Natural Beauty

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

In case you are wondering why I'm screaming, I looked in the mirror this morning. I scared myself. I could probably had scared Frankenstein.

I had been sick for about 3 days with a cough, fever, chills, sore throat, laryngitis, and all that wonderful stuff that someone was kind enough to share with me.

But, thankfully I'm on the mend. The sparkle is returning to my eyes.

I wasn't even able to go to church Easter Sunday and the Easter Bunny didn't come to see me and  leave a basket full of chocolate.

But I do look scary. I always wonder why I don't wake up like those women on television or in the movies. They wake up with their skin glowing and their hair still in one place.  I'm pretty sure that's not the real world. My husband probably was in shock when we woke up after our wedding night and he saw the real me - bed head and no make-up.

 

In my early teens I wanted to look like Audrey Hepburn. You know how at that age you are fascinated by movie stars and you want to look like them. I thought she was so beautiful. I always liked reading her ten beauty tips.

1. For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
2. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
3. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
4. For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day. (One of my favorites)
5. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
6. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
7. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
8. The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
9. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives and the passion that she shows.
10. The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years. (That is talking about growing old gracefully)
 
I'm not a natural beauty, but I pray that the beauty of God's love shows through me.

Psalm 139:14

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:

marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Easter 1975

Easter Sunday, March 30, 1975

 

That is some of the kids that rode my Sunday School bus and me hunting Easter eggs. It was so cold that day, we were freezing. I think the temperature was only around 20 degrees.

And also notice my baby bump.  In about three weeks on April 23, 1975, a baby by the name of Jonathan Neal Rice will make his way into this world.

It was exciting times.

Easter is one of my favorite days. It renews the love of God again in my heart and reminds me that there is no greater love then what He showed to us on that day.

 

 

John 15:13

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

 

 

Happy Easter to all my family and friends.

 

 



National Bring Your Grandmothers to the Beach Day!

Just kidding. It is spring break and Neal and Amy invited Amy's mom, Teresa, and me to go to the Outer Banks with them. We had an beautiful, exciting day with lots of laughter.

We saw Bodie Light House, Cape Hatteras, and Ocracoke Island Light House.  

 

 

Bodie

 Light House

   

Cape Hatteras Light House

 We took a ferry over the Ocracoke Island. You can only get there by ferry, boat, or private plane. It was a beautiful trip over. Ocracoke is known for where Blackbeard the Pirate died.

T

Ocracoke Light House

Hayden pretending to be a pirate.

A visitor to the light house.

You can't be at the ocean and not get your feet wet.

Brylee

 

It was fun watching the grand daughters running through the waves and gathering shells. 

As the sun was setting, we said good-bye to Ocracoke and headed back home. It had been a good day of making memories and spending time with family.

Thank you Neal and Amy for putting up with a couple of grandmothers.

Deep In The Heart of Texas

I needed to see my son, Mark. As you know, he had cancer surgery in December and has undergone two rounds of chemo. I had to make sure he was doing okay.
I want to thank everybody for their prayers. The doctor says he is doing good and for right now he doesn't have to have anymore chemo treatments. They will have to check him several times - doing blood work and body scans to make sure the cancer doesn't return.
I am so thankful to God for his love and care for my son. And I am so thankful for prayers.

I am so thankful I am getting to spend some time with him and his wife, Maria. 





An authentic Mexican Restaurant - La Gloria.
It was created to celebrate the rich and delicious street foods from interior Mexico.
La Gloria means "the heavens".



My son, Mark, on the River Walk.

Enchanted Rock

Mark and Maria

Mark and I made it almost to the top of Enchanted Rock.
To the top is 6 miles and we made 4 miles.
 

Fredericksburg, Texas is a German Settlement founded in
May, 1846.

At Rustlin Rob's
Full of Texas gourmet foods for you to sample.

Luckenbach, Texas
A little town with not much in it. But I know there is a song
called Luckenbach, Texas and so I had to go there just so I could
say I had been to Luckenbach, Texas.

The Alamo at night.

And The Gold Medal Winner Is....

And the gold medal winner in The Grandma's Figure Skating Competition is Patricia Rice. I stepped proudly into the winner's circle. They placed the Gold Medal around my neck and the National Anthem for the United States echoed throughout the building.

Yes, that's me and my grand daughter, Hayden.  And I'm sure not a gold medalist winner. I'm praying that all my bones are in one piece before the night is over. I had to be crazy. It had been 50 years since I had a pair of ice skates on.

I looked like a little old lady with a walker going around the ice.  When I let go of the walker - down I went. But I was determined. I might never have another pair of ice skates on in my life, but that was FUN!

Sometimes a person has to take chances.  I needed to laugh. Neal said I needed an award for being the oldest person on the ice. I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not.

It did take a lot of  courage and faith to step out on that ice. I felt like I had jello legs.

As we go through life, sometimes we all need courage and faith to face life's challenges.  Facing a fall on the ice is nothing compared to trials that people face daily. I'm so thankful to God who gives us courage to keep pressing on.   

2 Timothy 1:7

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; 
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

The Pits

I hesitate in publishing this post. It's a very personal one and I usually don't publish my private thoughts. But I felt like it would help me to be able to write about it and maybe gain a new respective.

Here it is 10:30 in the morning and I'm still laying on the couch in my pajamas, drinking my first cup of coffee and wondering what am I doing. I use to rise with the sun. Morning time was my favorite time of the day.

I think I realized I'm in The Pits. In other words "I'm depressed."

I have no reason to be. The Lord has blessed me more than I deserve. I have no reason to feel sorry for myself.

I do not like it. It's a dark place, an unhappy place, a place of hopelessness. 

I don't even like being around me.

I have never felt like this. I know it's a real thing and a lot of people deal with it, but like I said I have never been here before.

I would always fight my way out and I wouldn't even allow the word depression to be part of my dictionary. In fact one of my sons has always called me "Pollyanna."

It's like all the things that made me excited, don't excite me anymore. I mean I use to get excited over just little things - a snowflake, a song,  cool winds hitting my face, the laughter of a child, and it seems like there is something missing inside of me.

The bad part is I know all the solutions, all the Bible verses to help - I was a pastor's wife. We counseled people who were going through depression. But here I am. 

 

I've been going over verses in the Bible and I thought how David went through a depressed time in Psalms. He talks about going down into the pit and he would pray and ask God to help him.  And I love Psalm 40:2 where God delivered him from the pit and it's almost like God gave him a new purpose in life.

 Psalm 40:2

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

 

 

 

I Kings 19 tells  about the great prophet, Elijah. He was a prophet of God, who had performed miracles. God would speak to him. Yet he was depressed. Then God came to him in a still small voice. I always think God was telling him to just get up, quit feeling sorry for yourself. Just keep on doing what you need to do and it will be okay. Do even the small things.

 

I Kings 19:11-12

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

 

My husband would have problems with depression early in our Christian life. Our pastor,  Maurice Melton, told him to go over these verses from Philippians. My husband wrote them out on a 3 X 5 card and throughout each day, he would go over and over these verses. They helped him so much through the depression and so that's what I'm doing. Going over these verses.

 

Philippians 4:4-8

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

So I'm going to get up off this couch, take a shower, even put on some make-up and just start in doing some little things. And  I'm going to claim the promises from Philippians 4. And I'm especially going to rejoice in the Lord and His mercy and goodness to me.

There Shall Be Showers of Blessing

Ezekiel 34:26b

...I will cause showers to come down in their season; 

there shall be showers of blessing.

 

This morning I was listening to the rain and thinking of the song, "There Shall Be Showers of Blessing."  

 I thought how much God has showered me with so many blessings. My favorite part of the song - Mercy drops round us are falling, But for the showers we plead.

This song gives us the assurance of God's unceasing blessing on our lives, even during trying times.

Please continue to pray for my son, Mark. He started his chemo today. Pray that he'll stay strong both physically and emotionally.