Beach Life

Wake-Up Call in the Blink of an Eye~

As Thanksgiving week comes to a close, I find I am more thankful than usual.  Yes, I am thankful for many things, but so many times we just ride through life taking those things for granted. Sometimes we need a, "Wake-up Call," to bring our life back into focus.  Our family received a LOUD wake-up call Monday night, November 19, 2012.

Although I am not the first to have ever been involved in something traumatic, it's amazing how something like this makes you reflect back on your life...and how you are living it. Am I living on auto-pilot or truly living for God? What a wake-up call!
* Thanks to my God, that allowed Haleigh, Malia, and I, more precious time on this earth. He still has work for us to do. May we not fail Him in our tasks to glorify HIM. I am ultimately thankful that Haleigh and Malia were not hurt worse than they were.
* Thanks to my Mama, Daddy , Tony, Mom (Ms. Alice), and my girls, for putting up with me in more ways they ever dreamed they would have to. I love them so much and their love for me was shown through all they had to deal with. Thanks for my brothers calling to check in on me to make sure I was alright.
* Thank you to friends and family that came by to visit me, as well as those who stopped by to check on my two sick babies at home and take them soup, even though they were risking the flu or a severe cold.
* Thank you, Hannah, for caring for Holleigh, even though you were not feeling well. You proved yourself mature beyond your years, but I hope never to place that task on you again.
* Thank you for the prayers of my friends and family, those who called, sent texts, Facebook posts, made hospital and home visits. All was appreciated more than you will ever know.
* I am thankful for ambulance drivers/first responders, firefighters, etc. for quickly removing us from the chaos and hospital staff, nurses, doctors, etc. for caring for us. Also, two nurses in particular, Dinah and Mrs. Mary Ann, that came through just to check on us.
Hopefully, I have not left a thank-you out. We continue to ask for your prayers as we are still healing, physically and emotionally, from all this. Everything happened in the blink of an eye and things are still being sorted out.  May God's glory shine in all of this and may we continue to praise HIM in this storm!

Countdown to Thanksgiving ~ Day 7

I am thankful for the sweetest, most giving, loving, mother-in-law I could ever ask for.  She has always loved me as if I was her own daughter, even though there are plenty of times she probably would have loved to have wrung my neck :) For as long as I've known, her she has been a "superwoman!" I don't know too many things that woman can't do AND she's an awesome cook! I love her and am blessed to call her my other "Mom."

Countdown to Thanksgiving ~ Day 6

I am so thankful for my Mama and Daddy. When I think of God's plan for our family and how we came to be, it still amazes me no matter how old I get. It took a special person to take on our family and God blessed us the perfect one. Unconditional love and support was always shown no matter what any of us were going through, as well as forgiveness for our mistakes. Having daughters of my own made me realize the overwhelming job my parents had in raising ONE girl. Multiply me times three...WOW!  I love them so much and am so thankful for the things I've learned from them and still learn from them the older I get.

Deuteronomy 5:16 ~ Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Countdown to Thanksgiving ~ Day 5

I am thankful for my three brothers. Being the only girl in the family, I am certain I got on their last nerve on occasion while growing up.  Even so, they have always looked out for me in one way or another throughout the years. Life would have been a complete bore without them! Between threatening one of them with a spoon, burning ant hills with gas and matches (catching the yard on fire), being a passenger in a speedy, "hot rod" car, or spinning an old, Monte Carlo car around on River Road coming home from Pep's Point,  it is still a mystery how I managed to survive them!  We don't see each other often, but I love all three of them dearly and am proud to be called their sister.

Countdown to Thanksgiving ~ Day 4:

I am thankful for my daughters, the three precious blessings God entrusted to us as parents. They keep our lives on the exciting edge and it has been an amazing task  to teach, encourage, and watch them grow into beautiful, Christian young ladies. 

(Psalm 127: 3-5)
3 Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
4 Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. 5 How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.

Countdown to Thanksgiving ~ Day 3:

I am thankful for my husband, Tony,  the man I married 19 years ago after God decided to make our paths cross again as young adults, who still puts up with me everyday, who loves his girls, and tries to spoil us to no end.

(Mark 10:6-9 ) 6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God hath joined together , let not man put asunder.

Countdown to Thanksgiving~ DAY 2:

I am thankful for my Christian parents and grandparents that taught me about my Savior through their words and through a living example.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Speaking of Christian grandparents, I experienced a heart tugging experience being at an estate sale in a house full of so many memories. Most everything I see I can remember where or how it was used. How I miss my Mamaw and Papaw...

Countdown to Thanksgiving~ DAY 1:

I am thankful for a Savior that loved me so much (and unconditionally) that He died on the Cross for my sins.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Building Our Daughters' Faith

Having 3 girls, ages 12, 15, and 17, I struggle with knowing what to say or saying it at the right time. I KNOW they aren’t getting as much of God’s Word in as they should due to our busy schedule. There are times when they are questioning faith and I feel completely dumbfounded about how to encourage them scripturally. I muddle through with scripture I remember and then have to search for the rest.  Somehow we deal with whatever is going on. Then in hindsight, I think, "I totally missed the mark on that teachable moment."

We don’t always start our mornings off on a positive note…Reading God’s Word at breakfast will probably be the key that sends my girls into the world fully “armored” and ready to face the day in love! I found a giveaway to help with building our girls' faith on Proverbs 31 ministries author blog.  Thought I'd share!

Faith Builder's Giveaway by Lynn Cowell from Proverbs 31 Ministries