Count Your Blessings

Mary over at Mary's Writing Nook and other bloggers are joining together to start a blogging tradition..... Let's be a blessing during this Christmas season. Tell us your ideas....... Here is a couple of mine........

* Christmas Card List
When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, D. C. 20307-5001

* Check with your local churches or community services for a single mother that might be in school or working two jobs to make ends meet........ Make her a gift basket with pretty bath salts, lotions, bubble bath and all the frilly things that a young mother will not buy for herself. It might be the only thing under that tree for her.............. :) I was once one of those mothers...... I would have loved that.............

Monday Memory Verse

Karen at Karen's Ramblings is hosting Memory Verse Monday, as she does every week. To join in the fun, visit Karen by clicking on the name of her website to find out all about it.

This is my scripture for today........

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Jer 29:11

.....For so many years through such turmoil in my life, I was lost and undone and try as I might I could not get it right. With every mistake my head hung lower and so unworthy of any one or anything... When I was born again in 1977 and began to learn who I was in Jesus Christ I found this scripture....... what a promise, what a statement of love that my Father God has in me..... It is one of my most favorite scriptures....... One that I quote often when my spirit man feels down and overwhelmed............

Be blessed

Yellow Mums

I have a fall display sitting in my front yard with three gigantic yellow mums that I purchased from a local flower shop. Those mums must be 4 feet in diameter.... What a sight sitting here early morning as the sun bounced off the top of those mums.....My husband of 8 years and I are sitting here at the dinning room table enjoying a quiet moment with a cup of coffee. The silence is so peaceful with only the occasional comment from him regarding some story he reads in the newspaper. The is the type of morning that I can sit and reflect on the goodness of God...

.... My soul is at such peace and my life has meaning. Taking care of my folks is bitter sweet, it is such a gift to have them out here and able to see them every day. However watching them grow older and more dependant is heartbreaking. There are special moments that I will treasure forever. Dad and I have moments that we sit and visit on his nice new deck and laugh about one thing or another. We have serious moments that we discuss family issues that cannot be corrected. All those times with Dad are priceless and I am thankful that God has giving me this time with my parents. I am the oldest daughter and I traveled a lot in my earlier years and missed out of many years of their lives......
......Eight years ago this October God gave me the gift of Dennis... I was already 52 years old and had pretty much given up on ever marrying again. God gave me Dennis on April 24th 1999 right out of the clear blue....... and my life has never been the same. After years of being in very abusive marriages I had just given up on marriage and had settled in my heart to be a single women the remainder of my life.
.... My Father God has such love for his children and He gives gifts just as our natural Father will give gifts. Since our marriage in 1999, I understand the meaning of "one flesh" for Dennis and I are truly one flesh. I would have rather found him a bit earlier in my life but my Father God has perfect timing. I said all that to say this, because of the love that my husband has for me I am in a place to care for my parents.
... I am a graphic artist by trade and I do custom graphic, screen printing and embroidery. My husband converted our two car garage into a beautiful little shop where I only need to step out my kitchen door to go to work. It is the perfect situation for working and caring for my Mom and Dad........... What a God we serve.....
... I will quit with the on and on and wish you each blessing on this beautiful Sunday.

This is the Day ..............

That the Lord has made......

…..Well it was a better day today and I did not wake up crying. Mom and Dad were doing well this morning and it was good to see them up and around and actually enjoying the morning.

......I have met a lot of new friends here and I will tell you girls it does help.


.... Now let me tell you a funny story...... for in laughter is great healing.... I was taking myself a short break and sitting in my rocking chair looking out the window at the fall colors sometime around 2:00... We live on 10 acres and even though the neighborhood is growing we are still far enough out of town for it to be soooooooooooo peaceful. There is a road that passes the front of my house that is not too busy but there is several cars and trucks that travel this way throughout the day. Anyway, I was sitting musing about the fall colors and how I love this time of year when right before my eyes passed my 88 year old Mother with her new walker (I got them the new fang dangled ones with the wheels and the breaks with the seat in case they get tired) headed south bound right past my house. I had been talking to her about getting out more and getting those knees of her working better. I had no idea that she would choose today to take that hike, but there she was, just as pretty as a picture………… I had to laugh and then quickly grabbed my jacket and headed out the door. Now Mother is a bit hard headed and trying to get her to move closer to the edge of the road was futile, so I kept an eye on the possible traffic and she had her head down and was moving on down the highway…………. Lol…… I am thankful that she is feeling well enough to test out her new wheels………. It was a light moment in the day and one that I do cherish. I did however put a little bug in my Dad’s ear to give me heads up next time…..

….. So ends another day in the life of little Helen and Paul…….. I am thankful that it was a good day and I will keep the memory of little Helen moving on down the road as the days and weeks bring with them their own triumphs and struggles.

Faint Not

……It is hard I must admit and to say otherwise would just be dishonest. I woke up this morning and in about 30 minutes I was in tears…(I think I just needed another cup of coffee) Anyway, I am just tired. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a complainer by nature but there are just days…………Now I can tell you that when reality came knocking at our door and it was nothing like I expected. To make a long story short my mother who will be 88 this December spent the first week of June the third week of June and the 1st week of July in two different hospitals terribly ill. I give all the thanks to my Father God she recovered but due to her lack of strength and the shear fact that they just need help now, Mom and Dad ended up coming into our home.

……. Now don’t get me wrong, I love them with a passion. They are precious to me and I am thankful to my Father God that we are in a place to help. However had it not been for my oldest Brother Paul and his wife Alpha and of course my husband Dennis I would just fold under the pressure. They have been right there from the get go and every step of the way since. After getting her home here with us along with Dad we purchased a gorgeous little modular home and put it about 50 yards from my back door. After about 12 weeks with them living with me and my husband we moved them into their own little house….

…….Although though they live in their own place, there is the cleaning and the medicine and the daily care the just checking on them and overall watching them many times a day just to keep them safe and well. I get tired, me and my husband are very restricted to where we go or when we go… What would I do without my brother…………

Here is the point of my rambling………. My Mom and Dad have 4 children and all 4 of us live near………There is a brother and a sister that also live close… However they choose not to help with the folks... It is sad to me and I do not understand why... When in earlier years after we were all married we would get together at Mom and Dad's for Sunday dinner and have the best times. There would be horseshoes in the back yard and much laughter around the dinner table. I miss those times and I miss my brother Larry and his laughter.

…….I find it hard to watch Mom and Dad grow older before my eyes… I am now having trouble getting Mother to drink enough thus she becomes dehydrated, which brings on a whole new litany of problems. I walk over there every hour or so just to remind her to drink. (She gets mad at Dad if her fusses at her) that works some days but other days she gets angry at me also,,,,,,,, but I still go over there and I still fuss at her…….

.....I am tired, just want to voice that…. My life is not going quite like I thought it would but I think that is why it is called life……..Each night as I lay in bed and talk to the Lord, I thank Him for my health, I thank Him that I have the strength to do what I do and I thank Him for my brother Paul and my sister (in law) Alpha …… I thank Him for my husband that is my soul mate and is my strength when I cry before breakfast… I pray for my sister that stays too far removed from this situation and my brother that seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. I miss him very much.

When I get to the place that I just cannot do it anymore my Father God whispers to me that He has all things in His control.
…. There is one scripture that He gave to me many weeks ago and I etched in my heart……

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Galatians 6:9

I am trying not to faint……………..

Pray for me, pray for my husband ……….Pray for my Mom and Dad……….

Be blessed
Denise