Tag Archives: Family Life

Texas Bluebonnets

19 Apr

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

It’s that time of year again, for me to re-post this blog:

Some of my family is from Texas – actually my brother and I were born in Dallas, but moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico when we were small children.  But my mother’s mother (my Granny) and her oldest daughter, Jessie, lived in San Antonio for many years.

Consequently, I had known about the Texas Bluebonnets for longer than I really knew what they were.

Even though Fred and I lived in Fort Worth for many years, it wasn’t until we moved to San Antonio that I really knew about the Texas Bluebonnets.  And they are AMAZING!  They have been adopted as the state flower of Texas.

On the internet I found this:  As historian Jack Maguire so aptly wrote, “It’s not only the state flower but also a kind of floral trademark almost as well known to outsiders as cowboy boots and the Stetson hat.” He goes on to affirm that “The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland.”   Well said.

When Springtime comes to Texas – from the Dallas/Fort Worth area down to the Corpus Christi area – the Bluebonnets are in full bloom, from late March to mid-April.  They are the most dainty, beautiful flower, and we’ve see just fields and fields of them – like a blanket of blue in some cases.  I’ve been sent many pictures of them via e-mail through the years, and have enjoyed seeing them all.

There is even one of Bluebonnets in the snow!  Must have been a late storm – although Dallas/Fort Worth can have abundant snow in early Spring.

When we moved from San Antonio to Florida, I took some Bluebonnet seeds with me and planted them, hoping for some lovely spring flowers to remind me of Texas.  No such luck!  As I’ve just gleaned from google, they must be planted in the fall and have to have the wind, rain, and cold weather to make them leap forth in the Spring.  And the panhandle of Florida just doesn’t have that kind of winter weather.  Shucks!  Oh well, I then planted strawberry plants and they did very well.

But the Texas Bluebonnet is a source of great pride for Texas – as if they needed something else!  And they are just a beautiful side of Texas that most don’t know about.  I think a lot of people think of Texas as dusty, flat, and unimaginative.  But it is full of great differences, including some of the most beautiful flowers in God’s creation.  

I’m just so glad I was able to see them, and enjoy their beauty.

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

Tags: , , , ,

Embracing Change: Seasonal Reflections in Florida

14 Apr

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Time. Where does it go?

In January I wrote about the hard freeze in Florida. The usual vibrant landscape was shriveled and brown.

To our new Florida residents, the landscape could be depressing, but to veteran Floridians, we know spring would bring new beautiful growth to most plants.

January

March

January Dead Shrubbery

March New Growth

Subdivision Landscape

These plants aren’t coming back

DEAD AMARYLLIS AND TREE

The amaryllis looked dreadful and the browning continued for weeks. Then one day in late March the bulbs put out new green leaves. The plants are family heirlooms, brought to Florida when my parents moved to Florida in the 1950s. I had been feeling sad that they might be gone forever.( I forgot to take a picture of the new growth.)

Moving forward- Valentines Day

We aren’t big on the trappings of Valentines celebrations. Crowded restaurants, kind of ruin the romance vibe. Two years ago Culver’s restaurant opened in our town. They specialize in ice cream with the Flavor of the Day rotating through out the month. If the restaurant doesn’t sell out of the flavor of the day, they pack it into pint containers and place them in a glass front freezer for sale.

Thus was born our Valentine’s day tradition. We include our daughter in the fun. Each of us chooses a flavor of a pint of ice cream. Then we share them among us. It may seem weird, but for us it is fun.

March-Spring Craft Fair

Our town has a spring and fall craft fair. This is the third year our daughter has participated. My husband has taken up carving walking sticks.and this year he joined our daughter to sell them.

The event is held at a large park on the Indian river. The day was absolutely gorgeous, a cool morning breeze and blue skies. As I walked the grounds, checking out the wares, I marveled at the beauty we were blessed with.

April Fool’s Day

Launch day for Artemis 2. To be honest, we thought choosing to launch on April Fool’s Day was not a wise choice. We were wrong.

As the count down marched toward 5 minutes and counting, several neighbors walked outside to watch as I did, from our front yards. It was a flawless day and a flawless launch. My husband, recuperating from surgery said the launch rocked the windows. There’s nothing like the rumble that penetrates the body.

And now comes May

The next two weeks of April with be busy with visits from Physical and Occupational therapies, working to get my husband strong enough to return the our beloved North Carolina mountains. Our cameras show the greening up of the dormant plants, my peonies are coming up and I can’t wait to see them.

I would like to say that I will be blogging more regularly once we are back in the mountains, but the days fly by so darn fast! We installed a bird camera over Christmas, maybe I will share pictures of our feathered visitors.

These are from January.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Purpose

11 Mar

Guest Post

Rebekah Lyn

Reblogged from Rebekah Lyn Books

The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, O Lord, endures forever—do not abandon the works of Your hands.
~Psalm 138:8

People tend to find their purpose in their jobs. This isn’t surprising since from middle school on we are told to focus on our grades, get involved in extracurricular activities to round out resumes for college applications. Then we spend our college years choosing the path we are expected to take for the rest of our lives. How many high school graduates know what they want to spend the rest of their lives doing? Things we are passionate about at that age can change dramatically by the time we are 30. 

My plan had me married to my high school sweetheart, with a glamorous job in public relations, and two adorable children. None of that worked out. It fell apart in dramatic and small ways. One dream at a time disappeared until I had to accept a new direction and purpose. I set my sights on a different job. It became the driving force in my life. When I finally had the interview, I knew all the loss had been worth it. Then the call came.

I didn’t get the job. 

I could feel my world falling apart like a house of cards. The reason I didn’t measure up sent me spiraling and shook my faith in everything. Two decades have passed, and my chest still aches when I think about it. However, I can now see God used that crushing blow to set me free from defining myself by my job. 

My first defining description is now: child of God. I go to work because I have to pay the bills, but I don’t live for it. My purpose now is to serve God. Whether that is helping in the nursery on Sunday, offering kind words to someone who is struggling, or another task put before me, I know will please God. I believe writing is also part of my purpose. 

Writing these blogs, sharing Bible verses each week, opening up about what I’m thinking and feeling are ways God can use me to reach people around the world in ways I never could in that dream job. My books take a long time to write, but they shape me as much as I shape them. I learn more about myself and God with each story I craft.

I have cried out just as David did — “Lord, don’t abandon me!” He never does. When I felt lost after my dream crashed down, I was the one who ran from God. Even then, I felt his call upon my heart. When I was ready to stop running, He was there ready to heal me and lead me on. We may never know the complete purpose God has for us, but if we will listen, He will guide us on the right path. He loves us more than we can imagine and wants the best for us. That may mean walking through dark valleys or heartbreaks, but on the other side we find a deeper relationship with God. He will not abandon the work of His hands. 

I’m a sandal-loving native Floridian, but love spending time in the mountains of North Carolina. I believe God has called me to use my writing to spread the word of His love and the gift of salvation He freely offers. So many seem to believe when a person gives their life to Christ they become infallible or perfect. I want to write stories that show we are still human and do make mistakes, but through God’s grace there is forgiveness when we truly repent.

I love cooking, especially baking, and food tends to show up in all of my books. I enjoy sharing the recipes I find along the way as well as sharing insights into the writing journey. I love to hear back from readers and would welcome the chance to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Pinterest.

You can also learn more about my books and some other Christian writers I have partnered with on my website, http://rebekahlynbooks.com

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Our Grandtwins

15 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

I wrote this back in 2013, so these “grandtwins” are in their late teens now. 

In previous musings, I have mentioned our “grandtwins.”  I would like to think that I coined that phrase, since I’ve never heard anyone else use it.  But that’s probably rather vain of me to think so.  However, they are our grandchildren, and they are twins.

Our youngest daughter and her husband went through the very expensive InVitro process to have their children.  And we are thrilled with the results of that process.  Our grandtwins are delights to our lives.  There are 15 years between our older grandchildren and our grandtwins, so I’m afraid these cousins won’t be very close to each other, and that hurts our hearts.  However, our grandtwins were both in our oldest grandson’s wedding just a few short weeks ago, and they are all quite familiar with each other.

But the birth of the twins was quite an experience – for us all.  Our daughter (Janet) called to say that the twins would probably be born within a few days via C-section, as she had developed toxemia. The twins would be born about six weeks early.  Fred immediately called and made airplane reservations for us for a couple of weeks out, staying one week.

However, we had a call from our oldest daughter (Karen), that her husband insisted that someone from the family be there for the delivery, it should be at least her, as well as me.  So Fred called and changed my reservation to the following day.  It was to be a surprise to Janet.  Janet called Fred’s cell phone as he was driving me to the airport, and was surprised to hear my voice instead of his.  She seemed quite disappointed to learn that “we” wouldn’t be coming up for another week.  When I hung up, I rubbed my hands together and said, “Oh, this is going to be GOOD!”

Karen flew in first, rented a car, and picked me up at the airport.  We, of course, got lost trying to find the

Our arrival was such fun.  Karen and I had planned it all out on the way.  She would walk into the room first and greet her sister.  Then she would say, “I picked something up at the airport that I thought might make you smile.”  That was my cue to walk into the room.

Well, it worked.  However, Janet hadn’t seen her sister in over a year…..Karen had let her hair grow…..Janet was in pregnancy “fog”….. and she actually didn’t recognize Karen at first.  She said to herself, “I know this person.  Who is it?”  It wasn’t until Karen was at her bedside that she recognized her and exclaimed, “It’s Karen!!”  After they hugged, Karen said her prepared speech, and I walked in.  Opened mouth – Janet was speechless!  I had anticipated hugs and laughs, but instead got hugs and tears.  It was quite an emotional time.

Later, Janet was taken into surgery, and those two beautiful babies were born.  God is good.

God is with you in everything you do.

Genesis 21:22

 

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

January in Central Florida: Came In Like a Lamb, Went Out Like a Lion (With Actual Flurries!)

12 Feb

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

March has a rhyme “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.

In Central Florida, January came in like a lamb and went out like a raging lion. It was part of a historic cold snap described as the coldest in 16 years. Some places in Florida experienced snow flurries and even accumulation.

I generally enjoy cold weather but this cold “snap” hung around a little too long. Covering and uncovering plants got old, but thankfully many were unscathed.

The other plants and neighborhood landscaping didn’t fare as well. This may be depressing, especially to the newer Florida residents.

But don’t give up. I’ve lived in Florida for decades. The resilience of nature is inspiring. Yes, some plants will be lost but even ones that appear truly dead can survive with adequate watering and judicious pruning.

I took some pictures while walking our granddog. The Crepe Myrtles look awful now, but I am sure they will bounce back. I think the row of entrance shrubs will also be ok. I am not sure about the landscaping between the orange dividers.

The amaryllis below I call legacy bulbs. Their ancestors originally were brought to Florida from North Carolina by my mother in the 1950s. They moved with her from house to house. Eventually they ended up at our daughter’s home. I am fairly certain the bulbs will be fine. My mom would run the lawn mower over them.

We have a few of the amaryllis started at our home in the North Carolina mountains. We hope they survived.

Spring will arrive in Florida soon. I am anticipating nature’s rebirth.

Our home in North Carolina received eight and one half inches of snow. Our neighbors were housebound for several days. Glad we missed that.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Uncle Jess

8 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Reblog

I wrote this back in 2013…and got a good laugh out of the story again.  I hope my readers do, as well.  Enjoy!

I have a really quirky family.  And most of them I have enjoyed through the years – or stories about them.

My Mother’s family is originally from Ireland, with a good old name of McBratney.  I don’t know a lot about the family history, but only some stories from my Great-grandfather on.  He was one of 11 children, eight of them male.  I know that they called themselves “The Boys” and got together occasionally. 

The McBratney Boys

About the time I was “aware” of life, there were only four “boys” left, my great-grandfather not being one of them.  I made a trip to Kansas once with my Aunt Jessie and Granny, and got to see them then.  However, my fondest memories are in 1958 when those four “boys” came to Albuquerque for a visit.  They were my Granny’s uncles, my Mother’s great-uncles, and so my great-great-uncles.  But they were fun and funny to be around.  

1958 – The Boys – as I remember them

While I enjoyed them all, I guess Uncle Jess was the one I remember the most.

Judy and Uncle Jess

And this story about him always delights me – and makes others laugh when I tell it.

Back in 1958, one of the favorite things to do was to grill steaks on the outside grill.  Big, thick, juicy steaks – lots of fat to flavor the meat – special seasoning to give it just the right tenderness and flavor.  You remember, right?

1967 – Fred and Judy = grilling steaks, Albuquerque, NM

Well, one of those times, after the meat had been cooked and all were seated at the table, Uncle Jess began to meticulously cut all the fat from off his steak….and then proceeded to EAT THE FAT!  My Mother exclaimed – “Uncle Jess!  The doctor told you not to eat the fat on your steaks!”  And he calmly replied, “No he didn’t.  He only told me to be sure and cut it off.”  

As I said, he was a sweetheart!

1958 – My Granny and Uncle Jess.  He always had that little stogie in his mouth!

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

Tags: , , , , ,

Christmas Once Again

21 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Yes, it is Christmas once again.  Comes around every December 25th.  I look back on all the Christmases that we have lived through – and they all bring fond memories to my mind.  The Christmases we experienced as children, my brother and myself.  My parents always did everything possible to make those times special to us. 

1952 – Bill and me – Christmas morning

My family didn’t have a lot of money, but we always had presents under the tree – and sometimes little ones hidden among the branches of the Christmas tree.  We really had to hunt for those!

I remember one Christmas that my Aunt Jessie had promised to give me a particular necklace that she had designed.  I was so looking forward to that!  Well, the only box left for me was a HUGE box!  I was beginning to feel disappointment, but began unwrapping that box…and found a smaller, wrapped box inside that one…and another smaller, wrapped box inside that one…you get the picture.  Sure enough, after about six or seven boxes, the last one was a small jeweler’s box – with that necklace in it!  What a fun memory that is.

I remember the Christmases were usually at our house, but as we got older (Bill and me) we would occasionally go to Aunt Jessie and Granny’s house for opening presents.  I loved that house almost as much as I loved ours, so it was a very special time.

1954 – Daddy opening his present – Aunt Jessie’s house

The gifts were more “grown up” then, but always wrapped wonderfully.  The idea of a “gift bag” had not been invented in those days, therefore much care and thought went into how each box was wrapped.  Aunt Jessie was particularly creative in that department!

1954 – Bill and me – opening presents at Aunt Jessie’s house

notice the wrapping on Bill’s present.

I remember that the first four years of our married life, we couldn’t afford a tree – even a small one.  Nor did we have room in our tiny apartment for one.  So I remember folding a small magazine (Reader’s Digest size) into tree shape then spray painting it green, and sticking small hand-made ornaments on it.  That was our tree.  I can’t even begin to remember how I folded that magazine!  I’ve tried several times with no success.  Oh well, it is a memory in my mind.

A.I generated image. Not the green painted mentioned above.

When we lived in Panama City, Florida (Tyndall AFB) one of our girl’s classrooms had a hamster as a pet.  At Christmas break, no one could take her home (Wheezer was her name), so Karen brought her home – plastic cage and all.  Unfortunately, she died just weeks before we moved to Heidelberg, Germany.

1984 – Virginia – Karen, Janet and Muffin

I found another hamster in Germany, but he didn’t last too long either.  So we kinda gave up on hamsters.  However, when we moved to Virginia, near Christmas time, I purchased a hamster in secret, and had a neighbor keep her until the girls were in bed on Christmas Eve.  They were both pleased and surprised the next morning to find her. They named her Muffin.  I can’t remember how long she lived.  They are called “throw-away-pets” because their life span is about three years.  But the girls got a few good years of enjoyment out of her.

Our Christmases in Florida have been many now (we’ve lived here 30 years now), and usually with one set of our girls and their families with us.  Only once or twice have both girls and their families been here.  But they have been wonderful times together.

1997 – Kissimmee, Florida – Forrest and Katie

2009 – Orlando, Florida – The Lawson family

This year we will have Janet, Tom and the twins with us.  Karen and Brian were here for Thanksgiving.  They helped set up our Christmas tree and the outside decorations – things I hadn’t thought about, and probably wouldn’t have been able to do myself.  With Janet’s family here at Christmas, they will help take the decorations down and put away.  How’s that for timing?!  

Fred and I wish all my readers a wonderful, blessed Christmas 2025.  While this year has been a hard one, we are thankful to be living another Christmas.  And we are so very thankful to God that we have family and friends who are so close to us.  God has blessed us mightily.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Cruise Memories-Part 2

16 Dec

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

At the end one of Cruise Memories Part 1 I mentioned our active social life, meaning doctors, doctors and more doctors.

I had no idea how prophetic that statement would turn out to be. My husband developed pancreatitis which involved three procedures to clear it up.

Additionally, we drove a family member to Duke hospital in Durham, NC, a seven hour drive. Fortunately we were able to spend the night with family before repeating the seven hour drive. That was pretty rough on my husband’s strength. but we were happy to help.

Then we began another round of doctor, I mean social visits.

I am happy to say that we have ten whole days with no doctor appointments. And so, I give you, Cruise Memories Part 2

The final day of the cruise was a sea day. My plans for the day involved a trip to the Quiet Cove coffee bar and a lazy day of reading. The daughter had another idea. The Diaper Dash.

I’ve seen the race on the daily activity schedule on other cruises but it didn’t interest me. But hey, if my daughter wanted me to watch it with her, I was in. She promised it would be fun.

The race is held in the ship’s atrium. A specially made race mat is rolled out on the floor for the baby competition.

Point of order, Diaper Dash is the previous name of the event. It has since been “rebranded” but for the life of me, I can’t remember the new name.

As we waited for the event, I was stunned at the size of the gathering spectators.

The event even had an emcee who introduced each competitor complete with funny descriptions of their strengths as well as leading the cheering for the babies.

I hope the video above plays. The babies and their parents are so darn cute. I am now a Diaper Dash fan.

That evening we were treated to fireworks at sea. The fireworks were preceded by a deck party with lots of music. A crush of people went to the upper deck early to get a good viewing place. We didn’t want to be part of the crush so we held back. The husband isn’t a fan of crowds. He decided to stay in our stateroom.

It turned out that was a good strategy. The fireworks were directly overhead.

Off in the distance we could see lights from another ship. I assumed it was lingering for their guests to view the fireworks. I was wrong. To our surprise the ship in the distance began shooting off their own fireworks! It was another Disney ship.

After they finished their fireworks, our ship began. It was as if the sister ships were saluting each other.

We were in a perfect viewing area and the fireworks were spectacular. It turned out we were also in a perfect spot for going inside and grabbing an elevator before the crowds began surging in.

When we made our way back to our room, my husband said that he had a perfect viewing place during the display. The ships position placed the fireworks directly in front of our balcony.

The cruise was only 4 days but that was just right for us. Plenty of time to read, snack and enjoy delicious meals. It was fun exploring a new ship. I wouldn’t say no to another cruise on the Disney Destiny.

Christmas is only ten days away. We wish each of you the joy and blessings of Christmas. The birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aerobics and Hearing Aids

14 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

AEROBICS AND HEARING AIDS – reblog

I wrote this back in 2013, but enjoyed re-reading it.  I hope you do, as well:

 I have been an “exerciser” for many, many years of my life.  As a matter of fact, I began jogging more than three months before I shamed Fred into jogging with me. We’ve never stopped doing something in the way of exercise.

 So it came as no surprise to me to find an “aerobic dancing” class beginning shortly after we arrived in Heidelberg, West Germany.  One of the military wives was teaching the class.  I took the class and loved it!  The interest was so great that she wanted to have a partner to help teach – and she selected me.  I taught the remainder of the three years we were in Heidelberg.   This was our logo and color.

During that time, there was one lady in my class who always stood in the front row and to my right (I was facing away from the students).  As we conversed, I thought she had a speech impediment.  After we got to know each other a bit better, she told me that she had been born with some hearing loss.  She wasn’t totally deaf, but enough so that she couldn’t hear the way most words were sounded.  That explained her speech.  But she had hearing aids that helped her so much, and she could understand all the cues I shouted out in the class.

As interesting as all that is – to me anyway – that’s not the end of the story.  We returned stateside and began our life in Virginia.  Our oldest daughter had met her future husband while in high school in Heidelberg (his father was our American pastor), and he had returned to the States to attend college – where she was attending, of course.  They married a few years later.

One evening, around Thanksgiving time, I received a call from our son-in-law, saying that, on their way to see his parents in South Carolina, our daughter had fallen asleep at the wheel and they had crashed.  I was furious that he would only say that she was “in with the doctor” and wouldn’t give me any more details – like…..is she still alive???!!!

I asked if he wanted us to come and take them back home (they were only about an hour from their apartment).  He agreed.  He then said, “wait, here is the paramedic who will give you directions to the hospital.”  This young man came on the phone and gave me the directions – with the very same intonation that my aerobic student had!!  I knew at once that he had hearing loss, and not a speech impediment.  And, by God’s grace, I was able to understand every word he said – the first time!  No repeats.  God had prepared me, all those years ago, for that very moment, when I would need my wits about me, and to understand this young man’s instructions.

I could end the story there – that is the main thrust of it – but I want to tell you of God’s gracious hand in all this.  You see, when our daughter fell asleep, the car drifted, and our son-in-law looked up and screamed, which woke her, and she drastically over-corrected.  That caused the car to roll several times.  Amazingly, there were no other cars around them – just down the road a bit – no other cars involved in the crash.  There was an off-duty ambulance behind them that stopped, and the paramedics gave aid.  They could have rolled off a bridge and crashed onto the road below them – but they didn’t – they just rolled to a stop on an embankment.  While the car was totaled, our children only suffered a few cuts and bruises.

Our God is loving and faithful and gracious, indeed.

O Lord, you will keep us safe and protect us…

Psalm 12:7

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possib

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

God of All Comfort

25 Nov

Reblog from Rebekah Lyn’s Kitchen

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:3

The complete verse reads: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can offer comfort to those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

When I was writing Summer Storms, I searched the Bible for a verse I could use in a particular scene. I was using my grandmother’s Bible and found she had underlined this passage. I wondered when she had taken note and found comfort in those words. What had she been going through? Was she thinking of someone else needing comfort and finding her marching orders to reach out to them through these words?

Millions of people are hurting and in need of comfort. This past week, my family has faced serious health issues; a dear friend had a biopsy done; and two funerals for tragic deaths took place just days apart. I wonder how anyone can survive without God’s comfort. He offers it freely to those who seek Him, yet many resist.

By resisting God’s comfort, though, not only are we hurting ourselves, we are robbing others of receiving comfort through us in their own times of need. How can we offer something we have not received ourselves?

When my grandmother died, I heard the words of comfort offered by friends and family as mere platitudes. I was consumed by my grief and angry at God for taking her from us. I wasn’t capable of accepting the comfort being offered. Now, when I attend a funeral, I want to be the one offering comfort without sounding like a cliché of platitudes. It’s a challenge. We all feel grief differently. Those words that couldn’t get through to me, may be the exact words someone else longs to hear.

Only God knows how to reach us in our times of trouble. He knows exactly what we need to hear. Comfort also comes in action rather than words. A neighbor mowing the yard when someone is sick; a church group arranging meals following a surgery; a good friend sending a card or DoorDashing a box of donuts.

We will face struggles and heartaches until the day we die, but take heart, God has overcome the world. He is waiting to offer His comfort so you may pass it along to the next person in need. Open your heart and receive His comfort today.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries