On Eagle's Wings

On Eagle's Wings
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:29-31

Followers

Sunday, May 31, 2015

The Soggy Saga

I've done my best to take pics reflecting the progression 
of the lake rising behind our house. 
For the past three years, we have experienced drought in this area.

Our view was shrinking down to something resembling a puddle 
rather than a nice cove in a huge lake.
All of this is now under water.

 Above is a comparison of our yard from the 
end of April this year to a couple of days ago.


No rain Saturday afternoon,
but the water continues to creep closer.


And so do the kayaks

 Bunnies are okay

photo credit

 The park behind our house.

 The marina
Another park in our area
Ironically, the park is named Hidden Cove!
It almost is!

The sun is shy during the day giving way to the storms,
but comes out at night to show off!!!

Beneath The Waters

Today was a day we had been looking forward to! Our son was to be baptized!

Gorgeous day! Bright sunshine, cool breezes, less humidity, and nice temperatures for the last day of May.

Sunshine very welcome!

We had front row seats for this occasion and when Jason stepped up to the baptistery, four-year-old Jack hurried up after him to grab hold of Daddy's hand.


The pastor had wonderful things to say about Jason before baptizing him 
(Jack is taking it all in). 
Amy and Kate then joined them onstage so Pastor could pray over their family.

Just as Pastor Zach opened his mouth to pray, 
Jack piped up with, "I thought you were gonna jump in!"

(Snickering heard across the congregation.)

Pastor Zach began his prayer again.

Jack interrupts, "Why didn't you do a cannonball?"

And that's when the pastor lost it!


Another memorable and happy day!



Sunday, May 24, 2015

How High's the Water, Mama?

Way too high for me! 

This. Is. Not. Normal. At. All. 


 The lake is getting a little too close for comfort. 

Only a couple of weeks ago, we walked the trail around the lake.

The trail around the lake is now part of the lake.

Big snake in the back yard is not normal either. 
Stay away!!!

Can you see this is a very long snake?
(I did the best I could with my phone and trying to be calm
in front of the kids.)

In spite of all the crazy rain we are having this month, last week was full of blessings and opportunities to bless. On Monday I made my annual trip to see my oncologist. As I walked through the doors of the hospital and saw people in the waiting room of the radiation department, it just felt good to think about the fact that I was only there for follow-up that day and not treatment. Realizing at that moment I am 10 years out on cancer treatment, I praised God for my good health! The doctor's prescription was "come back as needed!!" Whoopee!!!! So thankful to hear that (I had kinda been wondering how much longer I would be seeing him) so I bade them farewell and God bless!

On my way home, I stopped by the Children's Hospital to sit with a friend whose son was just going into surgery for a collapsed lung. Who ever knew that this is a common thing in young boys who happen to be tall and slender and active? In spite of the reason we were there, it was pleasant sitting with Lisa and Brian having lunch while we waited for the surgery to be completed and hear the outcome. Score!!! Another good report! Josh came through and is doing great! Music to the ears of his parents!

These dudes were escorting another patient out of the Children's Hospital. 
I wish Jack could have seen them.

Tuesday was the last of the Spring Ladies of Grace Bible study for me. It's been a good semester and I know it won't be long before the fall meetings begin. I'm sorry I'm going to miss out on our Spring brunch, but it happens to fall on the date of Kate's graduation from kindergarten. What excellent students she and our grandsons Brady and Noah have been this year. Born leaders!! So proud of them. Noah's graduation was this week and it would have been nice to see him graduate. He's such a cutie.


Brady's soccer team is number 1!! No surprises there! Brady scored four goals in one game and two in the other championship play-offs.

Brady front row, far right.
On Wednesday, I took chocolate chip cookies to Josh in the hospital and I can tell you that was one hungry boy happy to see those cookies!!

 Back to normal!

After a quick lunch with his mom Lisa, and seeing him make short work of those cookies, I headed over to the rehab center to visit our friend, Kevin. It saddens me to see someone having to go through the suffering that cancer brings, and to their families. Kevin is still in good spirits, but it's not an easy road.

Thursday was a fun day with RuthAnn, whom I affectionately refer to as one of my sisters-in-love. She is actually my sister-in-law's cousin, but we have adopted each other as sisters. Love her so much. She lives in Hawaii, but has a second home here, too. On this particular day, being in need of a new bed and other items, she was curious to visit the "Humongous" Nebraska Furniture Mart. So we trekked over together and had fun looking around for the next two hours gathering more information about beds than I ever needed to know. And tested every mattress. Well ... almost every mattress. I'm not a shopper, but it was fun.

One of our pastor's wives put a bug in my ear that she wanted me to teach her how to make the fudge she had heard one of the other pastor's wives rave about. Now it is funny to me because the fudge I make is the easiest stuff ever. You know, the marshmallow fantasy fudge that you probably make at Christmas! So on Friday we had an enjoyable time together making fudge, visiting and trying out a new restaurant, Zoe's Kitchen, that recently opened. So many new restaurants and businesses have come in with the opening of the furniture mart I mentioned above. Zoe's was yummy good. And so was the fudge!

After lunch, my Dear Heart and I met friends to see a movie and have dinner after.  It was a good place to spend a rainy afternoon - being with good friends, munching on popcorn, and taking it easy.

And finally, yesterday, another memorial service for one of our Ladies of Grace. Seems there are just too many these days. Someone younger than me. It blesses my heart hearing family members speak so highly and lovingly of their loved one and what a legacy they left behind. It is always my hope that my life will have had even a small impact upon someone after me.

More storms are on the way. As much as I enjoy a rainy day, I think I am very ready for some sunshine. The lakes are swollen and running over. Last year they were drying up, low water supplies for the cities were causing drastic restrictions, the weather gurus were giving us no hope for the drought we were in.

So I will not complain. I will not complain. I will not ...

Less than a mile from our house, the storm hit one of the boat storage buildings.

Very thankful I don't have to be trying to salvage stuff out of one of those.





Friday, May 15, 2015

A fun, full week

This past ten days or so have been filled with a plethora of good things, so my warning here is this is a very long post. 

This is from a fire just this week that our son helped fight.
Monday last week, international firefighters day so, of course, I had to honor the firefighters I love.



On Tuesday, I rose early to see this wondrous dawn lighting up the sky so I just have to share it.

 

I think this pic was appropriate for this particular day because of the topic of our Tuesday morning Bible study. We are working through a book by Stormie O'Martian called Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On. It's a very good book guiding us through those struggles when we feel we are groping in the dark, but knowing that if we stay in the light of God's Word, He will always give us just enough light for the step we are on.

"You are the light of life
You're the light that lives in me
You are the Morning Star
and I will follow You
down whatever road You lead.
Now, when darkness comes, it's like the light of dawn. 
'Cause You give just enough light for the step I'm on."*

Wednesday morning I awakened with a sense of excitement and anticipation as I always do when it's my birthday. First thing in front of the coffee maker was my special homemade birthday card from my Sweetheart. He loves to make birthday cards, and they always have a sweet message from him.

It's nice to receive cards in the mail, but the trend
these days is email cards and Facebook greetings. I don't
care how they come to me - it's the THOUGHT that counts!!

This is from an email card!
We had our last Bible Study Fellowship on that day with as many who desired to do so sharing with everyone what they had received from our study these past nine months.  It was emotional and touching to hear from so many how their lives had been touched by the study of the Life of Moses. Hearing all the wisdom from these ladies, both young and old, made me feel quite shallow in my understanding. I did receive much from the study, but these ladies gleaned a lot. Speaking for myself very briefly, my take from this is Trust and Obey, there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. He will never leave or forsake us. Be strong and take courage ... the gift of His Presence is with us and we have a hope for the future.

When I arrived home Kate and Jack came to see me. They had a surprise for me and very eager to present a birthday cake. And I have to say I thought it was a darling cake.


Funny thing was they actually had baked two cakes, but they couldn't wait, so they ate one of them soon after it was cooled and frosted!


(The other amusing thing was that I hadn't known they were bringing a cake, so I had stopped by Nothing Bundt Cake and brought these two sweets home to share with them. Of course, when I saw their cake, these stayed hidden. So, a whole lotta cakin' was goin' on around here today!!!!)


Jay took me out for dinner and it was an enjoyable relaxing time. We have been used to going out with our friends, Fred and Alice, but they are in the midst of remodeling their home here, and will be moving back here very soon from Florida.  I am totally delighted about that!

The following day I had lunch with Susan, an old friend from a law firm many years ago. She is so very dear to me and I like the way our friendship came to be. We worked on opposite sides of the floor in our building and so we didn't see each other that often, but we were friendly to each other. One day she shared with me something her pastor had said at her church. I couldn't believe my ears. After picking my jaw up from the floor, I asked whether she could find that in her Bible, but she just shrugged it off and said that's what he said. Well, I gently scolded her a little telling her that when somebody is teaching you, it is your responsibility to check it out to make sure it lines up with what is in the Bible. I offered to help her do a Bible study and, after some hesitation and some passage of time, she came around to ask if I would help her study the Bible. She wanted to begin at the beginning, so we started in Genesis and so began our journey together through the Bible. Pretty soon, there were others in the office who wanted to join us to meet once a week. Believe me, my friend latched on to the Lord and became a new creature in Christ. I love, absolutely love her testimony of all she had gone through since coming to know the Lord in a real and personal way.

Calla Lillies from Susan
Thursday was the National Day of Prayer at The Hope Center in Plano. A very solemn occasion with color guard, saluting the flag, singing patriotic songs and speeches and prayers. I was so glad to be a part of that. Even the little preschoolers from the church next door got to sing I'm in the Lords Army and Jesus Taught us how to pray. Sweet.


Thursday evening was open house at Kate's school, so we went over to see what Miss Kate has been doing this year at school. Very impressive. Her teacher is a sweetheart and I know Kate will miss her next year.



On Friday the kids came over to spend the night. We took them to a jump/play house called Going Bonkers which they love and had pizza. Next morning ya gotta get those pancakes and bacon ready for them. We were to take them home after breakfast, but the heavy rains caused us to rethink that and decide we should keep them another night. And so we continued with our playing, then went to church, and Chilis after.




The next morning we faced the same dilemma, but decided we better take our chances and get them home. It's been pretty dangerous driving on the roads they are widening, but we made it there and back home again.

We decided to go to a  movie to relax and just after enduring all those obnoxious previews and the first five minutes of the show, the movie stopped and we were told we needed to evacuate the mall. It turned out that there was a transformer on fire and they needed us to get out. Sooooooo, we went home, still munching on popcorn. That was Mother's Day.

Our daughter Sara with her boys on Mother's Day
Brady got a haircut just for Mom!

Monday I met my friend Connie for another birthday lunch and catch up with her since she has moved away. I heard all about her new house, neighborhood and friends. It was good to be with her. That afternoon Jay and I went back to the theater to see the movie Little Boy that we had had to leave the day before so we didn't lose our money. It was a good, inspirational, heartwarming movie, and I'm glad we went back.

Wednesday Jay and I visited a friend who recently learned that his cancer has spread and the doctor says he won't have long. Although it is sad, and we know doctors don't know everything, our friend, Kevin, has a very sweet spirit and is at peace, ready to go to his heavenly home. After leaving him, I had lunch with a friend whose husband recently passed. I guess with getting older, we see face to face the frailty of life more especially as we see our friends passing on from this life.

And yesterday, lunch again with old friends from waaaaaayyyy back - Nancy and Sherri. We have known each other for over forty years and we were sooooooooooooo very young back in the old days. Ha! Here we are at Luby's, our favorite place to meet and catch up with each other.


Time to end this very long catch up post, but not without saying how grateful I am for all the rain we have been receiving this year. Our lakes are filled to overflowing which means we can relax on our use of water (but not too much, I still say in the land of Texas where drought comes frequently, be careful with the conservation of our resources.)

Finally, this past week being Mother's Day, I wish to express my thanks to God for my precious Mom who left us 28 years ago. I am so grateful to Him for her in my life. She taught me to love Him and love others. She taught me how to smile no matter the circumstance or the pain. She taught me by example that if you haven't anything nice to say, don't say it. Mothers! What a gift!


*Michael O'Martian and Stormie O'Martian

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Good bye to April and an old friend

The last week of April brought back memories from the past as we said good-bye to the attorney I had worked for many years ago. The memorial service for him was beautiful, and I know he would have been pleased at the things said about him, but I think he might have been a little bit embarrassed hearing them.

After working 18 years as a paralegal for Tommy, he was the standard to which I held future lawyers for whom I worked. He was a man of integrity, no nonsense, and yet, he had a wonderful sense of humor and his laughter often rang out around the office. He loved his family and was proud of them. He was a kind employer and I will never forget the kindness of him and his wife, Susie, to me.

As always, at a sad time like this, it is good to see people you haven't seen for years and how they've changed ... or not changed! One of my friends had put together some photos from the past and I'm sharing the silly one. Since the dress code back in 1980 in a Dallas law firm called for suits, panty hose and pumps, we conspired together to play an April Fool's prank on our bosses and come to work "dressed down."


I'm the tall one with pigtails and the gentleman with the beard and cigar in his mouth was my boss, Tommy. Good times, good memories, good friends! I will never forget the day I began working with these people in 1974 and stayed until 1992. Two of the lovely ladies (front row, left and center) and I have maintained our friendship over the years and are still regular lunch time pals. Ahhh, we were so young back then.


Can't let a week go by without seeing Kate and Jack! 




Kate's artwork. The sun is wearing sunglasses!

Two lovelies!


 Kate and Mommy had a Mother-daughter dinner at church. 


Saturday afternoon and evening at Prestonwood Baptist
for the Gaithers' concert.



 A nice hike on the trail on a gorgeous spring day.
Even the weeds flower and are pretty in the spring.


Paula Deen's pound cake
It is goooooooooodd!
With ice cream, strawberries. Delish!!

(And even though I don't like it when reviewers change things up a bunch,
I did take note of some comments and made the following changes:
coconut oil instead of shortening
equal portions of milk and heavy cream
reduced the amount of sugar to 2 1/2 cups.)

 And so now, we welcome the merry, merry month of May!
photo credit