https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40jtY5dDDOY

And Matthew 6:33 is in my top three; along with any verse that warns us not to lean on our own understanding of things. There seem to be so many things in our ‘faith life’ that seem to short cut us from actually sitting at His feet and listening to His voice alone = )

P.S. One more thing. If it does happen any time soon I will not be home to make you and Russ my salsa.

I’ve seen that lady before….in fact, I believe Tori shared several of her brief videos with us at one time. And, I have to agree she is funny.

http://www.godvine.com/Why-Older-People-Shouldn-t-Bungee-Jump-by-Hilarious-Comedian-Jeanne-Robertson-2902.html?fb_action_ids=10200206984111755&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210200206984111755%22%3A427138240704411%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210200206984111755%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-Ak4vN1Vb2A

Right now, I am dealing with my dear uncle’s illness….he’s dying of cancer. He’s been a constant in our lives for so long, I just can’t imagine life without him. He was so generous to my sibblings and I—with his time, his money, his love, and support! And now that his time here is short, people are coming out of the woodwork to tell us how he helped them too!

Seeing him losing the battle with that sinister disease hurts as much as watching my own dad slowly succomb to the same enemy. And I have to admit I’ve been having trouble seeing anything positive about it. But maybe it’s this——Heaven seems closer now……we have so many precious loved ones there waiting for us. Harry’s had rheumatoid arthritis for a couple decades and every move he makes is painful, but soon I believe he can move and run and jump without any pain at all! And I’m sure, if there’s a God in Heaven and His word is true, there’s a fabulous custom built home for Uncle Harry that will make all this suffering down here worth every minute! And his illness has reminded us all to express our love for each other while we have time! And we’ve learned never to take God’s blessings for granted……or forget about them at the first sign of trouble. And on that note, have I told you Tori Taff that I love and appreciate you? Well, I do! And this “family” that meet on your blog regularly—-I love and appreciate them too.

In a way, Uncle Harry had a hand in our friendship, Tori. He took us to our first gospel music concert at the IMA Auditorium in Flint, Mi. when we were young kids….where we first heard Southern gospel in the heart of the frozen North…..and we loved it! He took all five of us kids, along with Mom and Dad, and bought us a record player and every gospel album we wanted. When a new album came out, he would buy it for us. And I fell in love with Russ Taff and the Imperials. And so on…….

Philippians 3:8
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”

I believe there are various times Christ allows that get me to a place of not knowing my ups from my downs, my gains from my losses, etc. In all this, I believe I grow and develop in my Faith, trust in Him. And the only thing gained when things settle –so to speak– is Him.

mourning the loss of a friends father – but he lived a long and love filled life. he will be terrible missed by many, but there are many many memories that will live on in the hearts and minds of those lives he touched.

readying myself to be a mom to a teenager in just 5 days. all the uncertainty and change that is on the horizon, well you know… but at the same time looking forward to sharing in some of her experiences and seeing life through her eyes.

It must be something in the air, because I’ve been thinking about endings and beginnings all week as well. I thought maybe it was the season of Lent; one day our Lord was heralded as King w/ palms waving; and crowds singing his praise, then a few days later what seemed like the end of everything to Peter, John and the rest of the Disciples, was really just the beginning of life, the real eternal life we were created for.

For the past few years I thought, and questioned whether or not I’d lost a precious friend; there had been no real contact for several years, and I missed them so much; so very much, but I was forced by time and space to say “in your time Lord; you know my heart and mind remain the same, in your time, I will always be there for them”. I was thrilled to bits when out of the blue I received a call; to hear that familiar voice, and connect was a true joy to know it was still there. This is what I thought of when you mentioned your mom. And I realized that’s the key; @ least it is for me, my time is not always in line w/ the Father’s, and the creaky knees, and ankles, the hello’s and goodbye’s, be they sad or not, all work to round out our rough edges for the day when we will see all those we love again; and not just for a visit, but for always.

Have a wonderful weekend.

But you couldn’t write a moaning blog if your life depended on it. As I read along, the losses were in tiny print and the hope-for-tomorrow comments immediately followng each one were in bold print.

Your entire blog listed your many blessings and yelled at the top of their print how significantly you concentrate on them…overshadowing those bumps in the road, as they seem to be called today.

It’s easy to tell that your secret in life is not dwelling on the negatives but is concentrating on those many blessings. And your key sentence is the answer to the knowledge of how you are able to do it….and it is true: God has never let you down so far and He ain’t gonna start now.

Gracious, I can see your future right now. With the smell of something nice baking in the oven, made by grandma Tori…I can see grandpa Russ sitting in a rocker, rocking away with two adorable grandchildren…one belonging to Madi and one to Charlotte.

Now, I’m depressed! Because I’m not gonna live long enough to hear that cd of Lullabys put out by Russ Taff……make it a dvd.