A Reason to Celebrate 13 years!!!

It is amazing how one phone call can literally change your life forever. Sitting in the movies on June 5, 1999 getting ready to watch October Sky when the phone call came. Not realizing that we ( Me & Hubby) should answer it we chose to ignore it. Not once but twice!! The third call came and we guessed someone was trying to get ahold of us. Not even 5 minutes into our movie and we get interrupted. Although this interruption is the kind you want to get you when you have been hooking up to a dialysis machine for the last 18 months. My hubby came back into the theater after taking the call and says "Life link called and they have a kidney for you". Leaving the theater I called Life link and heard these wonderful words "it is a perfect match, you won the lottery on this one. The only way you get a match this good is if somebody is living related to you". I hung up the phone and knew this is it!!! I guess they say third times the charm, this was the third time. I had been called twice several months before and those did not work out ( that is for another blog).

Off I went to receive the gift that would free me from hooking up to a machine every night. On June 6th 1999 I received a kidney transplant. Every year has been a celebration of life since.Today marks my 13th celebration of life. Each year I celebrate, I thank God for the gift I was given. Then my focus changes to not only thankfulness for my gift but also thankfulness for the family that decided to give that gift amidst their loss and tragedy. My gift came from the family of an 18 year old boy who died from a gunshot wound to the head. What a sacrificial gift for them as a family to change the lives of others when they had just experienced a tragedy.

  I encourage everyone to become an organ donor. Because you never know whose life you will affect.Take the time daily to celebrate life because you never know what others might be going through. They might be struggling physically because they have to hook up to a dialysis machine everyday. Or they might have just lost their son tragically. Take the time to celebrate everyone around you. You never know how long you will have them.

Celebrate Giving

What do you have to give? I just finished reading the story of the widow who gave her last two coins she had left to her name in Luke 21 and Mark 12. It is kind of amusing to think that a simple story of only about three verses came from Jesus sitting back observing what was going on around him. He saw the rest of the people putting in out of their abundance but this one woman put in all she had. It wasn't  out of her abundance it was all she had to give.
   Lately I have been feeling I have nothing of any value to give. All I have is who I am, and in my eyes this is not much. Until this morning!, my daughter was wanting to give an offering to an orphanage in South America for special needs children. She said to me I don't have much to give when other people can give so much more. That was when I thought of this story and shared it with my daughter. Those special needs kids are not going to say "so and so gave $xxxx but this 19 year old college student only gave$xx!!" . They will just be thankful for more food on the table, maybe some new clothes, diaper changes more often etc. I told my daughter give what you have not what you don't have. But more importantly don't hold back just because you don't feel what you have is enough.
  I needed to take that lesson to heart!! I was teaching myself in the process. I need to allow God to use what I have to give and not try to give out of a "super woman" status. I hope this helps someone. All I can give is who I am!!!! What are your two coins to give? Be willing to give  who you are and others will notice!!! Besides this whole story came about because Jesus was sitting back observing what was going on around him. I want him to observe me giving all I am and not just out of my abundance.

#Celebrating Blogging!!!

Today I am celebrating blogs!!! Is there anything better than people writing what is on their heart? I have had such a struggle blogging. The more I talk to others that have blogs the more I see and hear that the struggle to blog on a daily or even a weekly basis is a constant battle. So, today I celebrate all of you bloggers out there that are taking the time to share your passions and wisdom.
    I celebrate Julianne Howell's blog http://julieannhowell.wordpress.com/ . Her insight and wisdom to authors out there is such a help. Her passion for life and the written word is reflected in everything she does.
    I celebrate Lauren Miller's blog Legally Lauren. Her biblical wisdom is beyond her years!!! She shares such insightful things from the bible. You really se her heart and that she has put alot of thought into what she writes as a Law Student, but more so as someone striving for God's best in her life.
    Today I celebrate all you bloggers out there!!! Never give up!!! People are blessed by what you write even if you think noone is reading.

Celebrating Health

A picture of lettuce? What does a picture of lettuce have to do with celebrating? Several weeks ago I posted a picture of lettuce on facebook only to be inundated with comments and posts as to how I got that from my backyard. Little did I know that that picture would begin a journey of Celebrating Health!!! MDH(My Dear Hubby) and I have embarked on a journey of becoming plant strong. This journey has led us to a renewd sense of health and wellness to enjoy more of life together. 14 pounds for me and 17 pounds for him!!! The weightloss is great but the health benefits are even better. Lower cholesterol, clear thinking, & overall healthy feeling. How are you Celebrating your health today? The choices we make everyday will determine our future. Do you have a "picture of lettuce" that will help you examine your life and take you on a journey to celebrate an area in your life that you would like to change? Be willing to go for it!! The benefits will "feel" great!!!!

Celebrating Home School!!!!

Homeschooling might not be for everyone, but it still needs to be a choice and an option that is looked upon as a viable option in America today. Lately we seem to see more and more of our rights slipping through our fingers. Yet with more government control there seems to be less cohesiveness in our society. People seem to have to work harder, pay more yet having less time with their families. This especially seems to be evident in our schools today, the minute the children hit the school grounds all rights to parents seem to be forfeited for 8 hours a day (have you ever calculated how many hours a day someone else is influencing your children). In light of the "I (teacher) am going to give you a better lunch than your mother packed for you because I know what is better for you than the woman who God entrusted you with because I have the title of a unionized teacher" instance in North Carolina. Has really got me thinking about the options parents have for educating their children. Yes I am a homeschool mom but I am not so dogmatic that I don't think that more options should be available for parents. There are Charter schools (which the teachers unions would like to see gone also). There are virtual schools, private schools. There is even an awesome program that can give you the best of both worlds called Classical Conversations, where you can homeschool 4 days a week and get together 1 day a week with others doing the same thing as you. Homeschoolers also have the option of being involved in great co-ops where classes are available several days a week in all kinds of subjects. There are homeschool moms that are seasoned in what they do, that simply asking for help and how they did it could get you on a path of family togetherness once again. Is homeschool for everyone? I don't know, but let it be an option!!!! Besides you will be able to pick what they eat for lunch (and so much more)!!!!!!

Old Fashioned Bible Story Time 2

If my life was any busier I don't think I would have time to think. My goal back in August was to do an old fashioned Bible story time on a weekly basis. As you can tell it is now the beginning of November and I only ever got one done. What a better time for the second one than at a time of Thankfulness and Harvest!!! I am enjoying a most gorgeous day today and it gets me wondering about the beauty that occurred when God created the plants and trees Etc. My last story was about the darkness that existed before God created the Light. Now we move into the beauty that was created after the light came to be. How often have we heard the creation story yet so many Christians today even doubt whether God could do that. We buy into some scientist because he sounds smart and has an alphabet behind his name to discredit the very one who created us in His image. My soapbox comes as a result of different encounters with people that say I believe in God, "but". I was always taught that when a "but" comes you can forget everything that was said before it. Let's take our Lord at his Word. Since we already covered Day 1 in the last blog, we will take Him at His Word with, Day 2- Sky, Day 3, Land, Seas, Plants, Trees and Vegetation.   Day 4- Sun, Moon, and Stars. Day 5 Water creatures and Birds. Finally Day 6 Land animals and Man.
    When you look outside on a day like today especially here in Florida, Thank God for taking the time to celebrate us by Creating the very things we see every day. Give God the credit for the beauty we are surrounded by. Give the very One that endowed us with the ability to come up with the alphabet the credit for creation, not the scientist who has an alphabet behind his name. Let's not limit our infinite God with our finite mind!!!!!

Old Fashioned Bible Story Time

I was thinking how much I miss the old time bible stories. For those of us who grew up in the church, we learned to love, grow and base morals of life on these great and timeless stories.So I thought, what if ????? I were to take bible stories and apply them in a blog to real life situations? Then I also realized, with my lightening fast mind, that not everyone including me, might know the bible stories and this might be a great learning experience. I hope you enjoy OLD FASHIONED BIBLE STORY TIME!!!!!!
Let's start at the beginning!!!!!
Genesis 1: 1-5 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was[a] formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Have you ever been in such a dark place you couldn't see your hand in front of your face? Years ago we took a vacation to Hannibal, Missouri. We went into some caves on a tour and right at one point in the tour they shut off all the lights in the cave. You couldn't see anything!!!! Even if Ishut off all the lights in my house it still is not as dark as that cave. That must have been the darkness that existed before God created the light. But despite all the darkness that surrounded us in that cave and all the darkness that was before the light still God was there.
Even in life we experience dark times and sometimes feel like we can't see anything to bring light to our situation. Despite all the darkness God is there ready to speak to the light. He was there at the beginning of time and He is there in the darkness. What a joy to know that in this simple story of darkness and light we can still know God's presence was there!!!!!!!