Full of Joy

Please welcome back for the SECOND time, my dear friend, Lisa Beavers! *** It was Valentine's weekend. It was also the same month that marked 10 years since my husband had gotten down on one knee, opened up a box to reveal a princess cut solitaire diamond, and asked me to marry him.  I was enjoying an evening out on the town with my coworkers as a treat from our boss who gave us tickets to see the show “Grease”. We had dinner before the show, then afterwards spontaneously decided to swing by Krispy Kreme because what's better than fresh, hot donuts at 10:00 at night? I came home giddy from sugar, bubbling over with stories to my husband. I plopped on the couch next to him, and suddenly noticed as I looked down at my left hand that something was very wrong. The diamond from my engagement ring was gone . The prongs stuck out, empty of the treasure they had held onto for 10 years. Not the actual ring ;) My heart plunged. On...

My 2 1/2 year old son's motto in life seems to be, "Full Speed Ahead!" at every moment. He is a boy with  loads of energy, enthusiasm, and passion. He loves to have fun, and sometimes gets himself into quite a pickle doing so. Needless to say, when I sat down with him to read, "First Virtues- 12 Stories for Toddlers" by Dr. Mary Manz Simon I didn't have high expectations he would pay much attention. I have to tell you, he was hooked by the first page! In fact, I was able to read the first 4 1/2 stories to him before he was ready to get down. I believe what kept his attention the most were the animals in the stories. He loves animals, and enjoyed seeing them interact with each other. After he hopped off the couch, I continued reading the book. I was personally struck by the, "Parent Connection" section that appeared after each different virtue represented through a different animal. These sections give parents small bits of practical ...

This past Saturday, May 14, my little brother married the most perfect girl for him! Allow me to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. John Mark Amos! After almost a week away from home, I returned back to our regular routine, but with a new sense of joy in my heart. I felt relaxed. I felt happy. I felt at peace. I felt rejuvenated. I felt something bubbling inside me, but I couldn't quite place my finger on what it was. I didn't want to interact with my regular world yet. I wanted to stay in the bubble of wonder. I wanted to soak myself into what I had just experienced. As I contemplated this, I realized I was genuinely rejoicing for John Mark and Elizabeth. I was deeper than happy or even thrilled- I was worshipping our God with them. Elizabeth had a dream to marry John Mark right outside her family's farmhouse in a tucked-away "Secret Garden". The forecast for their wedding day was bleak, at best. Cold temps and rain were almost certain. I felt an ache in my sou...

Chuck took Jase on a special outing, so Basye girl and I are hanging out together. We love our girl time! She's a happy thing, and we are thankful! THANK YOU all so much for your prayers for her during her surgery, and now during her recovery. A friend of mine's daughter had this same surgery three times, and she shared how the recovery was always tough. She was right. Baby girl does not like her drops or ointment, and that stresses this Mama out. The way Basye's eyes are, it LOOKS like she's in a lot of pain, but she is acting happy and sweet as ever. She slept through the night the last two nights, although she woke up at 6am today. Poor Papa (my hero!)- his morning started early. We've been asked a few questions about Basye, and thought we'd answer some of those in case anyone else is wondering. To learn about the kind of surgery she had, you can check out this link: http://www.pedseye.com/strabismus_surgery.htm 1 in 3 children have to have the procedure...

She just loves strutting around in her pink boots! I often wonder why my baby girl has had so much happen to her little physical body her first year of life? I don't really need an answer, it's just something I wonder. I've spent a lot of time worrying over her, pretty much since she arrived and had to be whisked away from me in the hospital so as not to catch the flu from her own Mama. It boggles my mind when I consider how many things have come up since then that we've had to face head-on for her. It's easy to get choked up thinking about facing another huge, physical obstacle for her first thing tomorrow morning. Thankfulness reigns in my heart as she has absolutely no fear or anxiety heading into surgery because she's a baby. She has no fears because she doesn't know what's coming. A lot of times I think the anticipation is the worst part of situations like these. I can't wait until her surgery is over, and she's well on her way to reco...