Twin Hearts

One of the things that I found out about my husband when we first met was that he and I were born on the same day, four years apart.  Seems like yesterday that I was throwing him his 30th birthday party.  By then we were married.  We only had one child.  Fast forward twenty years and six more children and that is where we are today.  Our love is so much deeper than it was when we wed.  Going deep sometimes hurts at first and involves pain, but in the end it gives strength to the bond.

God has given me a new perspective since Caleb died and that is an even stronger desire to be in Heaven.  I don't think that the thought of dying was ever a big fear of mine, but now I look forward to it more than I did before.  I have always said...one year closer to Heaven

I love my life here on earth and feel very blessed.  I look forward to many more years here on earth with my husband and earthly children, Lord willing.  When the time comes though, I will run into my Saviors arms and also embrace my child who I have lost from this earthly life.

Another year older and another year closer.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
    they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b]  Psalm 145: 3-5
24 

Books Galore by Lynn Austin

My daughter recently recommended a book to me.  Whenever she recommends a book to me, I listen, because she reads books like I eat M and M's.  She reads a lot and she doesn't often recommend books to me because she knows I read as slow as a snail usually.

She recommended the book by Lynn Austin called "All She Ever Wanted".

Since that book a couple of months ago I have read a few more of her books:

If you are looking for some great reading, please look into borrowing or buying these books, or similar ones from this author.  They are wonderful books and if I can read a 450 page book in two days on vacation, then anyone can.  They are the type of book that I found hard to put down.  I am on a roll and have more in line to read now by the same author.  It feels like a whole new world is opening up to me when I'm reading these.

I was never a reader until maybe several years ago when I started reading more.  I started reading many books before that, but never finished them.  I am like that with tv shows and movies too...nothing really keeps my interest that much.

Someone told me once that I should just commit to finishing a book I started.  I have been reading ever since and almost always finish whatever book it is that I start.

Happy reading everyone :)  I'm going to go curl up with a good book.  

Spring in New England

This is the day the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24

New Ride

My husband has been buying old tractor lawn mowers for a few years and has been enjoying figuring out how to restore them.  His newest project is not so small.  It is a 68 Military Jeep.  

God has a sense of humor.  Men are so different from women, yet he draws us together.  This truck is huge (see our 92 Volvo wagon behind it) and my boys are drooling over it.  

Almost every Saturday my husband takes one or two of our children to the local donut shop and then to the cemetery to pray and visit Caleb's grave.  He has started driving the truck to the donut shop/cemetery if he doesn't bring our youngest, which would require moving our car seat into the truck.  If you want to draw attention to yourself drive one of these around.  

Funny story though.  The first time that my husband took it for a ride he ran out of gas at the other end of our street...apparently the gas gauge doesn't work lol.  

 I love that man!  When living in a house with five males, I have found that I need to have a sense of humor.

A Special Song

At church on Sunday the last song that was played on the baby grand was "Be Thou My Vision" .  Please listen (click on the link).  

Our oldest daughter, now 21 years old, once sang that song solo in front of our church family during a service with Caleb cooing in the background.  Someone taped the time of worship for us.  When playing the CD back later, my husband would dance around our living room with the song playing in the background, with little Caleb in his arms.  It was a special time for them and the scene repeated itself quite a bit.

When Caleb died the song became very bittersweet.  To this day, almost 5 years after our little Caleb died, it brings us (my husband and I) to tears, to hear it.

Thinking of you, dear Caleb and missing you always.  

The Rings

Quite a few years ago I lost the diamond out of my engagement ring.  I was not sure where I had lost the diamond and looked everywhere for it, but as you can imagine it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.  We searched home and church and everywhere in between as I tried to retrace my steps.  We didn't find it.

I had an idea that I would save the vacuum cleaner bags from the time that I lost my ring until I had time to go through them, in the hopes that somewhere, somehow the diamond would appear amongst the cheerios, dirt and legos that the bags usually hold.

About six months later I laid out a plastic sheet on our deck and started the task of going through each bag meticulously to try and locate the diamond.  My husband was a sceptic, but I soon won his faith when, in the bottom of one of the bags, my diamond was uncovered!

I was so thrilled, as you could imagine.  I brought the ring to a jeweler and they set the diamond again.  When I put it on again at home I noticed that the prongs were not flush to the diamond and it was getting caught on my clothing, etc.  I put the ring back in the box and told myself that I would bring it back again to have them smooth out the prongs.

Years passed and the ring sat in the box.  At the same time I hadn't worn my wedding ring for years because I needed to have it resized.  The rings have been absent on my finger for a very long time.

I decided a couple weeks ago that I wanted to have them repaired/resized.  We will celebrate our 25th year wedding anniversary in September and I didn't want to let any more time go by without having them on my finger.

I picked the rings up last wednesday from the jewelers with my daughter Elisabeth, who is three years old.  I got out to the car and she wanted to eat a candy bar that she received from a woman whose son is the owner of the store.  As she sat eating her candy bar I placed the rings on my finger again.

It is difficult to describe the emotion that those rings evoked in me.  I was so overcome with emotion that I wept as I sat next to Elisabeth in the van.  She looked at my rings and said "They are beautiful!".  She then noticed that I was crying and was very concerned.  I told her that they were happy tears.

Events of the last 25 years flashed through my head...including the most difficult ones after Caleb died.

I thought about the vows that my husband and I took and how deep and wide our love had become over the years.  No longer the shallow love that we had when I was given the rings so many years ago.  God joined us many years ago and he has helped us through many happy times and many trials...some that we still are going through.

I see, when I look back through the years the evidence that God has held us together and sustained us and the evidence of which gives me more faith and trust for whatever the future may hold.  

I will wear the rings with a lot more meaning now that we have been through so much.  I don't think that I cherished them and especially what they represented nearly as much as I do now.

Thank you God for letting me see things in a new light.

“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! (Jesus speaking)   Luke 12:27-28


  

Blessings through Trials

I listened to this song and it really touched me...click on the link below...

What if your blessings come through raindrops?