Steve's been gone 7 years today

It was seven years ago today that my best friend and husband went to Heaven. There has been a lot of lonely days but I have been resting on God's promises. He has promised to be a father to the fatherless and a husband to the widow. Sure, that sounds good, doesn't it? I'll be the first to admit that the promises are reassuring but they are had to rest on when the going gets tough. I miss Steve so much but when I stop and think about his new home in Heaven, I get a little jealous. He's made it safely to the other side! I have been reading through my diary of the month before his death and have been reminded of so many miracles and ways in which God directed our paths. There is no doubt that it was GOD guiding us. We'd never walked this path before but HE helped us with every decision and gave assurance that HE loved us and cared for us.

I spent the evening with my pastor's wife, Ruth Anne Arnold. That was so nice. This was the first time we went to supper together like this in a very long time. We enjoyed our visit. It helped to pass the evening hours away. There is a tendency to sit and think, "7 years ago right now we were making funeral arrangements" or "7 years ago right now I was sitting on the couch as it was too painful to go to bed." But when I look back at the many miracles that have taken place in my life, I am blessed!!!!

I am putting a picture of Steve in this blog. It is one that was taken a couple of weeks before he passed away. His sister, Debbie, is standing by him and his mom, Bonnie, is behind him. He is sitting in my dining room. One of the boys had a problem with a fan and no one knew how to fix it but him, so he was trying to fix it while he was sitting up, as he couldn't sit up for very long before having to lie down again. I sure do miss this 'handyman'.

Weekend

What a great weekend I had. It started with an overnight stay with my son and daughter-in-law, Andrew & Jennifer, and my grandkids, JeNa and Jaxon. Mamaw had so much fun with them. I took them shopping for Jaxon's birthday. They were really good. We bought LOTS of bubbles and a bubble gun that has batteries and a tee-ball set for his birthday. He had fun. I spent the night and the next morning JeNa just couldn't understand why mamaw had to go somewhere else to sleep. It was cute.

After I left there I went to the Women of Worth Retreat in Marengo, Ohio. What a time of refreshing fellowship and wonderful sessions. I came home emotionally refreshed but physically exhausted. Being the dorm mom makes you tired. Getting in and out of bed ten times a night, just trying to make sure everyone is behaving makes for a short night but the ladies had a blast!!!!! We all had fun visiting.

I stopped by Andy & Jenn's on the way home Sunday afternoon to say hello to Jaxon on his third birthday but he was with his grandma and grandpa Craker. JeNa enjoyed seeing mamaw. She said, "Would you like for me to tell Jaxon you stopped by?" So grown up!!!! Speaking of growing up, I'll post a picture of them as soon as Ryan's helps me figure out how to do this. I'm usuing his laptop (Mac) and I can not figure out how to transfer the pictures. JeNa (especially) has grown up SOOOO much! I can not hardly believe how tall she is. She is almost five years old but she should still be my baby. (sniff sniff) Since she is going to get a sister or brother this fall I asked her, "Do you want a baby brother or a baby sister?" In a very distinct voice she said, "I'll take whatever the Lord gives me." You can tell she picks up on what people say.

It's back to work this week. Sure has been a busy one so far. I'm looking forward to the holiday weekend. That is going to be fun!!! Andy & Jennifer and the kids are coming for the weekend. It's supposed to be warm and sunny. Sounds like picnic weather to me.

Spring - YEAH!!!

I love the freshness of spring. With the sunshine each morning, it brings joy to our days that cannot be duplicated in any other way. I walked outside tonight and noticed that all of my dogwood trees are in FULL bloom! They are so pretty. I wish they kept their flowers all year long. They remind me so much of a cross when I study them closely. I believe one of my favorite 'plants' is the hosta. they are so pretty and I marvel at their outlined leaves. God is so creative in the way he created all of the different trees, flowers and all of the special touches that he puts on a beautiful yard. One thing that amazes me is how he can take something so dead as a twig and bring it to life. Jason planted a tree last year and about mid-way through the summer, it seemed DEAD. We didn't even bother to water it any more. It was withered up and I thought it was dead. All of its leaves fell off during the heat of August. Well I have been thinking, "I need to out there and pull up that stick that he had the 'twig' tied to and just mow that area. There is no sense in mowing around a stick in the yard if the tree is dead." Well, I decided to mow my lawn this week (IT NEEDED IT!!!) and low and behold that tree is sprouting new leaves. I was shocked. I am so glad that I procrastinated (can you believe I just said that?) and did not pull it up. Usually, I would be hasty to just get rid of it and move on with my mowing, but I didn't do that this time. I guess I take this as a lesson. I tend to get hasty and have to remind God that he must need my help because he sure doesn't seem to be moving very fast. Maybe he forgot that I needed this or that. Maybe I should remind him. Oh, if I would just relax. I know everything will work out according to HIS plan, if I just trust him.