me since he was gone so much. Remember we are a family of traditions a...

Risen Lord, In you I find my joy. In the brilliance of the summer sun, in the tinkle of a soft steady rain, in the determination of a tiny humming bird sipping nectar, in the complexity, yet simplicity, of the sunflowers smiling at the warm summer days... as Creator and Master you have shown me JOY in the simple moments of each and every day! Your JOY has filled me to overflowing. You gave me life and filled that life with dedicated, loving parents who have trained me in the way I should go...inherited JOY. You have given me a brother and sisters that love me and have been on your journey for me from my beginnings...abundant JOY. In my adult life you have blessed me with a committed, loving husband and two wonderful, God following children that have given me JOY and love that knows no bounds...boundless JOY. You have given me a love and appreciation for all the little things in life...simple JOY. But most of all you gave me the cross, the redemption for all my sins and, in turn, the w...

This is how the first day of school went....Mommy (that's me ), arose around 5:30 a.m. Great, I have enough time to dress and apply some make-up. I briskly applied my make-up, tousled my hair and dressed in a red and white checked sundress. I chose the red and white dress with the thought that it had a rather cheerful and celebratory look to it. The next item on my list was to make my bed, which I did in record time. Wow, are we on track, make-up, hair, dressed, and bed made and right on time! Thank you Lord for making my arms long enough to reach over my shoulder so I can pat myself on the back. Then it was off to wake the children. We had picked out the appropriate clothes last night and left them hanging on the doors of their rooms. That decision was already taken care of. As I woke the children up, I gave them instructions to dress and then meet me in the kitchen with their book bags, which were also packed with the school assigned items of glittered pencils, paper, glue stick...

All my adult life I have loved mornings. To me they have always symbolized a fresh start, a new beginning, a clean slate. In the here , I usually jump out of bed, fairly early, and a little voice inside me proclaims that this day will be the BEST EVER! Well, "the leaf doesn't fall far from the tree"....or if you prefer…"the hen doesn't sit far from her chicks"...or .."the bee doesn't buzz far from the honey"...what in the world am I talking about?! Let's try this again....My children, after every Christmas, every vacation, every birthday, have proclaimed to me that this is the BEST EVER! We, as a family have taken some pretty great vacations, the family trip to western Canada, when we went to a family reunion with their grandparents, all their aunts and uncles and cousins. That was their first time flying and it was an awesome trip all the way around. There was also the missions trip to Mexico and the trip to Haiti. These, of course stand...

Just thought all of you might enjoy a little food for thought… Once upon a time, in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat, contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle. The frog hopped into the princess' lap and said: Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marry and setup housekeeping in your castle with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so. That night, as the princess dined sumptuously on a repast of lightly sautéed frog legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she chuckled and though to herself: I don't freaking think so! (Remember I have nothing against men..this was passe...

How many of you love projects?! I must admit I do. I have the ability to take the smallest job and somehow, somewhere, during the process, it steamrolls into an all -out major project. I come by it honestly though. My parents, my brother, my sisters...they are all project maniacs (I say this lovingly and respectfully guys). The difference between them and me is that they have yet to face their mania...they are still in the denial stage. I broke out of that stage sometime ago, but have not yet progressed to any other level of recovery. Let me give you a little better picture of this monster. It starts with little things...my parents are going on a trip and because they are great parents and we are wonderful children (had to add that), we want to know where to find them during their month out of the country. Hence, comes the mini project ...every mania starts small...they print out their full flight itinerary, then add all the telephone numbers of everyone they might be with. Then the...

I don't know about you but I have always loved things in life to be BIG! When I was a child I wanted the BIG present under the tree, when I went to school I wanted a BIG pencil box. As a teenager, when my boyfriend, later to be known as my BIG husband (6'3", 230 lbs), took me to Hardees for lunch I always ordered the BIG deluxe hamburger. And the trend continued...I had two BIG babies, one ten pounder and one eleven pounder ( I know this makes them kind of sound like Thanksgiving turkeys but I mean no disrespect they were both beautiful babies, just BIG) and drove a wonderful Big suburban. BIG seemed to be the way to go, but not just with tangible items....even with experiences. As a child, my family traveled a lot, not just to places within the U.S. but all over the world. I was fortunate to see places and cultures that a lot of people live their whole lives and do not get to experience. It wasn't just the places, it was the BIG way my parents delivered the experien...

Today is not a day to ponder change or the here and after . Today is a day for thankfulness, not that you should be thankful just now and again, but some days I think we feel it more than others. Today I feel that joy that does not just bubble inside of you, but that overflows...you look at the most insignificant thing and it makes you giggle, you walk around the house by yourself and when you pass a mirror you see yourself smiling, every thought reminds you of how blessed you are, and your love for the Lord feels deep and strong. So, just like everyday I will express my thoughts to Him but today it will not be anything but deep and sincere thanks. Lord. thank you for bringing my mom, dad, and sister back from Canada. Thank you for my parents who have given me an on earth image of you. When I look to my mom and dad and see the love, caring, forgiveness, and Christian example they extend to me, it helps me understand the depth and pureness of your love and forgiveness, of your caring...