Howdy!  Well, if you're stopping by after months of no updates and you read this :WONDERFUL!

Life's been good.  In March, my husband and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary and celebrated with family and friends as we renewed our wedding vows. It was a nice, simple ceremony with about 26 guests in attendance. Our five yr old daughter was the flower girl. It was a really special day. :)

 We also bought a home in March which is fantastic! :)  We found a house in a great neighborhood at the right price and we jumped at the chance to get it. We are very pleased so far.

At the end of April, we added a new member to our family. Her name is Janie and she is a dachshund/feist mix. She came from the shelter and is 9 mths old. A sweetheart.

Over the past few months, I have questioned things I have learned in the church of Christ and am happy to say I have found renewed faith and feel whole again. It's horrible to say, but when you have one little seed of doubt planted in your head the devil sees to it he puts his foot in that door and keeps planting seeds.

I hope and pray I continue to be strong as I know no one is strong 100% of the time. It's a learning thing and I'm proud to feel good again. :)

That's it for this update........more to come soon!

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This morning, a friend posted about the loss of her friend. I went to his website to read more about him. I went to her 360 and to his to find more information about this man who touched the lives of others. Isn't it something how you can FEEL another's loss just by seeing what other's say/write about him?

People write songs, poetry, etc about things in their lives. Life, loss, love, gain, happiness, sadness..........they write about everything. It's a way to vent........to show others how they feel.

Writing is done to honor someone in life and in death. Writing is an art. A way we communicate to others.

The best written work there is is in the Bible. This is a verse written to comfort those who have lost someone.

"Now may the Lord of peace
himself give you peace
at all times and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you"

2 Thessalonians 3:16

I hope you find comfort in His arms during your time of loss.

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Tonight, my husband read Twas the Night Before Xmas to Alex and she opened up one present (new pjs).  We put out cookies and reindeer food. We can't keep her in bed. *rolling eyes*  LOL  She says she's not tired. I guess she's alittle excited. :)  Who wouldn't be?  :) 

Anyone, I sit hear and think of the fun she's having. I think of the fun I've had watching her do things for the holiday. 

Just wanted to drop a line or two ...........Merry Xmas.

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While many Christians celebrate Christmas for religious reasons, there are those who celebrate it for other reasons. Some don't celebrate at all. 

 The holiday season to me means family, love, caring and giving. It's a time to enjoy being together. It's a time to share memories and make new ones.

I talk to my daughter about Santa and tell her we all have Santa in us. I tell her about St Nicholas and how he embodies traits God wants to see in us. Mercy, love, care, the desire to give to others, etc. I can see the wheels in her head spinning when we talk. That red suit basically holds the positive traits we all want to nuture. We even had a discussion about all the Santas out there including those on TV this evening. 

We "do unto others" year round. I want her to know it's okay and expected of her to do for others always.  Yes, it's great to do something nice for someone during the holidays, but it seems even MORE important to do good to others out of season. It's better the recipients see God in us throughout the year rather than just during the warm, fuzzy holiday season. People are so giving this time of year. Wouldn't it be grand if people opened their hearts as much during the 'off season'? :)

We have family and friends who celebrate the holiday for religious reasons. Growing up, I remember knowing others celebrated the holiday for other reasons than my family did. It was never a big deal. I don't ever remember being confused by it. It was just how things were. With most Christians celebrating the holiday differently from us, my daughter does say things she hears and we talk about it.

I hope anyone reading this has a safe and happy holiday season! I hope the time they spend with their loved ones creates last memories and new traditions. :)

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I enjoy writing and I believe there are often times you can more easily talk to someone through written work then face to face. I say this because sometimes you may not give the other person 100% of your attention. So, important things are missed during your conversation.

I have been wanting to write something for my niece. It was first going to be a letter. I was trying to get my thoughts together. Meanwhile, while watching a movie the other day I heard the word "Believe". The child said he believed. Well, that got my brain thinking and I realized our loved ones need to hear that we believe in them. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone was told that? Imagine the boost in our esteem we would receive. Well, it was then and there I went to my computer and began my aerobic exercises with my fingers. I tapped the keys and what started out as a poem, became a kind of poetic letter. Anyway, below is what I wrote to my niece. I hope it touches her heart and she understands how God can effect her life. I hope you enjoy it as well. I also hope you remember to tell the ones you love how much you believe in them. Have a wonderful day!

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I Believe in You

When you were a child I saw in you peace

I saw happiness

I heard your laughter and laughed with you.

I have watched you grow into a beautiful, young woman

I have watched you searching for yourself

Searching for peace & comfort.

It took me a long time to realize comfort comes from many places, but starts in only one.

True comfort comes from belief and trust in Him.

Tho we may not see Him, He is always with us.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Heb 11:1

Often times, we can be burdened by life’s events .

Our every day decisions ultimately lead us down a path where we continuously fall or one where we are graceful in our gate.

Even while being graceful we, as people, are bound to stumble.

  Knowing whose hand to reach for in those times is what keeps us from falling completely.

We become strong through our weakness 2 Cor 12:7-10

When we are feeling at our worst, the timing is perfect for us to gain strength.

Always remember this.

Trusting in the Lord builds our character and causes spiritual growth

From this we are able to hold our heads up high, walk forward and live in Truth.

I believe in you.

I believe you will seek and find the Truth in your life.

I believe you can make goals and succeed.

Look forward to the future.

Make plans and decide to make them come true.

Your success depends on your decisions.

Your choices.

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When we are faced with decisions are we strong enough to wait, pray and think about?  or do we make rash, hurried decisions? 

 Recently, I have made a decision based on lots of prayer and thought over several months. I have realized this weekend my decision is definitely the right way to go. The right choice.  It's right for my family and our spiritual growth. Our decision involved changing places of worship. The decision took time to make, but I'm confident it's a good one. It's sad when one feels a change in membership needs to be made. One takes things into consideration while continuing to work within the church to further God's cause. It's hard to give 100% knowing/feeling/seeing the hearts of others aren't where they need to be.

I hope and pray this congregation can grow.

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As I sit here perusing around the internet, I have music playing from my page at JC Faith. The song playing is Who I am by Casting Crowns. This is a song that quickly humbles me. It reminds who God is and who I am. I am His child and life is good because of Him. Because of what He's done and because of who He is.......I'm so blessed and thankful for Him. I have been feeling a bit blue. I guess it's just a mixture of being tired and not feeling well. My family is all sick right now and we're trying to get passed the sinus bug that's attacked us. This song helps me remember He is in control and all is okay..........

 Have a wonderful day!

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This was passed on to me and I called this morning and Santa was on the other end! So, this is for real! Not sure how the toll free thing works outside the US.....

Debbi :)

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The Dime

Bobby was getting cold sitting out in his back yard in the snow.  Bobby didn't wear boots; he didn't like them and anyway he didn't own any.  The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them and they did a poor job of keeping out the cold. Bobby had been in his backyard for about an hour already.  And, try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother's Christmas gift.

He shook his head as he thought, "This is useless, even if I do come up with an idea, I don't have any money to spend."

Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, the family of five had struggled. It wasn't because his mother didn't care, or try, there just never seemed to be enough. She worked nights at the hospital, but the small wage that she was earning could only be stretched so far. What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family unity.

Bobby had two older and one younger sister, who ran the house hold in their mother's absence. All three of his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother. Somehow it just wasn't fair.  Here it was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Bobby kicked the snow and started to walk down to the street where the shops and stores were. It wasn't easy being six without a father, especially when he needed a man to talk to. Bobby walked from shop to shop, looking into each decorated window. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach.

It was starting to get dark and Bobby reluctantly turned to walk home when suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer of the setting sun's rays reflecting off of something along the curb. He reached down and discovered a shiny dime. Never before has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby felt at that moment.

As he held his new-found treasure, a warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked into the first store he saw.  His excitement quickly turned cold when the salesperson told him that he couldn't buy anything with only a dime. He saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line.

When the shop owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother's Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at Bobby and his ten-cent offering.  Then he put his hand on Bobby's shoulder and said to him, "You just wait here and I'll see what I can do for you."

As Bobby waited he looked at the beautiful flowers and even though he was a boy, he could see why mothers and girls liked flowers. The sound of the door closing as the last customer left, jolted Bobby back to reality.

All alone in the shop, Bobby began to feel alone and afraid. Suddenly the shop owner came out and moved to the counter. There, before Bobby's eyes, lay twelve long stem, red roses, with leaves of green and tiny white flowers all tied together with a big silver bow.

Bobby's heart sank as the owner picked them up and placed them gently into a long white box. "That will be ten cents young man." the shop owner said reaching out his hand for the dime. Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime. Could this be true? No one else would give him a thing for his dime!

Sensing the boy's reluctance, the shop owner added, "I just happened to have some roses on sale for ten cents a dozen. Would you like them?"  This time Bobby did not hesitate, and when the man placed the long box into his hands, he knew it was true. Walking out the door that the owner was holding for Bobby, he heard the shop keeper say, "Merry Christmas, son."

As he returned inside, the shop keeper's wife walked out. "Who were you talking to back there and where are the roses you were fixing?"

Staring out the window, and blinking the tears from his own eyes, he replied, "A strange thing happened to me this morning. While I was setting up things to open the shop, I thought I heard a voice telling me to set side a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn't sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway.  Then just a few minutes ago, a little boy came into the shop and wanted to buy a flower for his mother with one small dime.

"When I looked at him, I saw myself, many years ago. I too, was a poor boy with nothing to buy my mother a Christmas gift. A bearded man, whom I never knew, stopped me on the street and told me that he wanted to give me ten dollars.

"When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that voice was, and I put together a dozen of my very best roses." The shop owner and his wife hugged each other tightly, and as they stepped out into the bitter cold air, they somehow didn't feel cold at all.

Author Unknown

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