Joy is..

There are so many things that bring joy to my life.  I have joy because I have HOPE in my Lord and Savior. Everything that I have and everything that I am is only because of the abundant grace and mercy of Jesus. That alone brings me much joy and happiness.

I am filled with joy when I see these ornaments on my tree each year. 

I was certainly filled with joy as I watched my grandchildren decorate my tree last Sunday. It only took them about 5 minutes to get it done, but I think they did a great job. These sweet babies bring me much joy.

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Joy is seeing this precious face as this little angel was waking up from a nap after church.

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Joy is a little girl in a hot pink zebra print hat that she picked out herself. Especially when the little girl is a constant reminder of God's healing power. Thank you, Lord, for healing my sweet Mercie. I will praise you every day of my life and testify of your goodness as long as I have breath.

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Joy is taking 2 sweet boys to the park and taking lots of pictures of them while they play.

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Joy is my 1000 gifts journal. It has been so rewarding to record my daily blessings and be reminded of just how generous my God is in all things. As I near 1000 gifts, I am determined to keep going and be ever mindful of the many blessings I receive every day of my life. 

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Joy is spending time with Mikaela, Eli, Mercie and Silas. I love being a Nana and I love being loved by my sweet grandbabies!

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Joy is Silas in his little teddy bear hat.

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Joy is the Word of God. There is nothing as satisfying as digging into His precious Holy scriptures. There is life in the pages of God's Word.  There is unending treasure to be found deep inside the inspired words of the bible. When we read His Word, He speaks to our hearts. We learn. We grow. We fall more in love with our Savior. 

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Joy is Laylah Beth. 

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Joy is my baby girl loving on her baby girl.

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Joy is seeing the smile on this precious face. And the dimples...

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Joy is brothers....

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Joy is cousins...

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Joy is the Lord. Joy is the promise of His Word. The Truth of who He is. The faithfulness of our Father. The abundance of His mercy and grace. The magnitude of His love.  Joy is Jesus.

"And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; 

it shall rejoice in His salvation"

(Psalms 35:9)

and I'm so happy...

I've been doing the happy dance this week! My oldest daughter and her family surprised us Tuesday afternoon by calling and informing me that they were about 4 hours away from home. They had left Pennsylvania Monday evening and driven straight through the night to get back home to Louisiana. Needless to say, when they drove up in their driveway, a certain Nana and Papa were waiting for them with open arms! I just couldn't believe it when they all got out of the vehicle and I got to wrap my lonely arms around some very special babies and their parents! My heart was just so overwhelmed with love and is still so full of thankfulness.

Silas had changed so much in the 3 months since we were in Pennsylvania to see them. He is beginning to talk some and he has gone from a baby to a little toddler. He is so sweet and is a very loving little boy! He will lay his head on you and give you sweet kisses.

Mercie has really grown up these last few months as well. She is such a darling little thing and her whole face lights up when she smiles! She just looked at me when she got out of the car and then ran to me and wrapped those sweet arms around my neck and hung on for dear life. I have missed that baby so!

Eli has grown taller and has lost that little boy look. He is so handsome and such a sweet fella. I just love that little boy. He is so funny and so smart and is rocking a head full of curls!

Mikaela has become quite the young lady and it is so sad to realize that she just isn't a baby anymore. She is so tall and so grown up! She has learned to crochet which I think is amazing for an 8 year old! She is so beautiful and has such a heart for God. I have missed her so much!

"I will bless the LORD at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth"

(Psalm 34:1)

"O taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the man that trusteth in Him."

(Psalm 34:8)

(a collage of cell phone pictures sent by my daughter - I miss this little one and her 2 sweet brothers!)

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It is good to have Megan and her family home. I missed them so much while they were off working and am making up for lost time while they are here. Through it all, God has been so good to us. He supplied Rod with a good job and even though it took them away from home, he was able to support his family and that is a huge blessing. I certainly missed being with my grandchildren those 3 long months, but God kept His sweet Hand upon my heart and helped me to make it through those tough times. His mercy and His grace are so amazing and His love is so tender. He supplies our needs always. When we open our hearts to Him, He is faithful to tend to us and touch those areas of our spirits that need some healing. His goodness overwhelms me. 

"For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we

have trusted in His holy name. Let thy mercy, O LORD,

be upon us, according as we hope in thee"

(Psalm 33: 21,22)

loving this journey

I love my life. I love the journey that I am on with God and am so thankful for the abundant mercy and grace that He has shown me for 49 years. My sweet Lord never fails to teach me something each day of my life. Some are easy lessons and at times there are some hard ones mixed in. The hard ones are usually due to my failure to yield in some way to His authority. But they are still lessons that needed to be taught. Needed to be learned. Lessons that just plain needed to be so that I could continue on this wonderful journey with my Lord. Always growing. Always striving to be more like Him.

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We grow in relationship with God one step of obedience at a time.

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I love learning from my grandchildren. They give me so much joy and I want to be part of each of their lives. I am trying to enjoy life to its fullest and trying to slow down and savor these precious times with them. 

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I love to read the Word of God. It is the Bread of Life. It is the nourishment that I crave. There is no greater food for our souls than the heavenly manna of God's Word. 

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I love the on-going reminder to be thankful  due to my '1000 gifts journal that I started several months ago. My last entry is #631 - "The sweetness of God's presence" 

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I am so excited about the upcoming birth of my 7th grandchild. My youngest daughter Ashlie will be adding a sweet little girl to her family.  She will be welcomed home by 2 amazing brothers who are excited about having a little sister. 

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I love this picture of Ashlie and the sweet baby she is carrying. In 2 weeks, that little baby will be in our arms and the spoiling will begin!

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"Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord,

to whom shall we go? 

thou hast the words of eternal life."

(John 6:68)

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I am thankful for those precious words of eternal life. We have unlimited access to those words and the one who speaks them. Jesus is always there for us. Ready to listen. Ready to respond. Ready to speak those words that cover, heal and restore. Ready to reveal Himself to us as the Christ. The Son of the Living God.

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I am missing my daughter and her 4 sweet babies so much! They send us the cutest little letters and cards that just make us want to get hugs and kisses from them in the worst way! And the photos of them that she sends just make it that much harder!

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My middle daughter, Melissa, will be flying in next week so she can be here for the birth of Ashlie's baby. She will be between semesters and able to visit with us for 2 weeks before she heads back to Boston! I am so thankful that God provided a way for her to be able to come home. I miss her so!

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God is so good. I am continually overwhelmed at His goodness. Humbled by His sweet mercy. Overcome with gratitude by His generous grace. 

Thank you Lord for your presence in my life. Thank you for drawing me and speaking those words of eternal life to me. I love you from the depths of my soul.

always learning...

Things that I learned this week and things that I love:

I loved the sweet morning I had with the Lord yesterday. I was fixated on a passage of scripture - something that Bill Hybels calls 'saturation reflection' - and the more I read it the more it just pierced my heart with deep emotion. God began taking me back to my 9 year old self and just showed me the love I had for Him even at that young age. He was teaching me about a child's heart and the sincerity of my profession of faith during the early years of my life. I saw the sweet love I had for Him and saw how small it was in comparison to the abounding love that He had for me. I know without a shadow of a doubt that the decision I made 40 years ago was true and it was binding. I became His child at that time and even though it took me many years to begin to grow, I had salvation at the very moment I believed and professed His name. Thank you, Jesus, for your everlasting love for your priceless gift of Salvation and eternal life.

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I love my husband with all of my heart. He is faithful and true and He loves me even when I am not very lovable.

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"If we are walking in God's will, we will experience God's power"

"God's power is what propels the mission He has called us to.

Regardless of where we're headed, the power is not ours

to provide; it's His. The Spirit of God propels us."

(Greg Matte)

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Jeremiah 29:13 tells us that if we are seeking God with all of our heart, we will find Him. 

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I love my sweet granddaughter Mikaela and miss her so much!

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I miss my precious Mercie and miss her so much!!

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Oh, how I miss my little Eli! I miss him terribly!!

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I love my baby boy! Little Silas is growing so fast and I miss that little fella so!

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God showed me how special our time together was in Pennsylvania and taught me to cherish every moment. Even the moments when they were making funny faces....

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Sin doesn't mix with the Holy. Mixing the Holy with the profane only leads to destruction.

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I love my sweet Bryton. He is always such fun to be around!

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Sweet Sawyer. He's such a mama's baby but is always willing to give me some good hugs and kisses!

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"But unto every one of us is given grace according

to the measure of the gift of Christ"

(Ephesians 4:7)

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As I wait on the Lord to reveal to me the next step He has for me, I rest in the assurance that whatever it is and wherever it takes me, He will be right there with me. He never calls us to a place that He won't go before us. So I sit and learn to be still and listen. I open my ears to receive, my heart to hear and my spirit to discern His precious voice. Speak Lord, your servant is listening....

things that i love

Things that I love:

**I love it when God opens my eyes and reveals TRUTH to my SEEKING spirit.

**I love it when God widens my understanding of scripture and speaks a much needed WORD to my thirsty soul.

** I love it when all 3 of my girls call at the same time and we have to keep swapping back and forth to talk to each other. So much fun!

** I love it when Bryton and Sawyer get to come to Nana's house and play in the water and paint beautiful pictures for me and Papa.

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** I love it when my God overwhelms me with His sweet Presence. There is nothing quite as amazing as the feeling that comes when God's spirit settles down upon you.

** I love it when God gives you tangible proof that you can't out give Him by blessing you 6 times over! He is so good and His abundant love for me blows me away. Oh, He is so good!

** I love it when God gives you a glimpse into the human body and shows you His miraculous power in a tiny  baby girl still in the womb. The amazing miracle of life never fails to totally astound me every time I experience this.

She sucked her thumb almost the entire ultrasound. We also got a big smile out of her. I love her already. What a blessed Nana I am.

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** I love it when God speaks.

** I love it when the Holy Spirit moves in our midst.

** I love it when God lays something on your heart and you act out of love and obedience to Him, and then He just lavishes His love upon you in return. Just because He loves us so much. We serve a good God.

**I love it when my grandchildren in Pennsylvania call me on the phone and I get to hear their precious voices. 

** I love it when God works out the details so my husband and I can take a trip to Boston to see Melissa and deliver all her 'worldly goods' to her and as an added bonus, we get to 'swing' by Pennsylvania on the way home to see our oldest daughter and her precious family! Thank you Lord!!

** I love hugs from sweet boys.

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** I love this t-shirt!

** I love Jesus with all my heart and all my soul. I am so thankful that He loved me enough to die on the cross in my place, that I might have forgiveness of my many sins, redemption through His blood and eternal life with Him in glory! May I honor Him in all that I say and do and may I never fail to spread the gospel to those who need to hear the TRUTH.

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Please be in prayer for us as we leave in the morning headed to Boston. I won't have Internet service until the evening, so I won't be visiting blogs much, but I will be thinking of each and every one of you! Thank you for your prayers!

a great week

I've had a great week. We had VBS at our church and my girls and grandkids stayed here all week to make it easier for them to attend each morning since they live about 25 miles from my house. It was a week full of joy and a week full of lots of sweet but loud, small voices . What I like to refer to as joyful chaos. I think I swept my floor a thousand times, washed a million loads of clothes and bought a small fortune worth of groceries. At least. But it was a lot of fun and God used this week to speak to my heart in lots of ways.

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I have a room that I do my bible study in and the smaller grandchildren call it my 'bible room'. I went in this morning to have my quiet time and saw this index card among the others.  Mercie had made a card just like Nana. You will never know how that touched my heart when I laid eyes on it.

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Eli had called me outside yesterday afternoon to take a picture of him in a tree. He said, 'Nana, my second favorite thing to do is climb this tree. My first favorite thing to do is Praise Jesus.'  My heart just melted right then and there.

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As I was reading in Hebrews this week, this verse ushered in strong conviction to my heart. 

"So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."

(Hebrews 3:19)

Oh, Lord, let me not be guilty of unbelief. Let me taste the goodness of You and see my worth made possible through the precious blood of your Son. May I trust only in You.

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As we were unpacking Melissa's things from Baton Rouge and repacking them for her move to Boston, I found this letter that Mikaela had written her Aunt Melissa earlier this year. It just made me smile to realize how close our family is and how much love there is to go around. 

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There were times this week when I was praying for some peace and quiet. But now that they have all gone home, I am left with a silence that reminds me of the joyfulness of the chaos! I found a little pair of Silas' overalls in the dryer this morning. I found a little stuffed dog that Sawyer left behind. I discovered Mikaela's American Girl horse on the bed where she slept.  I found multiple fingerprints on my glass tabletop.

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 There are at least two ways you can tell if someone -  who will remain unnamed-  has been in the curio cabinet playing with the nativity sets. One way is that the donkey is in the spot where baby Jesus is supposed to be...

and another way is that the poor shepherd is taking an unscheduled nap beside the wise man.

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We found Sawyer one morning wearing his papa's glasses and doing a good imitation of "Preacherman".  I pray that God will have a distinct calling upon his life and that he will hear and obey. If have four grandsons so far - perhaps one of them will be a preacher like their Papa.

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I was overwhelmed several times during bible school at the graciousness of our Lord. As I saw 50 or more children each day coming to the church and having the privilege of learning about Jesus and not being afraid of persecution, my heart just filled up with such gratitude for God's mercy on our nation so far. I pray that our country will realize how blessed a people we are and that we will recognize our sin, turn from our wickedness and fall on our faces in repentance and in surrender to our God and King. He is truly worthy of our praise and our honor and all glory....

"And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen"

(Revelation 7:11-12)

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Mikaela is such a great big sister. She is such a loving and sweet girl and I thank the Lord for her every day! She is a precious gift from God indeed!

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Bryton did a great job during commencement last night. He got up on stage and sang his little heart out with his class and I was so proud! After Eli's class sang, he said "Nana, Eli did a great job!"

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Any time I start to wonder "why?" I read this card. My heart has been so heavy for the people devastated this past week by tornadoes. We live in an area that is known for tornadoes and we were in the path of several ourselves and only by the grace of God missed any terrible destruction. I pray that those affected find peace and comfort in the loving arms of our Savior.

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"My flesh and my heart faileth; but God

is the strength of my heart, and

 my portion for ever." 

(Psalm 73:26)

Thank you, Lord for the amazing privilege of being a wife, mother and grandmother. May I bring only honor to what you have called me to do and may I always show others You with my words and actions. Thank you for your grace and mercy in my life.