Out of the Mouths of Babes

My grandchildren add so much laughter and joy to my life.  They are so honest.

 

One day one of my grandsons, Gavin, told me that when I died I was going to be in the ground for a long long time because I had "Lines and Dots" and that meant that I was really old.  The other day, Hayden told me that I was old because I had "Dots."

For you who don't know what "Lines and Dots" are - it's "Winkles and Age Spots."

I keep telling them the "Dots" are freckles.

I'm so thankful for hair coloring. I don't know what they would say if they saw the gray hair along with the "Lines and Dots."

 

I think I'll start telling them that the dots are wisdom spots. As I get older, I become wiser and the dots show how smart I am. I wonder if they will believe me.

 

 

 Proverbs 9:10-11

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.  For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

 

 

 

I Love Being A Grandma

Grandchildren are God's way 

of compensating us for growing old.  

~Mary H. Waldrip

 

The other day I was at the school. I was in the K4 classroom and all the kids were hugging me and calling me Grandma Rice. I thought what a wonderful name to be called - GRANDMA.

To my grand kids I'm known as Grandma, Grandma from 'Tucky, and MeMe.

The Grandma from 'Tucky was from when we lived in Kentucky.  Some of them still call me that even though we haven't lived in Kentucky for about eight years.

Being a Grandma is one of my greatest joys in life. With my grand kids I can act crazy, laugh a lot, forget about sadness, and share lots of love that I have inside for them. 

I remember my Grandmothers and the love they had for me.  They were all hard working women who raised large families without all the conveniences we have today. I still have letters that two of my Grandmothers wrote to me, even after I was grown and married with children of my own and had made them a Great Great Grandma and a Great Grandma.

My Great Grandma Creekmur lived to be 96 and my Grandma "Mammy" lived to be 91. 

I'm glad that they were a part of my life.

My Great Grandma Creekmur's  Wedding Day

My Great Grandma Creekmur

My Grandpa "Poppy" and Grandma "Mammy"

My Grandma "Mammy"

9 of my 11 Grandchildren and Me

I always pray that I'll be a good example of a Godly Grandma and my grandchildren will have wonderful memories of all the times we spent together and  always remember how much I loved each one of them.

Changes

My youngest son, Mark, and my Dad, John Knight

Proverbs 17:6

Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

When I went to Tennessee, I decided since I was close to Indiana and Ohio to go see the rest of my family. I especially wanted to see my Dad.

He'll be 90 years old in July. Because of his age and a few health problems, he had to give up his independence. He went to live with my brother and his wife. I know that had to be quite a change for him. He had lived by himself for a quite a while and he was very independent. He drove, cooked his own meals, did his own grocery shopping, read books, and did about whatever he wanted.

To me he was always of a different era. Where men were men. They didn't show their emotions, there was right and there was wrong. You always kept a job and worked hard and you called anybody that was older Mr. or Mrs. 

When your parents start aging, there's a kind of a metamorphosis that starts to take place. We begin trading roles with them.  The son becomes the father. The daughter becomes the mother. It's hard changing roles. You want your parents to remain young forever.

And we so often take our family relationships for granted. We look, but we don't see. We listen, but we really don't hear what the other person is saying. We exist, but so often we don't feel.

I love my Dad and still enjoy being with him and talking to him on the phone. He is always encouraging to me and I hope his mind always stays as good as it is now.

I knew this time would come when he could no longer take care of himself.

After I went to visit him, I felt so good and had such peace about him being with my brother and his wife. They are taking such good care of him. In fact, they are probably spoiling him rotten. He gets a lot of attention.

Please pray for my dad and for my brother and his wife and that it will be a smooth adjustment for all of them.

He Is Not Here; For He Is Risen

I have often tried to write a poem about Easter. I have never been able to.

There is so much to the crucifixion and the resurrection. Where would I begin. Would I write about the Garden of Gethsemane, where He prayed, "Not my will, but thine." Would I tell of the betrayal of Judas and the Last Supper. Would my poem tell of Jesus' trial where Pilate found no fault in Him. The suffering from the whipping, the crown of thorns they placed on His head. The sound of the hammering of the nails in His feet and hands as they placed Him on that wooden cross. The thud as the cross was placed in the ground between the two crosses which held the two thieves.

I also think about Mary, the mother of Jesus, standing there watching as her son was crucified. The tears that must have ran down her face  as she stood there helpless. The spear that pierced His side. And the blood that ran down Jesus' feet to the foot of the cross. That precious blood from the lamb of God who was without blemish, but on that day He became sin for us.

Would I tell about the greatest love story ever known. In John 19:30 He said, "It is finished..." No man took his life from Him, He laid it down willingly.

And the tomb where they laid His body, but on that resurrection morning, death could not hold my Saviour or keep Him in the grave.  He rose again that I might have eternal life.

 

"Beyond the Cross is a tomb that is empty

You won’t find Me there anymore

And beyond the tomb is life ever-lasting

And hope forever more."

 

 

The World Of Quilters

Shelley, Karen, Terry, Judy, Glenda, and Candi

 

Thursday, March 14, a friend of mine, Judy Newcom, had invited me to join her at a quilter's show in Pigeon Forge, TN.

To begin with I'm not a quilter and I don't sew unless I lose a button. But, I love Pigeon Forge and it was an opportunity for me to spend time with Judy.

I grew up watching my mother quilt. She supplied our family with the warmth of her quilts from the time she was old enough to learn how to stitch until the day she went to heaven. Beautiful quilts, all stitched by hand and love. I can remember her sitting up her quilting frames in our living room and relatives coming over. I'd watch them spending hours and hours until their work of art was finished. My mother quilted all of my sons a quilt and they still use them, even though they are worn with age. I believe their quilts give them a comfort that no other blanket or quilt could do.

Quilting is a work of art and quilts have stories to tell. Each quilt is different even if it has the same pattern, because the stitches and material that a person uses are like their own personal fingerprints and techniques.

I enjoyed watching the ladies that I was with. They would get so excited over different materials and patterns.

And I thought about the legacy they would be leaving, as my mother left her legacy of beautiful, handmade quilts. Their quilts would be a treasure and a reminder of the time and love that went into their wonderful patchworks of  art.

 

 

 

 

 



 



 

Beautiful Tennessee

After The Rain

North Carolina Sky After The Rain

Psalm 147:8

Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth,

who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

New Beginnings

I know it's hard to believe, but Spring will soon be here. Springtime was always a time of new beginnings for Jerry and I. It was always a time of renewing and making plans.

We would always get Spring Fever as the days would start to warm. As we would see the earth coming alive from  it's long winter's nap, we would be filled with good feelings and a reviving in our hearts.

 

I'm praying that this spring will have new beginnings for me. I still have a lot of loneliness and I'm sure that is very normal. Sometimes even when I'm around people I feel a loneliness. So I'm praying that there will be a renewing in my heart as I celebrate this spring and Jesus' resurrection on Easter Sunday.

 

 

Song of Solomon 2:12

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come,

and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

 

 

 

Daffodils In The Wind

Dance little golden daffodil

You don’t have to stand so still.

The wind is bringing in the spring

For I wake to hear the robins sing.

The beauty of your wistful way

Invites the sun to shine today.

You tell me spring will soon be here

And new beginnings are very near.

Time to awaken from winter’s cold
And show your beauty for all to behold.

-Patricia Rice