Today, we put one of our pets down. His name was Paco. He was a black lab/chow. His temperament was kind of like Eyore. He was gentle and content. His fur was always unmanageable. I would brush and brush him, but to no avail. God gives us our animals to teach us how to love. They are helpless. They depend on us for food, shelter, and love.
Paco will be missed. He seemed to go downhill after we put Hope down about a month ago. She was in congestive heart failure. Paco loved her. Hope couldn't bark, so when she wanted to come in the house, Paco would bark to let us know that she wanted to come in. Somehow he found purpose in her weakness. His back hips were the major problem. He had a hard time just standing up. For the last two weeks of his life, I cooked liver for him when I came home from work. He seemed to happy to see me (probably because he knew his cooked meal was coming).
He was born in Highland, CA. Someone left a box of puppies on the playground at Thompson School many years ago (15 I believe). My son, Chris, was helping Robert Mercado (who was then the custodian) during the summer. Chris brought a small black fluff ball of a puppy and said, "Mom, can we keep him?" Of course we kept him. Who could say no to such a cute puppy? Not me. We had a dalmatian, Prancer, at home. He was a puppy also. We thought he could use a friend. And best friends they became. They were inseparable. Two peas in a pod. In 2012, we had to put Prancer down as he had some type of inflammation in his intestines.
Sometimes I feel sad that he lived outdoors most of his life. The reason for this was that he was not housebroken. I know my thoughts are a little scattered right now, but just wanted to share something about our dog, Paco, today.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Friday, October 10, 2014
Tend the People in Your Garden
Friends and Family,
Sometimes you just have to think. We all have people in our lives who have loved us. They are not perfect, but they love us - parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends. But have we truly loved them?
I look in my own life. My parents divorced and that was difficult. But they always remembered my children's birthdays and holidays. They sent cards with gifts and put a smile on those faces. On the other hand, I (as a grandma) am less consistent with sending cards. Most of my grandchildren live far away. Family splits have taken place and it is very difficult to stay connected. And yet, I do love them. But do they know it? And if my provision of monetary gifts is the only way that they will know me, is that the way that it should be? I don't think so. Relationships must be more than cards and gifts, but I guess that is at least a way to say "I care."
Let's look at my parents - Years and years of sending cards to grandchildren who barely acknowledge them in any way. My mother has Parkinson's disease. Is there not anyone to send her a card or call her? Do they even so much as know when her birthday is? I doubt it. My dad is 83 and still tries to be there for them all. Do any of his grandchildren even call to check up on him and see if he is ok? Do they tell him that they love him? Do they know his birthday?
These are very difficult issues to think through. All but one of my children are adults. Maybe I failed in some kind of way just trying to make it through each day. Maybe we don't stop and smell the roses as much as we should. God has put people in our lives for a season and we really need to cherish them more than the mundane routines that we find ourselves in on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis.
So, if you are reading this and it has touched your heart, give that person a call or send them a card. You know who they are as the Lord has showed you. I hope this helps someone's relationship.
Sometimes you just have to think. We all have people in our lives who have loved us. They are not perfect, but they love us - parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends. But have we truly loved them?
I look in my own life. My parents divorced and that was difficult. But they always remembered my children's birthdays and holidays. They sent cards with gifts and put a smile on those faces. On the other hand, I (as a grandma) am less consistent with sending cards. Most of my grandchildren live far away. Family splits have taken place and it is very difficult to stay connected. And yet, I do love them. But do they know it? And if my provision of monetary gifts is the only way that they will know me, is that the way that it should be? I don't think so. Relationships must be more than cards and gifts, but I guess that is at least a way to say "I care."
Let's look at my parents - Years and years of sending cards to grandchildren who barely acknowledge them in any way. My mother has Parkinson's disease. Is there not anyone to send her a card or call her? Do they even so much as know when her birthday is? I doubt it. My dad is 83 and still tries to be there for them all. Do any of his grandchildren even call to check up on him and see if he is ok? Do they tell him that they love him? Do they know his birthday?
These are very difficult issues to think through. All but one of my children are adults. Maybe I failed in some kind of way just trying to make it through each day. Maybe we don't stop and smell the roses as much as we should. God has put people in our lives for a season and we really need to cherish them more than the mundane routines that we find ourselves in on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis.
So, if you are reading this and it has touched your heart, give that person a call or send them a card. You know who they are as the Lord has showed you. I hope this helps someone's relationship.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
My Journey this Week
You know we all have to take the good and the bad in life. God never promised us the road would be smooth, but He promised us that He would be there with us. His presence means more to me now than earlier in my walk with Him. Last Saturday night we started on the Worship Team at our Church. There is nothing that I love more than worshiping my God and King. He is my life.
Always when you walk with the Lord and serve him in any type of ministry, you make the enemy angry. The Word of God says that in the end times, Ha satan would "wear out the saints." Nothing comes into our lives unless the Father Yahweh authorizes it. He has the final say.
My brother is presently in jail awaiting court on Tuesday. This has put a tremendous amount of stress on my 83 year old Dad. On Thursday, after taking my daughter to school, I found my "feathered friend Gary" (parrot) dead in his cage. We have had him for 15 years. His previous owner had died, and that is how we got him. He has always been affectionate to me, but hated everyone else. I will miss him, but he was very noisy with all of his squaking, It seems that squaking isn't a word, but that is how I describe the noise that he made. In a couple of weeks, I have to have a tooth pulled and an implant done. This is very emotional for me as I have never walked this path. However, I am very thankful that my daughter works at the University and will be there. On Friday, I went to a co-worker's husband's funeral. It was very sad.
Enough focus on the bad. The best part of the week was singing praises to the Lord on Worship Team today. It brings me great joy to be able to lead others into the presence of the Living God, and that will be where I will concentrate. Even though the valleys in your life may be deep - His love endures forever. He is coming soon - Maranatha!
Always when you walk with the Lord and serve him in any type of ministry, you make the enemy angry. The Word of God says that in the end times, Ha satan would "wear out the saints." Nothing comes into our lives unless the Father Yahweh authorizes it. He has the final say.
My brother is presently in jail awaiting court on Tuesday. This has put a tremendous amount of stress on my 83 year old Dad. On Thursday, after taking my daughter to school, I found my "feathered friend Gary" (parrot) dead in his cage. We have had him for 15 years. His previous owner had died, and that is how we got him. He has always been affectionate to me, but hated everyone else. I will miss him, but he was very noisy with all of his squaking, It seems that squaking isn't a word, but that is how I describe the noise that he made. In a couple of weeks, I have to have a tooth pulled and an implant done. This is very emotional for me as I have never walked this path. However, I am very thankful that my daughter works at the University and will be there. On Friday, I went to a co-worker's husband's funeral. It was very sad.
Enough focus on the bad. The best part of the week was singing praises to the Lord on Worship Team today. It brings me great joy to be able to lead others into the presence of the Living God, and that will be where I will concentrate. Even though the valleys in your life may be deep - His love endures forever. He is coming soon - Maranatha!
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Back to School
In the summer month of August
In sunny Southern California
When children ought to be having fun
with life full of singing and swimming
the school year begins
It seems as if things are so different
than when we were growing up
A child lived most of their leisure time
outside playing and interacting with other children.
Now they play lots of computer games
and their social interactions seem to be waning.
We wonder why they are overweight
Could it be that they sit and wait
Wait for their parents to come home from work
Daring not to do anything that might cause them
to exert
Lord, help our kids as they return to school
to be able to focus in the classroom
and learn, learn, learn
Their futures are so bright if only they could see
As the teachers teach them with patience and understanding
and lead them by imparting knowledge that is key
to making them into the successful adults of tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
My daughter's essay on Bullying - By Rebekah Shaughnessy
It is proven that there are 3.2 million students in the
world that are bullied each year. Bullying is a very big problem now days, and
is overlooked by many people around the world. Bullying isn’t always physical;
it could be verbal harassment too. Verbal harassment is one of the main types
of bullying with today’s high school students. Every year it is getting worse,
and more and more students are starting to think it is okay. Our kids need to
start taking a stand against bullying and help to control what is happening
around them. I think that if enough people started working together to stop it,
it can end once and for all.
The act of bullying is very unnecessary. It usually tends
to occur when the offender is having problems in their own life and needs some
way to let it escape, or if they think that bullying will make them “cool”.
While they do that, it is causing innocent people to feel horrible. The phrase
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” isn’t the
truth. Words can be extremely harmful. Being bullied is very traumatizing for
the victim, and most of the time it will make them feel like they are worth
nothing and that there is no one there to help them. There is about 4,400 children
that die from bullying each year because they don’t speak up. The bully makes
the victim feel weak, like they can’t even stand up for themselves. Eventually
the victim will start believing that they aren’t worth it and they will stay silent.
It is proven that children that are bullied before ninth grade end up taking a
part in some type of crime by the age of 24. Bullying can also cause health
problems such as depression, and also low self-esteem. It seems like in the
future, bullying is only going to get worse. Not enough people are trying to
stop it. The number of kids dying because of being bullied is only going to
increase within the next 10 years and that will also lead to more crime in the
world.
One of the many solutions that people around the world
believe can stop bullying is to increase supervision in schools. Many acts of
bullying take place when no adults are around and it is a more one on one
thing. If there was more supervision in schools it would lower the chances of
it happening. Teachers need to start distinctly looking for kids that are
taking place in bullying; they could stop it before it even starts. Although
this is a great idea, there are also a few disadvantages. Not all bullying is
going to take place at school, it can also take place off campus or it can even
turn into cyber bullying, which happens on the internet. There are also not
enough teachers in schools to be able to supervise everyone that gets bullied,
some people will get missed and the bullying will still continue. There are
many different ways to at least improve the situation a little bit.
A solution that I think will help the situation is to
start anti-bullying clubs at every school. The club can be a happy environment
where kids can go and get help if they are being bullied. The club can be
students that have been through the experience of being bullied and can help
more personally then a teacher would have been able to. Also, if it is students
that are operating the program they would be able to notice a lot more bullying
because they will be with all of the kids during class, and even outside of
school, so they can see what is going on. Everyone has been bullied at some
point in their lives so there are many people that could join the club. I think
this idea should be brought up in many schools, starting in the high desert.
Every school in the high desert has some type of bullying taking place every
day. If we start these clubs, bullying can be minimized and the schools will
have a more welcoming atmosphere. It’s a great way to stop bullying.
I want to be the beginning of the end of bullying. It has
to start somewhere, and that somewhere can be at encore. I personally think it
would be a great idea to start a club for kids that are bullied. It can be a
safe place where no one will feel judged about anything, and kids can even go
to vent about a situation that is bothering them. If this plan worked, every
school in America could have anti-bullying clubs and there would be a lot more
control over bullying. Bullying needs to come to an end before it gets worse
and we lose more lives. The world would be a lot happier place if bullying were
non-existent.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Our Wilderness Experience
I haven't written a post in quite a while, probably because our lives have been a bit unsettled. We started to attend a new church in Victorville. For some reason, I was unsettled there. The lighting was dim and there are no windows there. I tend toward not liking closed-in places. The pastor and his wife are wonderful people. Part of our reason for not continuing to attend may have been because of our attending our old church for over 18 years. You grow attached to people when you fellowship and worship with them each week.
So, then we went to another church for the past three weeks. We have tried, but don't think it is home for us either. It is a larger church than we are used to. We attended the sunrise service there for Resurrection Sunday this morning. Some of the things that were presented seemed to be a bit off to me. So my husband and I came home and chewed on it for a while. We both agreed that some of what was shared didn't seem scriptural to us. The pastor said that Jesus was put on the cross by Satan. I don't think that is the case. If the old testament had so many references to Messiah coming and dying, was that not Yahweh's plan for our salvation? Also, the church places alot of emphasis on "the pre-tribulation rapture." I know that in the case of Noah, God removed his people before the flood. And we all need to be ready to go at any time. But I think there is too much emphasis on "the rapture." For goodness sakes, maybe we should be ready to withstand some persecution should this not happen before the tribulation. Just like they are encouraging people to be spiritually ready because we are expected to be taken out, I think we should be getting ready to withstand some times of trouble. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.
Then we went to the 9:45 a.m service at The Gathering Place (our old church that we left 6 weeks ago). We were greeted with such love from everyone there. The crowd was small, but it felt good to be home. When asked if we were settled yet in a church, we had to admit that we feel like we are going through a wilderness experience. So many emotions have been surfacing for me lately. Please pray for God's direction in our lives. We will be in prayer also, Friends.
So, then we went to another church for the past three weeks. We have tried, but don't think it is home for us either. It is a larger church than we are used to. We attended the sunrise service there for Resurrection Sunday this morning. Some of the things that were presented seemed to be a bit off to me. So my husband and I came home and chewed on it for a while. We both agreed that some of what was shared didn't seem scriptural to us. The pastor said that Jesus was put on the cross by Satan. I don't think that is the case. If the old testament had so many references to Messiah coming and dying, was that not Yahweh's plan for our salvation? Also, the church places alot of emphasis on "the pre-tribulation rapture." I know that in the case of Noah, God removed his people before the flood. And we all need to be ready to go at any time. But I think there is too much emphasis on "the rapture." For goodness sakes, maybe we should be ready to withstand some persecution should this not happen before the tribulation. Just like they are encouraging people to be spiritually ready because we are expected to be taken out, I think we should be getting ready to withstand some times of trouble. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.
Then we went to the 9:45 a.m service at The Gathering Place (our old church that we left 6 weeks ago). We were greeted with such love from everyone there. The crowd was small, but it felt good to be home. When asked if we were settled yet in a church, we had to admit that we feel like we are going through a wilderness experience. So many emotions have been surfacing for me lately. Please pray for God's direction in our lives. We will be in prayer also, Friends.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Our First Day at Our New Church
Today was our first day at Horizon Church in Victorville. I am still going through separation anxiety from leaving The Gathering Place. I watched a few minutes of worship on Ustream from TGP before going to service. It is very difficult to go to a new church. I know it takes time to find out where we fit in, but initially it is an uncomfortable feeling.
Pastor Larry White and the worship team were very good. Songs were sung, praises were lifted high, and we entered into the very presence of Yahweh. He is so good to us! Without His presence, life is not worth living here. He is the reason for life!!
The sermon was about the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Pastor Larry drove home the fact that the sword was a small sword (not big like I had always pictured) which was used as an offensive weapon with absolute pinpoint accuracy. The Word of God must not be used in a sloppy way. It is to kick the enemy's tail.
He shared how the Word of God is infallible and is God's manual to us. Through the Holy Spirit, we are able to experience God through His Word. He gave us three truths about the Word of God.
1. God's Word strengthens (nourishes) us. Psalm 19:7-14
2. His Word guides us. It is a moral compass for our lives. Psalm 119:105
3. God's Word empowers us. Hebrews 4:12
One more important thing (perhaps the most important point that he made) is that we must be obedient to what the Word says. When we read or hear the Word, it will only be effective if we obey. May the Lord bless you as you walk in the Spirit and be obedient to the Word of God!
Pastor Larry White and the worship team were very good. Songs were sung, praises were lifted high, and we entered into the very presence of Yahweh. He is so good to us! Without His presence, life is not worth living here. He is the reason for life!!
The sermon was about the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Pastor Larry drove home the fact that the sword was a small sword (not big like I had always pictured) which was used as an offensive weapon with absolute pinpoint accuracy. The Word of God must not be used in a sloppy way. It is to kick the enemy's tail.
He shared how the Word of God is infallible and is God's manual to us. Through the Holy Spirit, we are able to experience God through His Word. He gave us three truths about the Word of God.
1. God's Word strengthens (nourishes) us. Psalm 19:7-14
2. His Word guides us. It is a moral compass for our lives. Psalm 119:105
3. God's Word empowers us. Hebrews 4:12
One more important thing (perhaps the most important point that he made) is that we must be obedient to what the Word says. When we read or hear the Word, it will only be effective if we obey. May the Lord bless you as you walk in the Spirit and be obedient to the Word of God!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
The Gathering Place
Saying goodbye is not an area in my life that is comfortable for me. This Sunday my family will be saying "goodbye" to our church family at The Gathering Place in San Bernardino. I have attended church at TGP since July 1995. I wouldn't have known what to do at that point in my life without Pastor Larry and Sue Lee. They helped my family (5 kids and me) through the loss of my first husband, Steve. God puts people in your life at just the right time. TGP became my family's home and the love of God was poured out on our lives. It was there that love grew and the Lord brought my husband, Pat and I together.
Pat had gone through divorce and I was a widow. Funny how the Lord works - he brought two hurting people together, first as friends and then as a couple. My life was never the same. Pat and I married and had our daughter, Rebekah in 1997. She has always been such a blessing to our lives. At The Gathering Place, Rebekah grew up and is now 16 years old. The fellowship that our family had for so many years has been very rich. People have come and gone. 18 years is a long time.
When we first started there, there were two kids that we took under wing. They may have watched our love grow a little two closely and perhaps it did rub off on them a bit. Eric and Qi had their first child, Isaiah, just 22 days after Rebekah was born. Also born in October of that year was Hannah. Mike and Gloria were very good friends to Pat and I. We laughed alot with them. Then there were so many others that deeply touched our lives also. I would like to mention a few. Dave and Cyndi, Logan and Gabe; Gina, Nathan, Alona, and Ziann; Ed and Cathy; Mike and Rocio; Don and Maria; Mark, Tiffany; Gene and Lori; Patty and Bud; Rod and Carol; Erika, Toby, Lizzy and the boys; Tracy; Monique, Yaseer and their family; Suzanna and Leo; Lindi, Ashley, Desiree, Zachary; Pastor Tim, Georgeann, Sarah Grace, TK; Duncan; Mama Nancy; Bonnie, Bernice; Greg and Tammy; Larry & Bonnie Reeder; Tony and Dixie; Millie; Yvonne & Larry; Tammi, Tatum, Tyler; and the list goes on and on. I know I have skipped some important people, but it is late right now.
One thing I will always remember is that our pastor prays for everyone in the church. The 5:30 a.m. prayer times on Mondays and Fridays show the dedication of a pastor who loves the people he shepherds and the city where he lives. Pastor Larry is dedicated to the people at TGP and the people in the city of San Bernardino. He travails in the Spirit and does not give up. He is not afraid to share his life experiences to help someone to know the Lord.
It has been the highlight of my life for the past 16+ years to be part of the worship team at TGP. When I first started on the team, I was scared to death of being in front of anyone much less singing. Thank you to everyone who is on the team for blessing me with this opportunity. I will miss singing praises and worshiping the King of Kings and Lord of Lords with you. Qi, I will especially miss you. You have taught me so much. I love you my sweet little sister. May the Lord continue to bless everyone and may he bring new life onto the team.
In case anyone is wondering why we are leaving. It has been six years since we moved to Victorville. We commute 70 miles every day to work and also to church on Sunday. We have attended services at Horizon Church (Foursquare also) in Victorville on occasion, and a few years back Pat committed to a Pastor's In Training program there. We believe that we could be more involved in the community where we live if we attend church locally. We don't really have any friends where we live, they are all down the hill. As much as we love our church family, we believe the Lord has a mission for us here.
When we turned the calendar to February, the scripture on it said "You shall go out with joy and be led back in peace." Amazing that Yahweh would speak to us even through a calendar. We are excited to move on to the next phase of our journey and ask that you would please pray for us.
All my love, Stephanie
Pat had gone through divorce and I was a widow. Funny how the Lord works - he brought two hurting people together, first as friends and then as a couple. My life was never the same. Pat and I married and had our daughter, Rebekah in 1997. She has always been such a blessing to our lives. At The Gathering Place, Rebekah grew up and is now 16 years old. The fellowship that our family had for so many years has been very rich. People have come and gone. 18 years is a long time.
When we first started there, there were two kids that we took under wing. They may have watched our love grow a little two closely and perhaps it did rub off on them a bit. Eric and Qi had their first child, Isaiah, just 22 days after Rebekah was born. Also born in October of that year was Hannah. Mike and Gloria were very good friends to Pat and I. We laughed alot with them. Then there were so many others that deeply touched our lives also. I would like to mention a few. Dave and Cyndi, Logan and Gabe; Gina, Nathan, Alona, and Ziann; Ed and Cathy; Mike and Rocio; Don and Maria; Mark, Tiffany; Gene and Lori; Patty and Bud; Rod and Carol; Erika, Toby, Lizzy and the boys; Tracy; Monique, Yaseer and their family; Suzanna and Leo; Lindi, Ashley, Desiree, Zachary; Pastor Tim, Georgeann, Sarah Grace, TK; Duncan; Mama Nancy; Bonnie, Bernice; Greg and Tammy; Larry & Bonnie Reeder; Tony and Dixie; Millie; Yvonne & Larry; Tammi, Tatum, Tyler; and the list goes on and on. I know I have skipped some important people, but it is late right now.
One thing I will always remember is that our pastor prays for everyone in the church. The 5:30 a.m. prayer times on Mondays and Fridays show the dedication of a pastor who loves the people he shepherds and the city where he lives. Pastor Larry is dedicated to the people at TGP and the people in the city of San Bernardino. He travails in the Spirit and does not give up. He is not afraid to share his life experiences to help someone to know the Lord.
It has been the highlight of my life for the past 16+ years to be part of the worship team at TGP. When I first started on the team, I was scared to death of being in front of anyone much less singing. Thank you to everyone who is on the team for blessing me with this opportunity. I will miss singing praises and worshiping the King of Kings and Lord of Lords with you. Qi, I will especially miss you. You have taught me so much. I love you my sweet little sister. May the Lord continue to bless everyone and may he bring new life onto the team.
In case anyone is wondering why we are leaving. It has been six years since we moved to Victorville. We commute 70 miles every day to work and also to church on Sunday. We have attended services at Horizon Church (Foursquare also) in Victorville on occasion, and a few years back Pat committed to a Pastor's In Training program there. We believe that we could be more involved in the community where we live if we attend church locally. We don't really have any friends where we live, they are all down the hill. As much as we love our church family, we believe the Lord has a mission for us here.
When we turned the calendar to February, the scripture on it said "You shall go out with joy and be led back in peace." Amazing that Yahweh would speak to us even through a calendar. We are excited to move on to the next phase of our journey and ask that you would please pray for us.
All my love, Stephanie
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Beach Day at Corona del Mar - February 17, 2014
So, yesterday we didn't have school/work because it was President's Day. While the rest of the country is freezing to death, California is having a warm winter, probably due to the earth's tilting from some earthquake. At any rate, we headed to Corona del Mar for a beach day. After all, the temperature said it would be 72 degrees. We gathered up our daughter's friend, Shayne, and our grandsons, Caleab and Cadence, and headed to the beach. When we arrived, the sun was shining and it was warm with a nice breeze blowing.
Upon our arrival, Caleab and Cadence rushed into the water. Children don't seem to notice how cold it is. But this grandma was afraid they would get hypothermia. Grandpas don't seem to worry about that kind of thing. After 10-15 minutes in the water, grandpa took them to the tidepools and grandma rested on the blanket in the warm sun. When they returned from the tidepools, Caleab immediately headed back into the water. I asked him several times to come out but he didn't. So, I called his Mom and told him that she was on the phone and wanted to speak with him. Then he got out of the water and didn't go back in (all the way at least).
There were dark clouds forming above us and the sun was not seen again while we were there. It had been playing peek-a-boo, but then it was obvious that it wasn't going to come out any more. The temperature started to drop and I knew we needed to head out of there quickly.
I wish I could say that the drive home was without incident, but Caleab and Cadence both threw up in the car. It was a rough ride home. All windows had to stay open to keep Bekah and Shayne from joining in the situation. It was a bit cold, but everyone made it home safely. Thank God for his peace even through a day like that.
Upon our arrival, Caleab and Cadence rushed into the water. Children don't seem to notice how cold it is. But this grandma was afraid they would get hypothermia. Grandpas don't seem to worry about that kind of thing. After 10-15 minutes in the water, grandpa took them to the tidepools and grandma rested on the blanket in the warm sun. When they returned from the tidepools, Caleab immediately headed back into the water. I asked him several times to come out but he didn't. So, I called his Mom and told him that she was on the phone and wanted to speak with him. Then he got out of the water and didn't go back in (all the way at least).
There were dark clouds forming above us and the sun was not seen again while we were there. It had been playing peek-a-boo, but then it was obvious that it wasn't going to come out any more. The temperature started to drop and I knew we needed to head out of there quickly.
I wish I could say that the drive home was without incident, but Caleab and Cadence both threw up in the car. It was a rough ride home. All windows had to stay open to keep Bekah and Shayne from joining in the situation. It was a bit cold, but everyone made it home safely. Thank God for his peace even through a day like that.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Our 17th Anniversary
We celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary yesterday. It was a very nice day. I usually don't make any purchases on the Sabbath, but made an exception yesterday. Pat and I started out the day by going to a bible store in Hesperia called "Christian Treasures Bible Bookstore." Pat has been in need of a bible for a very long time, so that was my anniversary present for him. At a Wednesday night bible study, his pages were falling out all over the place. It was time for a new one. On Friday after work I tried to find a Bible for him, but wanted him to be able to pick out the one that he wanted. A Bible is a very personal item.
We did find a bible, but he wanted to check out another store before completing the purchase. We went to Oasis Christian Store in Hesperia, but didn't find anything that he liked. So, we started back to the first store. On the way, we were talking about going to get a bite to eat. I remembered that there was an Italian restaurant that I wanted to try. I went online on my phone and saw there was a restaurant called "Julianos" in Hesperia. It had 5 stars. We decided to try it. I looked up the address and was amazed as it was the exact same address as the book store that we were returning to. God is so good.
We purchased his bible and went to lunch. The restaurant was very cozy and had a nice atmosphere. Italian music was playing and the smells were that of authentic Italian food. Pat ordered Chicken Parmesan and I ordered Spagettini with sauce, olives, eggplant parmesan, and mushrooms. It was an absolutely wonderful lunch. The food was great and it isn't often that my husband and I go on a date, so it was really special.
You know both of the places that we went were "off the beaten path." The Christian bookstore is privately owned as was the restaurant. The next time you are going out to eat or to make a purchase, consider the small businesses also. You may find a real blessing!
We did find a bible, but he wanted to check out another store before completing the purchase. We went to Oasis Christian Store in Hesperia, but didn't find anything that he liked. So, we started back to the first store. On the way, we were talking about going to get a bite to eat. I remembered that there was an Italian restaurant that I wanted to try. I went online on my phone and saw there was a restaurant called "Julianos" in Hesperia. It had 5 stars. We decided to try it. I looked up the address and was amazed as it was the exact same address as the book store that we were returning to. God is so good.
We purchased his bible and went to lunch. The restaurant was very cozy and had a nice atmosphere. Italian music was playing and the smells were that of authentic Italian food. Pat ordered Chicken Parmesan and I ordered Spagettini with sauce, olives, eggplant parmesan, and mushrooms. It was an absolutely wonderful lunch. The food was great and it isn't often that my husband and I go on a date, so it was really special.
You know both of the places that we went were "off the beaten path." The Christian bookstore is privately owned as was the restaurant. The next time you are going out to eat or to make a purchase, consider the small businesses also. You may find a real blessing!
Friday, February 14, 2014
Events of Today - Valentine's Day 2014
The pressure that our society puts on people is horrendous. Valentine's Day used to be a really cute, fun day for everyone. Those who do have a "special someone" in their life are expected to purchase chocolate, gifts, go to dinner, etc. I'm sure (as I have learned over the past couple of years) that Valentine's Day is totally pagan. It is very difficult to break free from these practices in today's world.
As an elementary school secretary, you would be shocked if you knew how much sugar was going to the classrooms on Valentine's Day. Kids consuming so much at one time....gross. And we wonder why they act like they do lol. My grandson ate so much in his classroom today that he threw up on the way home from school. WAKE UP PARENTS!!! These are your children. Is anyone monitoring and watching, or is it okay to give the students 4 or 5 sweets at a time just because they were brought to the room by other parents? Plug in to your children's education! Oh, and also remember that the school office doesn't know how to say "no" because they don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. So we consume way more sweets than we should also.
My 16 year old daughter has a boyfriend. She bought him a wallet and some chocolates. Her boyfriend bought her red roses because that is what she wanted. As two high school students, they did something nice for each other. One thing that Jack may have forgotten is that flowers need a vase and water. So all day long (as they were at school) the flowers were wilting more and more. By the time she got them home, they looked terrible and she was depressed. So, I looked online to see what we can do (she already went to bed). It said to put sugar in the water and give it three hours. We'll see what happens. Hopefully they will perk up a little by morning, even it is is short lived.
My husband and I don't celebrate this day anymore, but tomorrow will be our 17th anniversary. We will probably just hang out together and enjoy each other's company. At any rate, our society definitely puts alot of pressure on people to do certain things; at this point, I'm not buying into most of it. The best thing we can do is to truly "love one another." That alone is something that may take us a lifetime to perfect.
As an elementary school secretary, you would be shocked if you knew how much sugar was going to the classrooms on Valentine's Day. Kids consuming so much at one time....gross. And we wonder why they act like they do lol. My grandson ate so much in his classroom today that he threw up on the way home from school. WAKE UP PARENTS!!! These are your children. Is anyone monitoring and watching, or is it okay to give the students 4 or 5 sweets at a time just because they were brought to the room by other parents? Plug in to your children's education! Oh, and also remember that the school office doesn't know how to say "no" because they don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. So we consume way more sweets than we should also.
My 16 year old daughter has a boyfriend. She bought him a wallet and some chocolates. Her boyfriend bought her red roses because that is what she wanted. As two high school students, they did something nice for each other. One thing that Jack may have forgotten is that flowers need a vase and water. So all day long (as they were at school) the flowers were wilting more and more. By the time she got them home, they looked terrible and she was depressed. So, I looked online to see what we can do (she already went to bed). It said to put sugar in the water and give it three hours. We'll see what happens. Hopefully they will perk up a little by morning, even it is is short lived.
My husband and I don't celebrate this day anymore, but tomorrow will be our 17th anniversary. We will probably just hang out together and enjoy each other's company. At any rate, our society definitely puts alot of pressure on people to do certain things; at this point, I'm not buying into most of it. The best thing we can do is to truly "love one another." That alone is something that may take us a lifetime to perfect.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Flu Symptoms
So, after two weeks off work (winter break), I went back to work on Monday (1/6/14). I made it through my work week at an elementary school where I work as a school secretary. So many of our students were absent due to the flu. I thought it wouldn't get me, but by Saturday, I had flu symptoms so severe that I felt like I was unable to breathe. This continued all day long. I asked my online friends to pray for me.
I tried everything including: making natural decongestant from radishes, onions, garlic, honey and lemon; drinking herbal tea; sucking on cough drops; eating chicken broth, etc. I even borrowed a vaporizer from my daughter, loaded it with Vicks and had it on all night long. I put the Vicks on the bottoms of my feet (as I had seen somewhere online).
When I woke up this morning (after all of the natural remedies that I tried) I do feel much better. My breathing problem has been reduced to a cough. The only thing I am really dealing with is a headache. All that to say that Yahweh loves his children. Flu symptoms come sometimes, and we need to know what to do. He showed me what I needed to do and for that I am thankful.
Oh, and one more thing, I really think the flu comes on many after the winter holiday break because we eat way too many sweets that totally beat up our immune systems. Sugar is our enemy, but I love it so much.
I tried everything including: making natural decongestant from radishes, onions, garlic, honey and lemon; drinking herbal tea; sucking on cough drops; eating chicken broth, etc. I even borrowed a vaporizer from my daughter, loaded it with Vicks and had it on all night long. I put the Vicks on the bottoms of my feet (as I had seen somewhere online).
When I woke up this morning (after all of the natural remedies that I tried) I do feel much better. My breathing problem has been reduced to a cough. The only thing I am really dealing with is a headache. All that to say that Yahweh loves his children. Flu symptoms come sometimes, and we need to know what to do. He showed me what I needed to do and for that I am thankful.
Oh, and one more thing, I really think the flu comes on many after the winter holiday break because we eat way too many sweets that totally beat up our immune systems. Sugar is our enemy, but I love it so much.
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