AND WE SAY GOODBYE...

 This is a hard blog entry to write. 

What do we know about angels and how they represent themselves in this crazy world of ours?  From my understanding, there are good and bad ones and they come in many different 'forms'.  Only God knows the truth about them and how He uses them in our lives.  

The year 2020 brought an angel into our lives in  MANDY BAXTER.  I believe this because her presence accomplished a whole lot of good, which included:

* God showed me the importance of praying before taking action.  It's why we should pray without ceasing.  I never felt a peace about taking Mandy to the animal shelter ....  hence the rescue a week later!  

* God gave my granddaughters joy, laughter, purpose, and love in so many ways during a trying time  ~2020 PANDEMIC~ (while schools were closed and life was uncertain) He brought an angel into their lives.

* God strengthened them by allowing them to have this angel for just a while.  They became stronger by having felt the sting of death and sadness from losing something they had grown to love dearly.   

Had we not taken Mandy to the shelter for that week after she had appeared in our yard, I'm pretty sure she would have never gotten sick.  

Note:  Always pray over a decision, ask God's direction, and never make a decision without feeling His peace.   

Mandy's 6-month presence here brought so much to light.  

Thank you, God, for Angel Mandy and for the many messages well received.  

I believe we will see our angel again, and we will know her and she will know us.  Rest peacefully, sweet baby girl.

 

"Birth" Day

Tonight Marissa and Summer gave me the best Christmas gift ever.  

Seeing these angels be a part of celebrating and honoring Jesus is what Christmas is all about and their participation in this Christmas Eve service meant more to me than any store bought gift ever could.

I'll be tucking this into my memory bank and label it as one of the best Christmas's ever....

When two of the most precious gifts God ever gave me honored Him by participating in the true Christmas story.  I only hope that during this Christmas program and the beautiful candlelight service that followed, that Jesus 'birth' day touched their hearts in the same way that they touched mine.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND LOTS OF LOVE TO ALL MY FRIENDS IN BLOG-LAND!  BE SAFE AND BLESSED!

Santa is Real

 He came into this world fighting for his life.

 Angels had been appointed to watch over him.  

We prayed.  We believed.

And on that year there was proof that Santa did indeed exist, because he was 

there at our house on Christmas day.

To my handsome, beautiful blue-eyed, sensitive, sweet, energetic, thoughtful, kind, busy boy Jake.  

Grammy loves you more than you will ever know...  

Happy 9th Birthday buddy!

Angels Among Us

“When you lose your eyesight you lose contact with things. When you lose your hearing, you lose contact with people.”  ~  Helen Keller

 

I can't imagine losing either one, and I am thankful that God continues to bless me with working senses. 

 

With his permission, I'm going to talk to you today about my  friend, Cecil Kenner, who came in for an aftercare check-up on the hearing aid he purchased last week.  Cecil is 78 years old and went from 250 lb. to 178 lb. in the past eleven months, after his wife died unexpectedly.  They say everyone has a story...  and his is one that shouldn't go without repeating.  As a matter of fact, he repeats it often and it's like hearing it brand new each time.

 

He and his wife had a total of 40 children.  Ok, so 3 of them were theirs naturally, 34 were foster children, and 3 were adopted.  The foster children came and went...  most were infants needing care while the parents were 'getting their act together' and they would return to their parents 5 or 6 months later.  Cecil and his wife would counsel the parents when they'd come to visit the children... and encourage them to stop drinking and fighting so the babies could be returned to their home.  

 

It wasn't always easy.  There were angry children who needed direction and special needs children who needed love.  There were court battles, lawyers, and determination to adopt when it was necessary.  But the Kenners always triumphed and the children were the real winners. 

 

They'd take the children to church every Sunday and in addition to fostering, parenting, and adopting, they would would go to the local orphanage on some weekends and bring children home with them for a weekend visit. 

 

You might wonder how they got into this type of thing to begin with.  Well, Cecil's mother-in-law had in the past fostered over 50 children altogether.  Years later, and after his mother-in-law had passed on, a blue truck pulled onto his road and stopped.  A girl got out of the truck because she recognized the house beside theirs that the mother-in-law had once owned.  "I used to be a foster child there.." she said.  "I remember when I was adopted out...  I didn't want to leave."  

 

"I'm a little down today..."  Cecil said.  His eyes were red beneath his wire rimmed glasses and I could tell he was fighting back tears.  Today was 11 months since his wife passed from this world to the next...  and he misses her so. 

 

 

Cecil's wallet is thick with photos and he's proud of each and every one of his children. 

 

As I said before... I'm thankful for my God given, working senses.  But today, I'm particularly thankful for my hearing.. for without it I would not have known about a beautiful family who gave so freely without expecting anything in return. 

 

God Bless you, Cecil

 

 and you're beautiful wife.  

 

  Until you meet again...

Touched By An Angel

Have I ever told you about my Mother's Angel?

In 1990 she suffered a heart attack that left her helpless and hopeless for three months. In the early hours of morning a group of doctors entered her Georgetown, Md. hospital room. One of the doctors was laden in white, radiant, and stood out from the rest... touching her foot... and revealing to her that she was going to be alright, prompting an immediate peace that swept over her.

The next morning her life support was removed. She miraculously began breathing and living life again on her own.

"Who were the doctors that were in my room in the early morning hours?" She asked the nurse who sat watch just outside her private room at the nurses station.

"I'm sorry Alice... but there were no doctors in your room last night."

Chill bumps would consume Mom days, months and years later when she'd talk about the angel that visited her room that night.

And as for me... I was given over three glorious years to say and do the things with Mom that I wouldn't have done had I not been reminded of how very fragile life is.

Love much. Hug often. Savor. Enjoy. Appreciate.

Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

My Mom passed away on July 5, 1994.

I remember her today with tears and laughter.