BTW, I’d never make a nurse either. I was a terrible mother when it came to them being sick or injured…I panicked. When a daughter had her tonsils out, I ended up passed out in the other bed. LOL

Delivered, you just continued making the tears flow…that was so beautifully said and I thank you for the reminder of all the little things we have to be thankful for, but most importantly the biggest thing, our Lord’s forgiveness of our past mistakes and making us new creatures.

And AHA D, I found out sorta where you live in NC. I live off 64W and you’re down 64E, so we’re just a straight highway apart, after bypassing Raleigh. :o)

You sort of beat me to the punch, D. I had to be reminded of a lot I haven’t had to face, deal with for years last Thursday night. Then earlier this week I couldn’t get over how vital coming across, stumbling onto, this blog spot would be to, for me. There’s probably more understanding in that area to be revealed. Anyway, still grateful, thankful for all this, all of you & all the ways Christ takes such thorough & complete care of us.

And, after all, we are all a bunch of “used to be(s) _________”! We just fill in the blank with whatever our past is.

God is God and God is good…always.

I am soooo thankful to have another day to serve Him & glorify Him,
thankful that on the way home from the Food Lion, (in the next town of Tarboro, NC – 7 miles away) I pass several soybean fields, & notice groups of deer feeding – so peaceful even though being driven from their natural home due to new higways,
Thankful that on my walk this AM, hear all these different birds praising the Lord in their own languages, in concert, w/out strife or discord, & catch little bunnies playing in the field across from my home,
Thankful that during my prayers & morning devotions I hear this pitter-patter, which grows into romping – up & down my hallway – my furfaced cats of different breeds/ages/origins, all playing happily together,
Thankful to wake up in such joy & anticipation in the day, after a sweet night of peace in my Jesus – which used to not be possible due to my bondages, & I mean MANY SERIOUS BONDAGES – usually I would MAYBE just then be going to bed – sleep was an escape artist in those days due to the drugs. Once upon a terrible time, after realizing that I had finally come to consciousness, would squeeze my eyes shut against living, hoping to stay asleep as long as I possibly could, not wanting to live nor face another day,
Thankful for you, Tori, and this wonderful site to be able to vent this, and for your superduper friendship. Ya know, I thought Russ was the greatest, but the Lord used him to get me to you, and I am thankful for that, too, but you already know this,
Thankful for all of you out there that post here, giving me hope, encouragement, smiles, tears, wisdom, insights, how did all of these extraodinary people wind up on one website? It is phenomenal!

I thank my living God for this chance to thank & praise Him with you and for you!

(ok, i’m putting the soapbox away now – temporarily=)

The pictures of Russ and the girls at the baptism are timeless and precious! I was crying as I saw them Tori. They will treasure those moments for years to come.

Your hospital shift reminded me of my “2 shifts” by my Mom’s bed when she was dying…watching every breath and listening for every change in the beeps and noises of the stuff she was hooked up to. I treasured (precious moment) the early hours of the morning reading to her from the Bible (I think they were mostly for me!). I prayed over her after reading one early morning (which was her last)and fell asleep with my head on her chest and my arm across her body. My brother (asleep in the waiting room) said he came in and didn’t want to disturb the moment. Precious moment.

Treasure every one of them, Tori. You are blessed, indeed.

I absolutely love all three of those photos: they each show expressions of sweet and boundless love. Don’t lose those pictures, sweet pea.

How can He not reward you when you and Russ brought up two beautiful children to trust in and follow His Son.

My prayers will continue for your dad and to keep your mom healthy so she can take care of your pop.

Thank you for sharing this very personal and special event with us. I can only imagine the pride Russ was feeling as he was baptising his girls. Wow!!! God is good!

“I love you man!!” I wish I could just give you all a big hug just to feel some of that power that is all around you right now.

And, those 2 pics are the absolute GREATEST! How proud are you, chick? WOW! The love of your family flowed right out of the screen and popped me upside my head! I am sitting here laughing at how your folks are sittin’ there like they’re waiting for the cruise to set sail, and then the powerful love of Jesus shining thru your family leaves me in tears of such love, joy and gratefulness in our salvation and bond thru Jesus! Our God is an awesome God, and yes, He does reign, not only in heaven above, but here on Earth! That is the good thing about it all, we don’t have to wait until later! Girl, I am really about envious of you! (Not quite, yet!)

Later, gator! Much love, and thanks to our Lord!

Concerning the last two pictures, that man SERIOUSLY loves his girls!! Don’t know if I’ve ever seen father/daughter moments like that before. And concerning you and your father, this girl SERIOUSLY loves her dad!! I don’t know if I’ve come across anyone with the relationship you have with your father! It’s all good, encouraging, blessing, profoundly touching at times, humbling too. Thanks for all the sharing = )