PEACE~

WHEN PEACE LIKE A RIVER ATTENDETH MY WAY
WHEN SORROWS LIKE SEA BILLOWS ROLLS
WHATEVER MY LOT THOU HATH TAUGHT ME TO SAY
IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL~

I remember singing this song as a child in church ...I don't think at the time I could really comprehend the words but I loved the song~ Years...Many years later I learned of the story behind the song and how through tragedy it was written..The writer believed of Gods faithfulness...really understood that we will suffer in this life and it is only Gods grace that will see us through~ Never in my wildest dreams did I realize that my loving this old hymn would be a way of God ministering to my soul later in life as an adult. Our God is so very gracious, loving and kind that He would prepare my heart so....many years in advance for the many trials that life would bring my way. Our family has been through illness, hurricanes, family troubles and now financial disaster and yet I must remember who is in charge and in control~

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL~

Decisions~

Tom is at work this evening and the kids and I have been watching American Idol...this is something they usually do with their dad but since he has been working I have taken up the slack so to speak~hahaha He is great about watching things and playing games with the kids...This allows me some down time since we are together all day. Well, Tom made a very big decision today to go to "trucking school". With the economy the way that it is he feels that the reprographic business will not pull out and be prosperous at this time~ So he thought long and hard about what he could do in order to support our family and get on our feet. People always need to have goods transported..so he will be "Lord willing" doing long-haul trucking. This will mean that he will be going from one end of the country to the other~ It will mean many changes for our family..the biggest being that we will see him more than likely once a month for either three to five days~ But we realize that we are going to have to make a great deal of sacrifices in order to survive. It is mind-boggling when Tom and I think back to a time when he made six figures to now where we are not even getting by~ We know though that we have to have complete faith and trust in the Lord. Tom will go and see his mom tomorrow as she has agreed to help him pay for the schooling...when he graduates and gets a job the company he will work for will reimburse him and then his mom will be repaid. This is what needs to be done...He has put out many resumes but no hits for good jobs that will support our family~ And he was told by his manager at Blockbuster that the future of the company is uncertain....so does this mean his hours will be cut? Will they let him go? Too many unanswered questions so he needed to do something. Meanwhile ...I will try to get a job at home. We are hoping for the best. I truly believe that God will see us through all of this mess~

This is ~

This is the day that the Lord hath made ~
I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Today~ everyone seems to be down with a cold. It just seems to keep going around
the house. I have Tom sleeping still as he has been working nights...late nights till 1 am. But we are rejoicing because he is getting the hours he needs...God is good! We are prayerfully looking into what the Lord would have us do~ We are starting over in our forties and it can be a bit overwhelming at times But we know that God will take care of us~ We are seeing it on a daily basis as He meets our needs one at a time. Where will we land I don't know...and I am learning....and it is not an easy lesson to be ok with it~ So the kids will spend the day resting and doing their schoolwork and I will pick up Haley-bug soon from school. Chris will be here later to pick her up as she is in school also~ I am going to reconnect with an old friend today who I haven't seen in quite sometime...I am looking forward to it..some "adult" time~ Yea! Maybe even some coffee...hahaha Third cup today~ Times are tough but God is gracious and He will continue to see us through~

What a Crime~

It is an absolute CRIME that president obama has decided to be an exporter of murder/abortion as he signed into law abortion provision overseas~ How it must grieve the heart of God that he has done this....Now what I find interesting is that "we the American people" are being lectured about fiscal responsibility and he has decided to do this at a cost to us of four-hundred and eighty million dollars~ I am so sad that so many blamed President Bush for the countries financial woes and chose so poorly for our country....I cannot imagine that we will recognize our country in four years and this thought is very disheartening. I can only pray that God will intervene not only in our country but people's hearts so that they will rise and voice their displeasure with what he has as an agenda.


I PRAY THAT GOD HAS MERCY ON US AND THAT HE WOULD INTERVENE!

The End of a ......LONG Week~

It is finally Sunday~Thank you Lord. It was a very long week with a great deal of ups and downs....mostly down emotionally~ But God is merciful and saw me through it. On Saturday we were able to celebrate Gabby's birthday. It was a very quiet day since most of us were down with colds~ but she had a day where she was able to do completely nothing but play and read and be the twelve year old she is...Wow! Twelve years old...where has it gone the time.....I am grateful she is not in
a hurry to grow up but just to be the kid that she is~ Amanda, Austin and Gabby spent the evening playing games and just spending time together. We had Gabby's birthday dinner request of Bratwurst and mashed potatoes...she started her day out with hot cocoa and whipped cream and corned beef and hash...there is a theme here~ Gabby is a meat and potatoes gal~ We had two different Pepperidge Farms birthday cakes that were decorated with chocolate strawberries and two ice creams~ Cookies and cream and Reeses peanut butter cup...Talk about a lot of sweets! The kids and Tom loved it. She loved her birthday presents too~ So it was a nice day all around. Tom went to work at midnight and worked until six am...He went back to work at four and will be working at least till midnight. So thank God they are giving him hours which is so greatly needed right now. The girls as I sit here are helping with dinner and are quite grumpy...up too late last night~ I am trying to sit here quietly and say nothing....we will see how long this lasts. I think we are all tired and need a good nights rest but it is quite an adjustment getting used to Tom's schedule because of course no one can sleep right while he's away~ So it will take some getting used too~

Response~

Well, got a response....not welcome at the hospital. You know I knew in my heart of hearts that this would be how they feel~ Father to the Fatherless. God has given a wonderful family and friends that I count as family...God is good~ I need to remember that .


PSALM 27
THE LORD IS MY LIGHT AND MY SALVATION~
SO WHY SHOULD I BE AFRAID?
THE LORD IS MY FORTRESS, PROTECTING ME,
WHEN MY ENEMIES AND FOES ATTACK ME,
THEY WILL STUMBLE AND FALL.
THOUGH A MIGHTY ARMY SURROUNDS ME,
MY HEART WILL NOT BE AFRAID.
EVEN IF I AM ATTACKED,
I WILL REMAIN CONFIDENT.
THE ONE THING I ASK OF THE LORD~
THE THING I SEEK THE MOST~
IS TO LIVE IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE,
DELIGHTING I THE LORD'S PERFECTIONS
AND MEDITATING IN HIS TEMPLE.
FOR HE WILL CONCEAL ME THERE WHEN TROUBLES COME;
HE WILL HIDE ME IN HIS SANCTUARY.
HE WILL PLACE ME OUT OF REACH ON A HIGH ROCK.
THEN I WILL HOLD MY HEAD HIGH
ABOVE MY ENEMIES WHO SURROUND ME.
AT HIS SANCTUARY I WILL OFFER SACRIFICES
WITH SHOUTS OF JOY,
SINGING AND PRAISING THE LORD WITH MUSIC.
HEAR ME AS I PRAY, O LORD
BE MERCIFUL AND ANSWER ME!
MY HEART HAS HEARD YOU SAY, COME AND TALK WITH ME."
AND MY HEART RESPONDS, "LORD, I AM COMING."
SO NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON ME.
DO NOT REJECT YOUR SERVANT IN ANGER. YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MY HELPER.
DON'T LEAVE ME NOW; DON'T ABANDON ME,
O GOD OF MY SALVATION!
EVEN IF MY FATHER AND MOTHER
ABANDON ME,
THE LORD WILL HOLD ME CLOSE.
TEACH ME HOW TO LIVE, O LORD
LEAD ME ALONG THE RIGHT PATH,
FOR MY ENEMIES ARE WAITING FOR ME.
DO NOT LET ME FALL INTO THEIR HANDS.
FOR THEY ACCUSE ME OF THINGS I'VE NEVER DONE;
WITH EVERY BREATH THEY THREATEN ME WITH VIOLENCE.

YET I AM CONFIDENT I WILL SEE THE LORD'S GOODNESS!
WHILE I AM HERE IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING
WAIT PATIENTLY FOR THE LORD.
BE BRAVE AND COURAGEOUS
YES, WAIT PATIENTLY FOR THE LORD~

My Father~

As my father is in the hospital..I find myself reflecting on many different things~ How did we get to this point...to where we are not talking...to the point that I feel as if we are strangers~ I tried so hard through the years to let the "little" things go ....to only remember the good...to overlook the slights...and hurtful comments and I carried on~ Established a relationship that was from all appearances "wonderful"..but it wasn't there was always an underlying current of walking on eggshells. And now at the time when all things should be placed aside I am not sure...that I am welcome to say my potential goodbyes. I am so very saddened...so very beside myself...and yet I know that the Lord wants me to stay put in prayer~ As I pray and commit him to Gods care...

Prayer!

Wow! Is all that I can say about Pastor Rick Warrens prayer~ He was not afraid to prayer a powerful prayer....One in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..Let us continue to pray an anointing upon our President and the government that they do the will of God not the will of man~

Today is the Day~

As I sit here today ....I have some many feelings~ Feelings of amazement ...because we as an American society have come so very far...I did not know in my lifetime that we would have an African-American President. Feelings of sadness because he stands for nothing that I believe in~ He is one of the most liberal President-elects that we as a nation have ever had....I pray that our country will not regret the ill informed decision that it has made. Choosing a glossy Hollywood type over an American hero~ Choosing someone who is so far the extreme from most Americans ....Someone who embraces socialism over capitalism....Someone who may or not be a naturalized citizen~ There are so many unanswered questions...So many things that have not been made available to the American public and yet people embrace him~ I cannot help but think that the world is beginning to be prepared for the anti-christ.....we have come so very far away from Gods principles...so far from what our founding father's intended.....I just pray that God would be merciful to our nation~ That we would awaken from this deep slumber that the nation is in...That we as Christians would come together in PRAYER~ That we would pray that the presence of God would fall upon him and our government and that the extreme agenda would not go through and would not see the light of day~

LET US EMBRACE PRAYER AND LET US REMEMBER THAT THIS NATION WAS FOUNDED ON THE PRINCIPLES OF GODS' WORD~

Monday , Monday~

Monday, Monday...I can hear the tune in my head~ Well....spent the whole day recuperating from the weekend. Tom could not get away from work...because after all he only has his part-time job...so he stayed home and worked and took care of the animals. The meeting was tedious, tiring and overwhelming but God is good...upon reflection things could have gone so much worse and in the long run good decisions were made. So I pray that God gives me the strength to continue on in what I believe that He has for me~ I sit here the day before the presidential inauguration and am saddened that the citizens of this great country chose a man that has so many extreme beliefs...but I will pray that God's will over-rules that of man...that FOCA is not passed! This extreme abortion legislation that the president-elect wants to pass...no restrictions whatsoever...federally funded by "we the people" our dollars going to fund partial-birth...minors without parental consent...late-term abortions...God's heart must be so grieved. Let us pray for this man, our government and our country~ We as a nation have strayed so very far from our founding father's vision...LET US PRAY! LET US RETURN TO THE GOD OF OUR FATHERS~

Away For The Weekend~

Off this weekend to a board meeting.....I would so rather stay home! I am tired , worn, and weary from all the stress of the past week, no month , no year~ And it is only the second week of the New Year~hahaha But honestly, Tom and I are just tired to the bone...We have been putting in applications all over...sure hoping that something turns up. So he will be working all this weekend and we are praying that he remembers all he has been trained to do~ His job is on the line....No pressure on him...He is really hoping that all goes well so that he can move into management. I had a bite on my resume so we will see what happens. The kids have been unbelievable wanting to get jobs so that they can help out~ Tom and I are adamant though that their education needs to come first...so I told them we would be holding off on that idea~ So the kids and I are going to Orlando this weekend and I will have to hobble around the hotel to the conference room...O joy~ This walking long distances with this cane is starting to get old because it really takes a toll on my wrist. But! On a bright not I am not in the amount of pain with my knee as I was yesterday ...so the key seems to be to stay off of it as much as possible....so this weekend will take a toll but when I get home I will recuperate again. I am hoping my check will get here before we leave because if not it is going to be a very tight weekend~ Mickey D's here we come....hahaha I am sure the kids will not complain. I am praying that we can get the things done we need to and not have too many issues...but with so many different personalities ....I think at times it is too much to ask~ I know I have many friends that will be praying for us this weekend and the thought is comforting. Tom got a surprise visit from a friend at work on Wednesday night...What a blessing it was~ We were blown away by his compassion and generosity...he gave us a one hundred dollar gift card to Publix! I will definitely try and stretch it out~ Next weekend Chris and I will go and get our Angel food and Share orders...these two programs have enabled us during this very difficult time to feed our families very well...Can't say enough good things about them~ I still have to pack ...But thank God the kids have done theirs already..so one less thing I need to do...Tomorrow Tom and I need to be up early so that we can run various errands before I get on the road..Amanda will be working at the zoo in the morning and than she is off to stay with Pam and the girls for the week to catch a break. So we are off to the races...Trying to get everything done before I am out the door~~~

Time to Crash~

Well....it is time to crash~ After spending days of cleaning and organizing the house...We had a wonderful and busy time with our company and as I sit here and rest~ Everyone else in the house is sound asleep! With the exception of Austie who is upstairs exercising his thumbs on his playstation. It will be back to the grind of everyday life after several weeks off of school for the kids and I...Tomorrow will be different in that Tom will be home...looking for work..which as we all know is work in itself! It has been such a turn of events with him being fired~ What to do..I need a J-O-B...and yet I am exhausted and hurt after the car accident~ I just keep asking the Lord if you want me to work...if it is your will ....give me the job and then the strength to keep it and work it~ But it is nice to know I am not alone...all my friends are going through similar struggles so we can at least prayer and encourage one another.

Lord give me the strength I need and the health to succeed~

Wow!

Wow~ Just when you think times cannot get harder....Tom came home last night and told me that he was let go...because he had a second job~ Now what to do..he is applying for jobs like crazy...And a great deal of prayer!!! Discouraged..most definitely~ Now it is time to regroup and try to find a job..is this the easiest thing with my illness ? NO! But I must believe that God will give me the strength needed to be a helpmeet to my husband~ On a much nicer note our visit with Kathleen and Victoria has been lovely...Such a wonderful mother and daughter..we are blessed to call them friends~ The kids and I went to church this evening for the middle-school group and it was frantic but very nice...I was a volunteer with my cane..Yuck! Can't wait till my knee is better~ Well, I am mentally and physically exhausted..so that's all for now.

THOSE THAT WAIT ON THE LORD WILL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS LIKE EAGLES~

Company's Coming~

Company is a coming~ And we are almost......ready! Almost is the key...kids are on a meltdown from all the cleaning...but it had to be done! With my illness things can go by the wayside for months and then well.....the slack must be picked up~ So no slackers allowed!haha
But the house is clean besides the garage and my room and both are "off limits". Just have several errands to run...Publix and Winn Dixie and Ross and the bank.....wow! And tonight I will collapse in bed!ha I hope the girls have a wonderful time and hope Kathleen gets the rest she needs....Tom spent all of last night applying for jobs online which I must say did not help his mood.....not much out there right now and his present job is just awful~ I almost think he would be better off with two part-time jobs...if only we could find health insurance that would cover me~ The joys of Lupus...it is the gift that keeps on giving.....I am sitting here trying to get some sort of rest as my knee and foot and everything else just still hurts a great deal from the accident. I suppose this is going to be a slow recovery....which is the absolute pits given everything that is going on right now~ I am supposed to be looking for a job...ahahaha How does one work in my condition?~ I would like to know....and in all the years that we have been married with the exception of my working with Tom with our business .....he has never asked me to work! So this is serious...so very serious~ I know the Lord is in Control...but at this point I am begging Him to make his presence known. I am tired and feel weary and worn...there are days that I feel defeated. There are days that we feel defeated~ LORD HEAR OUR CRY FOR YOUR MERCY!

PSALM 40
I WAITED PATIENTLY FOR THE LORD TO HELP ME,
AND HE TURNED TO ME AND HEARD MY CRY.
HE LIFTS ME OUT OF THE PIT OF DESPAIR,
OUT OF THE MUD AND THE MIRE.
HE SET MY FEET ON SOLID GROUND
AND STEADIED ME AS I WALKED ALONG.
HE HAS GIVEN ME A NEW SONG TO SING,
A HYMN OF PRAISE TO OUR GOD.
MANY WILL SEE WHAT HE HAS DONE AND BE AMAZED.
THEY WILL PUT THEIR TRUST IN THE LORD.
OH , THE JOYS OF THOSE WHO TRUST IN THE LORD.
WHO HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN THE PROUD
OR IN THOSE WHO WORSHIP IDOLS,
OF LORD MY GOD, YOU HAVE PERFORMED
MANY WONDERS FOR US.
YOUR PLANS FOR US ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO LIST.
YOU HAVE NO EQUAL!

Wednesday Morning

Dropped off Haley to school today for Chris~ I just love having the munchkins over...it is so nice being able to enjoy little ones on a consistent basis now that my monkey's are getting older. Why the name monkey's? Well....when the kids were little they used to love "Three little monkey's jumping on the bed"~ And they are my "three little monkey's"....though they are not little anymore~ But you know each I have had the blessing to enjoy each and every stage and age thus far....although the teenager's sometimes "get too me"...hahaha I am recuperating...it has been a week since my accident~ Slowly but surely..I am on the mend. I almost have the house in order for our company that comes in tomorrow. Yea! It was definitely a project but the end is in sight...Thank God! Talk about a big clean-up but it had to be done...so I am just hoping Victoria and Amanda have a wonderful time together~ I am hoping that Kathleen will have a time of rest and peace as she comes home to Florida and friends....You know it makes me realize that I have a tendency not to appreciate what I have before me~ So I am going to make a concerted effort to look past "our circumstances"...I know that I need to be keeping in the Word and in constant prayer. I need to remember that God is in Control! So today will be a day to complete the house for our visit ~

New Year's Day~

New Year's day....I spent the day on bed-rest doctor's orders~ It was pleasant enough watching Christmas movies with the kids. I am so.....glad I cooked so much last week! Tom and the kids were able to eat the Pork loins I roasted for New Year's Eve with left-over rice and beans from Sunday supper. Tomorrow we will have the rest of the Turkey and gravy and mashed potatoes...No complaints from the family as they will still be getting a home-cooked meal even though mom is down for the count!Ha Who besides the Lord could have seen what would have happened to me last night. I am so very grateful though as it could have been so much worse! Tom inspected the van tonight and there is quite some damage to the bumper and some scratches to boot~ Amanda is suffering a little bit of stress due to being worried about me....but she will recupe~ The kids are all up late because we are still on a whacky break schedule but I will crack the whip next week....maybe ~ Because we will have company...Victoria is coming from New York to visit...Amanda is very excited and the girls have a great deal planned. Well , off to bed~

If God be for us~Who can be against us-

Happy New Year!

So Amanda and I set off for Walmart to get a couple of things....Get what we need and so we're off to Publix...or so I think! As I am putting everything into the van I am hit by a van...No I am completely serious ...I was hit while standing still by my van by another conversion van at five miles an hour...So I will sign off for now but we never did make it to Publix or Chris's house as I spent the evening in the emergency room. I have whiplash and have to be on bed-rest for the next several days...The kids were very disappointed that Titi(me) didn't get to visit with them. Lord willing we will see each other tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day~