Category Archives: Family

On being a swim mom, a room mom, a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend…

The Ultimate Love Story

True love. 

Complete, unfailing love. 

The ultimate love story.

If you are looking for chocolates, roses, and puffy red hearts, you won’t find them here.

Instead, let me tell you about True Love. 

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The Love that makes this Mommy’s heart sing tonight.

A Love even truer than this one.

A Love that provides Hope. 

A Love that provides Healing.

A Love that never fails.

For God loved the world in this way:  He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 

(John 3:16-17)

That’s Love.

I’m not worthy of that Love. 

Neither are you.

Nor is my sweet, sweet little boy.

But there is good news.  Awesome really.

I can’t earn this Love.  You can’t earn this Love. 

Instead it’s a Gift.

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift (Ephesians 2:8)

That’s it—just a Gift. 

And it’s available to you, if you say “yes”.

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  (Romans 10:9)

My little boy said “yes”.

He came to me on January 12th and said these sweet words:  “Mom, I want to ask Jesus to come live in my heart.”

Then, tonight, on February 13th he followed in obedience through Baptism.

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Thank you, Jesus, for loving me enough to die on the cross to take the punishment for my sins. 

And Jesus, thank you even more for dying on that cross for my sweet little boy’s sins. 

But most importantly, thank you for your promise that you will live with us forever. 

Amen

p.s.  I have to add one more thing to this post.  If you are a grandparent or a parent, and you already have experienced God’s amazing Love and Grace, don’t forget to share it, to pass it down.  Your legacy will change lives in ways you may never realized.  You should know, that January 12th is not only the day LM ask Christ into his heart, but also two of his Great Grandmothers’ birthdays.  And his baptism today—well, this weekend is the second anniversary of my grandpa’s going to be with Jesus.  All 3 of these folks, all three his great-grandparents, prayed for this child, as they prayed for his Mom and Dad. 

 

On the 22nd day of Christmas

There is groaning every year when we open the attic to bring down the Christmas decorations.

Much groaning.

Mostly by my husband.

But–

when the boxes are emptied and the decorations are up, we are so glad we took the time to decorate.000_0077




Most of our decorations are handmade.  000_0072




Some by me, some by the kids, some by family, some by blogging friends.000_0066




And each of those decorations makes me smile.000_0068




And our tree…101_8654
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Most of all, I love the way these crazy, eclectic, handmade decorations remind me to slow down000_0078




to remember the stories000_0073




the friends000_0074




the loved ones000_0071




and their love and Christ’s Love for me.          
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On the 21st day of Christmas

Today, the kids and Thomas and Ashley and I went to see Santa!

Bass Pro Shops has a really cool Winter Wonderland experience.

We could shoot in the arcade.

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We iced complimentary sugar cookies.

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And…

we saw Santa!

This gives a whole new meaning to pictures with Santa.

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He seemed to be the only one that could make the camera cooperate today.

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