Happy New Year to everyone!

You know when I was younger and I heard someone say that time had flown by too quickly, I thought they were insane.  When you're younger, it seems as though time stands still in some moments. I have reached that "older" stage where I look around and think.. It was just the beginning of a new year not too long ago.  Where has time gone?

I'm happy to say that I've picked back up on my morning text message devotion that I was sending out.  You know how Satan works and he didn't have to do much to discourage me when I was sending them out before.  One or two snide comments and I was doubting myself about the text message.  Well, I started sending them back out and am happy to say the response has been great.  Some things just need to be taken with baby steps and it all works out.  So far so good for now.

Only two New Year's resolutions have been made so far.. 1) Get better organized with my life.. All of it.. Not just work but home life as well.  I am the Queen of Procrastinating things so this should be interesting.. 2) start back with my Weight Watchers.. another area I've been neglecting is ME! 

My relationship with the Lord will not be a resolution though.  This is something that will not be broken or forgotten about within a short amount of time.  I took the step away when He waited for me to return back to Him.  Thank you God for second chances.  There's just something about trying to fill that hole in your heart and soul with other things when God is the only thing that fits.  After awhile, it's just apparent what fits.  God fits in my life perfectly.  I pray for forgiveness where I've failed Him on a daily basis.  The thing is that I don't have to keep bringing up what I did yesterday or the day before.  Once forgiven always forgiven.

Headed to Cleveland to spend New Years with family and friends this evening.  Nothing like the company of wonderful friends and family to know how blessed I am.
Peace and love to you all... and Happy New Year.. 2011 will be a great year I pray~..

New photo scrapbook of my family

Create a scrapbooking design

Hope you enjoy my latest creation.

Jenna's Senior Year Scrapbook so far

Photo album customized with Smilebox

I found this program and absolutely love this! It's real easy to use.  Look forward to more pages like this to show up soon.  We've had exciting news with our family and loving the direction our family is moving in.  Thanks be to God for blessing us daily with His love and grace.

Childhood friends are amazing friends!

I have been blessed with knowing an incredible family of ladies for almost 30+ years.  It's hard to imagine that it's been that long but it really has.  We moved to Leland in 1978 and lived on Third Street right behind Joe Turner Hardware.  I think Ms. Sue and the girls moved in after we did.  That began our family friendship with the Fullertons.  As my Mama has said.. It didn't matter whose house all of us were in at the time but we were gonna clean both if we wanted to go somewhere.  We lived beside each other two different times in our lives and each time added more memories.  My fondest memories were coming home from Lillo's swimming pool and Miss Sue would have cooked for us.  Her Apple cake was the BOMB!  It's so hard to see how devastating Alzheimer's can be on a wonderful woman. My Mama was 2nd Mama to Jerrita, Anna, Brandy, and Michelle and Miss Sue was that way with me and JoBeth too.  I pray that we have many more get togethers and share those memories with each other.  I have problems remembering a good deal of stuff from my later teen years from the chemo and radiation.  I guess you combine the lupus/fibro "Fog" and I need JoBeth sitting there nudging me along.  Thank you God for blessing me with the friendships of these incredible women!
I love you all so much!!!!

Survived the weekend!

Normally, my weekend would have been a great time to relax and do housework.  My first indication that the weekend was headed for a downturn was that I slept the majority of Saturday.  I don't normally sleep that much in one day much less for the day and that night too.  Sunday brought me around to going to spend time with Cindy and Timmy.  I had been invited up to view Dow's "new" truck and eat fish later that afternoon.  Well, we helped Doris move into her condoo (yes, I know it's misspelled). That's what she calls her place now. Later that day, we watched movies and the killer headache hit.  I thought I'd wait it out before taking the strong medicine.  Turns out that wasn't a smart move of mine.  I was sick from Sunday afternoon through early this morning.  I couldn't keep anything down including any fluids.  I am so sore today that it feels like I've been run over several times by a truck.  Thankfully, today I've been ok to keep all the food down.  I'm pretty weak but do feel like I'm gonna make it.  Hopefully, tomorrow at work will go smoothly.   Thank God for increased strength and comfort to get over this round of sickness.  I also thank my sweet husband, who stuck close to me the last two days because of the headache and sickness.  He was worried about me.  I have to admit I had started to become worried about myself.
I took a moment this afternoon to go outside and take a few photos of the sunset from my backyard.

Depression

Amazingly today, I saw not one but three different instances where depression had driven someone to take their own life.  Most people seem to have the attitude that there would never be a point in their life when THEY would be in that state of mind.  I'm not saying that I am in that state of mind now but I have experienced it before.  One thing that keeps resounding in my head is that question.. Who would I be to judge someone else?  I don't want anyone judging me.  From what I understand, God has the final judgement on that.  You don't and neither do I.  I think I bit a hole in my jaw today from wanting to just go off on the judgemental person.  Ever heard of judge not lest you be judged.  Sorta like take the plank out of your eye before you tell me about the speck in mine.

Unfortuately,  I think lack of sleep and stress have me in one of those funky moods.  I can take care of both pretty quickly tonight though.  God always has a way of reminding me when I've done way too much and need the rest.  He's been nudging me for several days with achy and sadness.  I'm gonna listen for a change. 

I am so thankful that God is a God of love and peace.  I know that turning over these mundane things that absolutely drive me nuts is the way to go.  May God's love and peace surround you also.

Seasons of life

I've mentioned before about the seasons of life and how quickly they change. I was reminded again tonight watching the news. I don't know all the details but that a MSU football player died today from a very brief battle with cancer. I can't begin to imagine the pain that his family is going thru much less the tremendous loss that his friends, etc. will continue to feel for days, years to come.

How is it that the majority of us take our days for granted? How can you blindly assume that you have tomorrow when we're not guaranteed a minute from now? I do have the incredible blind faith that no matter what God is taking care of me. However, I also assume that my tomorrow will come. I'm guilty of saying.. I'll do that later.. I'll tell them later how I feel. What happens if my tomorrow doesn't come? Will everyone I truly love know without a shadow of a doubt that I loved them? I can say that if I call you my friend then I truly have a love for you. I believe that everyone you come into contact with has been placed in your life for a reason. God doesn't make mistakes where He places people. We may sometimes wish that but it will never happen.

To my family and friends, God placed you in my life and I pray that if I was to be an influence on your life that I have done my job. I pray that it hasn't made you think badly of me. I can only pray that whoever I've met and shown God's love to has known it was a true agape love. I don't believe in being fake with my feelings. Love is a word that I don't mind using at all. If each one of us quit trying to determine our version of love and just used God's love as an example, we would all be in a better state of mind.

A friend of mine posted something earlier about after losing both parents recently she has now found out that her brother has brain cancer. I lift this dear lady up to our Father for the strength and peace that only He can give her. I pray that I can be the type of friend she needs during this journey.

Forgive my ramblings on and on... I guess when I'm faced with a life shortened before what we consider to be time then I examine my own mortality. God has granted me an extraordinary amout of time that I didn't deserve. I won't ever be good enough to deserve the time but I can make sure that I've made the most of it. I can also be sure that I show His love on a daily basis in whatever ministry He sees fit.

Peace and love to all...until we meet again..

Amazing Birthday!

I am reminded time and time again how precious life truly is. This birthday was no different from any other birthday that I've had since 1986. You see in September of 1986, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease. I had a tumor the size of a grapefruit wrapped around my heart and laying over on the chest wall. At that time, my parents were told that if the tumor grew as much as 1/2" to an inch then I would hemorrage to death before they even knew what was going on. What a huge piece of information that they carried with them during that time. I went from graduating high school and dating a wonderful guy to beginning the battle of my life. One reassuring factor during this time was the wisdom of my Aunt Donna. She called me one day and asked me if I knew how to pray. Of course, I said well yeah. She said, "Honey, I want you to talk to God like you were talking to your best friend." And that's exactly what I did. I prayed one night as I was leaving Hollandale going back to Leland. I talked to God and said everything that was on my heart. I gave my life to Him and told Him that I was His to do whatever He saw fit to do with. I can't describe in words that sense of peace that passes all understanding that filled me from head to toe. It was as if a wave of peace had encompassed my entire being. He still fills me with that sense of peace today. Each day that I draw breath is just another day that He is giving me to become the person He wants me to be. Thanks be to God for another birthday!

Another Birthday!

I'm so blessed with another year of life. God has given me so many blessings throughout my lifetime that are too numerous to begin to list. He saw fit to give me a second and third chance at living the life He has intended for me to live. Back in 1986, I was faced with a life or death battle but God knew what He had planned for me. Who would have thought that when I began my senior year in high school that I would have been facing cancer after graduation? It wasn't anything I had ever had to deal with before but would continually think about after the completion of chemo. There have been so many times when my human nature competes with the certainty of what I know is the Truth. I guess that's why we fall short and need God's grace. I recently went for my mammogram and female checkup. I can honestly say that although I know I rest in God's amazing embrace, there are times when I think.. Is this the visit that I find out something is wrong? I don't think I'm alone in thinking these kind of things. However, should God see fit to give me another "challenge" or "bump" in this journey I call life, I know that I am His child and will have the strength to endure whatever is on this journey. I can praise Him thru the storms and the sunshine of my days.

Loving this season of life

A good friend of mine told me that she quit looking at the things that happened as events or time passing by too quickly. She said that everything we have going on puts us in a different season of life. What you may have loved to do years ago may not necessarily be the same thing you enjoy doing later on. I've entered another season of my life with our youngest child, Jenna, being a senior this year at Humphreys Academy. She's enjoying her senior year but also realizes that she too is entering another season in life. It's hard to watch her going thru the changes but I also know that the changes are going to happen. I guess that's the hardest part of being a Mama is having been in a stage of life and knowing that you do survive it but wanting to take the pain away from them. I just wonder if God looks at us and already knows the pain that we may endure but He also knows that the pain must happen in order for us to grow as Christians.

God bless my family and we grow and change together. I thank Him for all my family and friends and praise Him for the many storms that He's weathered with me.

Praying for those that have lost loved ones recently but also know that although we mourn their passing on, the reunion in heaven is one awesome time.

I also have had my Aunt Ann on my mind alot lately. She was a tremendously loving woman who told it straight but also loved with all her heart. She ultimately passed away from cancer that had metastitized throughout her body. There's a double pink Knockout rose planted in her memory in front of my window. I love you, Aunt Ann. I only pray that I love as you did and live my life in such a way that will make everyone proud of the woman I am.

Senior Pictures of Brittany

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon taking photos of my oldest neice, Brittany. We had a great time and she was such a great subject to photograph. I've posted a few of the pictures from the shoot. She's assured me that she loved the photos and will direct plenty of others my way. It would be so nice to turn a hobby into a profession. God directs my steps so I'm entrusting Him to make a way. My next subject for my session I hope is my own baby girl. Hard to believe she's a senior already. They grow up way too fast!

Clouds

Took this photo the other day as a storm was passing over. I have always been fascinated with clouds and weather. The settings on my camera were set on sunset feature for the top photo and just natural lighting on the second photo.

I've enjoyed taking photos and plan on taking more time to appreciate the beauty that God has blessed us with.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Today is my 23rd anniversary with my husband, Ronnie. We've had the usual ups and downs but then everyone has those. I can honestly say that this man was sent to be a part of my life. He was there in the beginning when we found out that I had cancer, Hodgkin's Disease. He was there when I started chemo.. there holding my head while I was sick from chemo.. there when my hair started falling out.. Always telling me I was beautiful even when I really wasn't. He's been the love of my life for 24 years. He was there when we lost our first baby so soon after finishing chemo. He was there for the birth and raising of our other 3 kids. He's been a great daddy to my kids and the only man I could think of being married to. I believe that he loves me a tremendous amount or would not have gone thru the stuff we have. We've done what we thought was the best for our kids and have three beautiful, compassionate, kind and loving kids that we like to take credit for. He has been there for a diagnosis of lupus.. He has loved me regardless of my size and continues to say I'm beautiful. I love this man, Ronald Micheal Clark! You make me whole.

Incredible!

Ronnie, Jenna and me after the Beauty and Beau review. She's so gorgeous!

This was taken at Humphreys Academy's Beauty and Beau review. Julia, Jenna and Josh.

Of all the things, I let slide in the last year this blog has been the main thing. I'll be more faithful to my blog and let my feelings flow forth. lol.. I've taken loads of photos since then. Quick update on the family, Julia turned 21 (can't wrap my head around that), Josh finished his first year of college, and Jenna is now officially a senior in high school. Ronnie and I have reached a different season of our life together. It's actually sad but exciting at the same time.