God has given me so much. The Bible tells us that we are to declare the works of the Lord. Today, I am writing this Thanksgiving list. I know it is only partial, and I am bound to forget something or someone. Nonetheless, here it is:
I am thankful....
....that God provided a way for me to be restored to fellowship with Him through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, and that one day I will live with Him and enjoy and worship Him forever.
.... for my church home and friends at the church, including all the women in the Deborah Circle and friends in my posse. What a wonderfully warm church! These women are special women...forgiving, open, and welcoming.
.... for the parents of the cub scouts in my den on Monday nights.
.....for the friends I have made in the homeschool community. You all are awesome, and minister to me on so many levels.
....for the privilege of raising Andy, Joshua, John, and Grace. I adore all of you, and I am so thankful to be your mother. What an amazing gift each of you is to me!
.....for the gift of marriage. Charlie is amazing. He is warm, caring, helpful, encouraging....I could go on and on, and I do in a previous post. We have this amazing marriage. I love him very much, and I am so thankful he is the spouse the Lord had for me!
.....for our founding fathers and those who have walked before me in all areas of life....whether blazing the trail for American government or stepping out for the Lord, making my walk with Him that much sweeter.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving! My hope is that you, too, have more blessings than you can really count!
Blessings,
Beth
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
High School Days
Wow! Andy is in high school this year! It happened so fast!
One day he was this little toddler who went around saying, "Gubba, Gubba, Gubba." (means "good boy, good boy, good boy"), and today he is Senior Patrol Leader in his boy scout troop, taking a full load of high school subjects, and becoming a wonderful young man every day.
Recently, I joined Facebook to check it out because Andy asked permission to join. After checking it out, I gave him the go-ahead, and he is enjoying it much with his friends. He enjoys having his own space, and that is a good thing.
My facebook experience brings up memories of high school. I am seeing people on facebook that I often wondered about.
Leslie F. was one of the first people from my past that I contacted. I was in school with her from Kindergarten through our 12 grade year at high school. She always seemed so hip to me, and she seemed to know who she was very early in life. She was outgoing and self-assured. It did not shock me at all to discover she is working in a job she likes with people who are fun.
Andy H. was also one of the first people I contacted. He was my chemistry partner in high school. He works with college students, and from his pages, seems like he is having the time of his life. That's how I would have expected to find Andy! He made high school chemistry interesting.
I wonder how they see me? Wouldn't that be interesting? I am not the same person I was in high school. In high school I was shy, awkward, and not one to jump in. I studied like crazy to achieve top grades. I did not do many social things with my high school mates because of other issues going on in my life at that time.
What a surprise my old school chums would discover if they knew all the things I have been up to in these last 20 years! Maybe as I get re-aquainted with some of them, we will once again become friends. That would be cool.
Here's to you, my friends, both old and new! I treasure every one of you!
Living and learning,
Beth
One day he was this little toddler who went around saying, "Gubba, Gubba, Gubba." (means "good boy, good boy, good boy"), and today he is Senior Patrol Leader in his boy scout troop, taking a full load of high school subjects, and becoming a wonderful young man every day.
Recently, I joined Facebook to check it out because Andy asked permission to join. After checking it out, I gave him the go-ahead, and he is enjoying it much with his friends. He enjoys having his own space, and that is a good thing.
My facebook experience brings up memories of high school. I am seeing people on facebook that I often wondered about.
Leslie F. was one of the first people from my past that I contacted. I was in school with her from Kindergarten through our 12 grade year at high school. She always seemed so hip to me, and she seemed to know who she was very early in life. She was outgoing and self-assured. It did not shock me at all to discover she is working in a job she likes with people who are fun.
Andy H. was also one of the first people I contacted. He was my chemistry partner in high school. He works with college students, and from his pages, seems like he is having the time of his life. That's how I would have expected to find Andy! He made high school chemistry interesting.
I wonder how they see me? Wouldn't that be interesting? I am not the same person I was in high school. In high school I was shy, awkward, and not one to jump in. I studied like crazy to achieve top grades. I did not do many social things with my high school mates because of other issues going on in my life at that time.
What a surprise my old school chums would discover if they knew all the things I have been up to in these last 20 years! Maybe as I get re-aquainted with some of them, we will once again become friends. That would be cool.
Here's to you, my friends, both old and new! I treasure every one of you!
Living and learning,
Beth
Pumpkin Pie Cake
Joshua just finished making Pumpkin Pie Cake for the guests at the Ronald McDonald House tonight. They will enjoy this cake with their dinner. This is one of the most requested recipes that I have. So many enjoy it at the annual Chili cook-off, and I am often asked to make this a favor for this or that person. It is easy enough for a kid to make, but rich enough that you will only want to take a small piece! Sorry, friends....this is NOT part of WW!!
-Beth
Pumpkin Pie Cake
4 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 - 16 oz can of pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
Mix all the above ingredients and pour into a sprayed 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with 1 box of yellow cake mix. Drizzle 1 cup of melted butter on top. Sprinkle top with chopped pecans or walnuts.
-Beth
Pumpkin Pie Cake
4 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 - 16 oz can of pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
Mix all the above ingredients and pour into a sprayed 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with 1 box of yellow cake mix. Drizzle 1 cup of melted butter on top. Sprinkle top with chopped pecans or walnuts.
All of Our Babies
Since I started blogging a bit ago, several of you have asked me to blog about our years where we lost children. I will confess up front that this is a most difficult topic for me. Although the years have dulled the pain, the ache still is in my heart. It won't hurt my feelings at all if you skip this post, but some of you wanted to know, and I thought I would go ahead and try to share today. Here are the facts:
1992 - I finished my college degree. Charlie and I had been married 5 years, and we decided to take a month-long trip to New Zealand. Just before we left, I found out I was pregnant with our first child. Two weeks into the trip, I started having difficulties with the pregnancy, and I ended up miscarrying in New Zealand. It was a terrible end to our get away. However, God provided. The family friends we stayed with the last week in New Zealand helped us to negotiate the government system of health care. God also provided that the man of the house was an OB/GYN and he actually did a D and C so that the remaining placenta would not cause infection on the 23 hour trip home. We returned to the USA heartbroken.
1993 - Andy was born with little fuss.
1995 - Joshua was born with minor fussing.
October 1997 - We lost at 16-weeks a beautiful baby boy that we named Peter.
Early 1998 - We lost a boy at 14 weeks that we named Christopher.
Late 1998 - After genetic screening and procedures to assure my uterus was hospitable to a growing baby, I became pregnant. We lost a girl at 20 weeks a girl we named Amy.
Fall 1998 - We sought the help of some perinatal specialists. With heparin shots and other medications, they predicted we would have a 70% chance to carry our next pregnancy to term.
1999 - We finally decided to try again, and with the help of the specialists John was born in late 1999.
2001 - Grace followed in 2001, and our family was complete with the four children.
Why four? We don't know. Maybe my body was tired. Maybe it was some of the issues that surrounded John and Grace's pregnancies, but it was clear to both of us that our family was complete.
Friends were the hands of God that saw us through those terrible years of losing our babies. In this blog, it is impossible to convey the deep, deep pain that losing a baby causes. Each time, a piece of me died with those babies.
Today, Charlie and I are especially in tune with young families having difficult pregnancies. We have walked through difficult pregnancies with many friends and Charlie's co-workers over the years, encouraging them to not lose hope.
I'll never understand why God allowed me to lose my babies, but I do know that nothing happens to us without God's knowledge. He knew the pain and hurt we had to endure. He knows us completely, and that is a comforting thought.
Living and learning,
Beth
1992 - I finished my college degree. Charlie and I had been married 5 years, and we decided to take a month-long trip to New Zealand. Just before we left, I found out I was pregnant with our first child. Two weeks into the trip, I started having difficulties with the pregnancy, and I ended up miscarrying in New Zealand. It was a terrible end to our get away. However, God provided. The family friends we stayed with the last week in New Zealand helped us to negotiate the government system of health care. God also provided that the man of the house was an OB/GYN and he actually did a D and C so that the remaining placenta would not cause infection on the 23 hour trip home. We returned to the USA heartbroken.
1993 - Andy was born with little fuss.
1995 - Joshua was born with minor fussing.
October 1997 - We lost at 16-weeks a beautiful baby boy that we named Peter.
Early 1998 - We lost a boy at 14 weeks that we named Christopher.
Late 1998 - After genetic screening and procedures to assure my uterus was hospitable to a growing baby, I became pregnant. We lost a girl at 20 weeks a girl we named Amy.
Fall 1998 - We sought the help of some perinatal specialists. With heparin shots and other medications, they predicted we would have a 70% chance to carry our next pregnancy to term.
1999 - We finally decided to try again, and with the help of the specialists John was born in late 1999.
2001 - Grace followed in 2001, and our family was complete with the four children.
Why four? We don't know. Maybe my body was tired. Maybe it was some of the issues that surrounded John and Grace's pregnancies, but it was clear to both of us that our family was complete.
Friends were the hands of God that saw us through those terrible years of losing our babies. In this blog, it is impossible to convey the deep, deep pain that losing a baby causes. Each time, a piece of me died with those babies.
Today, Charlie and I are especially in tune with young families having difficult pregnancies. We have walked through difficult pregnancies with many friends and Charlie's co-workers over the years, encouraging them to not lose hope.
I'll never understand why God allowed me to lose my babies, but I do know that nothing happens to us without God's knowledge. He knew the pain and hurt we had to endure. He knows us completely, and that is a comforting thought.
Living and learning,
Beth
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
A Reasonable Amount
John, as I have mentioned in my other blog, has much to say. He is 9.
Last week as we were eating at the dinner table, John decided to pour himself another glass of Koolade. There was just enough left in the pitcher for John to have about a half of a glass, but he poured maybe two sips. We all stopped eating and looked at him.
I spoke first. "John, why don't you just go ahead and pour the rest of the koolade into your glass?"
John, "Well, I took what seemed to be a reasonable amount considering the circumstances."
It turns out that John was thinking of his brothers and sister remaining at the table. Since there was only about 4-5 sips of koolade left, he did not want to take all of it. What a kid!
Pulling back....not taking the last bit....thinking of others before self....I am sure there are more lessons in John's sweet gesture. He's a sweet guy, and he is going to be a great man one day!
-Beth
Last week as we were eating at the dinner table, John decided to pour himself another glass of Koolade. There was just enough left in the pitcher for John to have about a half of a glass, but he poured maybe two sips. We all stopped eating and looked at him.
I spoke first. "John, why don't you just go ahead and pour the rest of the koolade into your glass?"
John, "Well, I took what seemed to be a reasonable amount considering the circumstances."
It turns out that John was thinking of his brothers and sister remaining at the table. Since there was only about 4-5 sips of koolade left, he did not want to take all of it. What a kid!
Pulling back....not taking the last bit....thinking of others before self....I am sure there are more lessons in John's sweet gesture. He's a sweet guy, and he is going to be a great man one day!
-Beth
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