God Is Good - All The Time

God is Good - All the Time.  No matter the situation or circumstances or trials that we are going through - God is good. 

 

I write this blog with a heavy heart. Before I came home from my summer adventure, I learned that my brother-in-law, Bob Rice, had lung cancer. He was the brother that was Jerry's donor for the bone marrow transplant. I'm so thankful for his willingness and love for Jerry that he didn't even hesitate to be the donor. Bob gave me a few more months with my husband which I probably wouldn't have had.

 

Bob's lung cancer is very aggressive. Today we learned that it had gone into his pancreas and lymph nodes. We are still hanging on to hope. Hope and faith gets you through the dark days.

 

Bob is like my brother.  We all grew up together. My brother and Bob always hung out together and were in the same class. We were just a bunch of kids growing up in Newburgh, Indiana living on a little road called Clover Drive, out in the middle of nowhere.

 

We all had futures we were looking forward to, all of us wanting a better life than what our parents had. The best thing I can tell you is there was a time that Bob and his wife, Julie, accepted Jesus as their saviour.

 

Please pray for Bob and his wife, Julie. Pray for comfort and strength. My heart is breaking for them. Like Jerry and I, Bob and Julie had planned on retiring and growing old together.

Christmas of 2012
Back - left to right - Norman, Steve, Bob
Front - left to right - Janine, Gary, Pat, Julie, and Jennifer in front.


GOD IS GOOD - ALL THE TIME

More Summer Memories

San Antonio with Mark, Alexis, and Gavin

Sunrise at San Padre Island

Sunrise at San Padre Island, Texas

A doe and her two fawn in Ohio

Two Fawn in Ohio

My grandson, Greg. Taking a ride on the 4 wheeler

Cincinnati Zoo

Evan, Elena, and Emma at the Cincinnati Zoo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My son, Aaron and his wife Jackie with Emma, Ethan, Elena and Evan along with the furry friends of the family - Lucy, Jubal, Peanut, and Hondo.

Rosemary Clooney's Home in Augusta KY

The Costumes Rosemary Clooney wore in the Movie - White Christmas

 

 

 

George Clooney's Costumes from movies that he had made.



Sunset in Cincinnati

Lion King in Animal Kingdom

Neal and Scott

Mt. Everest Ride in Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom 

 

After The Storm

Birds sing after a storm;

why shouldn't people feel as free to delight

in whatever sunlight remains to them?

Rose Kennedy 

 

 

I'm in Cincinnati at this time. During the night I awoke with the sound of thunder and the lightening brightening the sky.  I loved the sound of the rain.

 

This morning when I finally woke up, I heard birds singing outside. Their songs were so beautiful. The storm had stopped. I heard their morning songs as they flew around. The earth was fresh and green.  I heard a dove in the distance cooing and a woodpecker hitting its beak against a tree beating out its morning melody. They had survived the storm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think of all the storms a person goes through in their lives. But isn't it wonderful after the storm has passed. The birds sing and praise God and thank Him for the morning. We need to sing and praise God for the morning. We need to praise Him for all the storms of life He brings us through. Praise Him for His love.

 

 



 

Making Summer Memories

It feels like summer is going fast. I've been making a lot of good memories this summer.
I was able to spend some time with my Dad. I always feel good after I see him and make sure he is doing okay. He's settled into the Nursing Home. Please keep praying for him.
I also saw other family and friends while in Indiana.



My Dad, John Knight

Alexis, Gavin, (2 of my grandkids) and I flew out to Texas to see my youngest son, Mark. While we were there, he received a good report from his doctor. His body scan and blood tests showed no sign of the cancer. He doesn't have to return to the doctor for three months. I am thanking the Lord for answered prayer. I am a very happy Momma.

 

Waiting at the Airport

 

 

San Antonio Zoo

Mark and Gavin

 



Mark and his wife, Maria with Gavin, Alexis, and Leslie

After getting back to Evansville, Indiana and spending a couple of days, I packed up and headed to Ohio to see my two sons there - Scott and Aaron and their families.

Scott and Lisa

 

Aaron, Evan, Emma, Jackie, and Elena
at the Cincinnati Zoo



My trip will soon come to an end and I'll be making my way back to North Carolina.
My favorite vacations are the ones I spend with my family.

I awoke this morning remembering that two years ago my husband, Jerry, went to be with the Lord. Sometimes it's still hard thinking about it.  I know my sons still have a hard time with it also. I know that one day I will get to see him again in Heaven. 

I'm still not for sure what the Lord has planned for my life. So for right now I get up every morning and do all the things I know I have to do and know the Lord is in control.

The hardest part is I really miss having someone to grow old with. 

So thankful for friends and a great family who love me.

June - The Month of Brides

Statistics for the United States show that June has the highest number of marriages.

I know at our church there are two weddings planned for the month of June. Two of my sons chose June for their wedding days. A lot of my friends celebrate their anniversaries in June.

I read one time that the reason people got married in June was because that was when people would take their annual bath after the long winter and change their clothes. Sounds like a good reason.

My husband and I got married on Friday evening, June 9, 1967. Today would have been our 47th Wedding Anniversary. It was also three years ago on this date that the doctor told us that Jerry had acute myeloid leukemia. It's hard not to be flooded by memories of the past. But I refuse to be sad today. There are too many good memories.

On our wedding day, we both worked our jobs. We did take off at noon. We went by and picked up our wedding cake which we paid for ourselves. It cost $25.00, half of what I received as a salary each week. Then we went by and got my bouquet and my husband's corsage. Then he went home and got ready and I went to my house to get ready. My mother had made my wedding dress, nothing fancy, but to me it was the most beautiful dress in the world.

We had  a small reception with a total of 17 people including us.

After the reception, we got in our 1956 Oldsmobile and headed to our apartment to begin our life together.

I still remember the next morning for breakfast, Jerry went to the Great Scot Supermarket and got us white creme filled chocolate long john donuts for breakfast. That was our wedding morning breakfast. It was a great breakfast - I love donuts.

 

Today I'm going to remember all the good times. A tear or two might slip out, but I'm so thankful for all the many blessings that God has given me.

 

Jerry's mom, Jerry, Patricia, my mom and dad

 

 

A Friendly Day

Today I had to run to the store and pick up a few things. I don't know what it was, but everyone seemed friendly today. People at the store were saying Hi and smiling. It was very strange. Maybe it was because the temperature was cooler today or maybe I looked friendlier than usual.

It makes you feel good when people speak to you.

Probably one of the unfriendliest places I've ever been is an airport. I'm not sure if people are afraid to be friendly or they are just so focused on their iPads and iPhones that they don't notice anybody or anything around them. I remember a  slogan that United Airlines had - "Fly the Friendly Skies."

But the skies are certainly not friendly.  Probably when I fly by myself, I would be afraid if anyone was too friendly. It's a different world from 1965 when that slogan was popular until now.

Growing up I was not a friendly person, because I was so shy and afraid of people. It was hard for me to even look someone in the face. In fact I was voted the shyest and quietest person in my senior class of high school. Oh well, at least I wasn't voted the class clown. I was scared to death when I had to speak in front of the class.  In fact I would take a grade cut rather than to have to speak.

As you grow older, you don't worry as much about what other people think. You have a little more confidence in yourself. And also, one day a pastor friend told me that being shy is the same as pride. You are afraid of what other people are thinking about you and that is pride.

That made a lot of sense. I started working on looking people in the eye when I spoke and not being so afraid of what they were thinking about me. Plus being shy is very lonely.

SHYNESS

Sometimes I have so much to say,

But deep inside my words will stay.

For I dare not speak what's in my heart,

For you'll think I'm silly and not too smart.

Opportunities will always pass me by,

For I'm so afraid and terribly shy.

When I speak my face turns red,

And there is always such a dread.

I get nervous and I begin to stammer,

My heart beats fast just like a hammer.

So I'll hide in the shadows with all my fears,

And lonely I'll be throughout the years.

-Patricia Rice

II Timothy 1:7

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;

 but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.





Mother - A Word That Means the World to Me

 A mom’s hug lasts long after she lets go. ~Author Unknown

When I was a little girl, I remember my Grandma, Mammy, had a pillow she had made. The pillow said -

M - is for the many things she gave me.
O - means only that she's growing old.
T - is for the tears she shed to save me.
H - is for her heart of purest gold.
E - is for her eyes with lovelight shining.
R - means right and right she'll always be.

Put them all together they spell Mother. A word that means the world to me.

I was thinking about my Mother. She's in Heaven now. She passed away over 18 years ago. No matter how long they've been gone, you still miss them.

You never appreciate your parents until you become a parent. You realize your parents did the best they knew how at that particular time in their life and that they loved you even when you thought they didn't and were being unfair.

 

My Mother, Stella Burris Knight - 1926



My mom, 1940's

My mom, 1940's

My Dad & Mom - John and Stella Knight
50th Wedding Anniversary 1993

 

My parents grew up with parents that were not very expressive of their love with a lot of "I love you" and hugs. And my mom was like that. But I knew she loved me and was proud of me.

When I started having kids, I decided I was going to hug them so much and tell them I love them that they would get tired of hearing it. And I did. They would wake up - "I love you."

They'd leave for school - "I love you." I probably told them "I love you"  over a dozen times a day. 

Even at times when I had reached the end of the rope with raising four boys and wanted to go hide and pretend I wasn't a mother any longer, I would settle down and say "I love you."

I'm so thankful that God gave me the privilege of being Scott, Neal, Aaron, and Mark's Mother. It has been my greatest happiness.

 

Thank you God for letting me be a Mother.