Daughter/Dad Moments

Last weekend I was writing about moments with my daughter. This weekend I'm writing about moments with my dad! There is a saying that comes to mind a lot when I am with my dad, and I recall even buying him a plaque when I was young that said it too, and that is, "Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad." My dad is very special. He's always putting others before himself, and so when I get the chance to do something special for him I enjoy it.

On Monday my dad had knee replacement surgery. This makes the second time in just a few months that I've had the opportunity to help take care of him (first one being when he had Malaria back a few months ago), and I count it a blessing. It's not every day that I get to do pour blessings of care upon my dad.

On Tuesday it was difficult to watch him be in pain. I knew the pain was so much more greater than he was letting on, and I finally told him he needed to make a little more noise since the nurses weren't the best at taking care of him. In fact, it even scared me to leave him alone. They'd step on his toes, move his leg way too fast, and all the while he'd just bite his bottom lip and grunt a little.

Last night he came home from the hospital and today is doing unbelievably well. We woke up to an absolutely beautiful day and this afternoon took a walk outside and rode his golf cart around a little. We laughed as we saw his neighbors coming down the road because he had made the comment that people would think he was weird if they saw him in his white tights (he has to wear them to guard against blood clots). The men were looking at his leg so I decided I'd just let them in on the news that he had knee replacement surgery on Monday. Of course, then they were in shock that he was out and it was just Saturday. God's healing power is amazing!

My dad worries that he is being a burden. I've not once thought of it that way. I'd say it's a blessing. Blessings come in many different packages, but the ones I love the most are those that involve people! My dad is very special to me and I am so glad I've had this time with him.

Mother/Daughter Moments

This weekend my daughter and I were blessed by my mother-in-law with tickets to the Revolve Tour and a night away in a fancy hotel. It wasn't that the tour was so great, but more about the time we got to spend together alone, even in the midst of thousands of girls.

There was a particular break where I can't even explain it completely, but God just touched both our hearts at the same moment and, with tears streaming down our face, we just reached over and held each other. It was as though our hearts were full of love for each other and God just wanted us both to express it in that moment. I realize that my little girl has grown up and soon will be on her own and I feel so much joy for the lady she has become.

Twice during the tour they asked who came with a friend, and we both yelled out without a second thought. Though I take my responsibility of being mom very seriously, and know the importance of being a mom and not just a friend, I felt blessed to know she considers me her friend.

We laughed, we cried, we talked about her future, we shared our hearts with each other, we loved on each other, we sang together, we had fun together, and so much more... It was wonderful!

What if you were standing before God?

Maybe you don't believe there is a God, and maybe you don't believe in heaven or hell. What if you're wrong? What if you died today and you were standing before God and he asked you, "Why should I let you into heaven?" What do you think you would say? ...I've lived a pretty good life...I never killed anyone...I go to church?

Jesus said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."The bible tells us how we can know that we will one day be in heaven with Jesus! Do you want to know more?

Romans 10:9 says that if we confess with our mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, we will be saved! Romans 10: 10 says, "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Knowing of God and believing in Him are not the same! You must believe...yes, that takes faith. I know...we can't see God, but we can't see the wind either, yet we know it's there, right?

My prayer for you is that you sense God calling you to Himself and that you will take that step of faith right now! It's as easy as learning you ABC's. 1) Admit that you are a sinner - we've all sinned...ever told a lie? Then you've sinned and the bible tells us that if we break even one part of the law we are guilty of breaking the whole thing! 2) Believe - Jesus Christ came to earth, lived a perfect life, died (for your sin and mine) and rose again on the third day! And 3) Confess that you are a sinner in need of a Savior, confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Tell God how you feel right now and give him the opportunity to change your life. Ask Him to take control of your life.

Do you know that if you asked Jesus into your heart then you are a new creation! The bible tells us that the old is gone and behold all things are new! Isn't that great news!

Now, if you've gotten this far and would like some help in your new found faith, send me a comment and I'll be glad to help!

A MeMe

I was tagged by Paulette to write the first thing that came to mind with the words below:

1. Cherish

I cherish my relationship with the Lord, my husband, my kids and my family. They mean the world to me!

2. Laughter

I thought about true laughter, the kind that makes it hard to breathe and your stomach hurt...my last golf cart ride through the woods (the story can be read on a blog below).

3. Praise

Praise the Lord! He is good! His love endures forever! I can't imagine what my life would be like without the Lord. I love to praise Him with singing.

4.Thanksgiving

A time to thank the Lord for all he's done for us. A time to spend with my family. A time for my husband to hunt and spend time with his family and our oldest son (one of those areas where not everyone understands why I would be okay with this, but a time I know is special for them and perfectly fine with me! For all those ladies out there that never let your husband do something he loves to do without giving him a hard time - give it up! You'll be blessed for not being a nagging wife!!)

When all you can do is laugh, LAUGH!

Yesterday, my sister-in-law (Charlotte), Paulette (who most of you who read my blog know) and I went on a ride on the golf cart because Paulette wanted to. There we were, riding along, talking about how relaxing and nice the ride was, when I said, "Hey! Let's take this dirt road." So, we did!

To make a really long story short, we ended up LOST in the woods (on about 15 acres), making our own trails, trying anything and everything to make it back before dark. We laughed, and laughed and laughed. It was so much fun! I have not laughed that hard in a long time. I hope we didn't mess up my dad's golf cart...I know we knocked down a few small trees (carrying a few back with us)...oops! Unfortunately, Paulette and Charlotte had to walk quite a ways when we hit the hills because I was the only one brave enough to go up those steep things (hahaha), not really...

We scared my mom when we didn't come back for such a long time, so she came yelling. We could hear her, but before I could stop Paulette she started screaming "HELP US!" That's all my mom heard so, as the grandkids put it, "she was panicking!" She'd say she wasn't, but if you saw what we saw as we came out of the woods (YES! We found our way back all on our own!) you'd believe the grandkids over granny...EVERYONE in the family was piled in the surburban to come find us!!! I'm still laughing...

Thanks for the laughs, girls!