It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

The other day I felt like I needed just to get out a little bit. I drove over to Kohl's looking for clearance and sales. Instead of finding any good clearance, I had walked into a Christmas Wonderland.

I thought maybe this Christmas wouldn't be as hard on my emotions. But it seemed like every Christmas ornament and decoration caused so many memories and nostalgia to enter my heart and mind. And to add to all of that Christmas music was playing - Bing Crosby singing "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." That's all it took. Tears started rolling down my cheeks and I went home without buying anything.

Kohl's wins the award for knowing how to pull on your Christmas heart strings.

 

I do love Christmas. I love every Christmas song that's played, every Christmas movie, the lights, the Christmas trees, ornaments, the food of Christmas, family getting together, celebrating Jesus' Birthday, and the spirit of Christmas.

 

The best part of the holidays are the children. I see their faces and hear their laughter and watch their excitement and wonder what is going through those little minds.

 

When my youngest son was around 3 years old, one Christmas he put a bow on top of his head and climbed under our tree and said  he was our present. I still remember thinking that if I never received another gift in my whole life, him and his 3 brothers were the best gifts I could have ever been blessed with.

 

And during this month of Thanksgiving, I am so thankful for all the many blessings that God has given me, especially my salvation.

 

 

Psalm 86:12

I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart:

and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

 

When I Get To Heaven...

One of my favorite things is helping every Sunday in Children's Church. I love singing the songs, listening to the preaching, and being with the boys and girls.

One of the songs we sing is -

 

When I get to Heaven, gonna walk with Jesus.

When I get to Heaven, gonna see His face.

When I get to Heaven, gonna talk with Jesus.

Saved by His wonderful grace.

Because I'm saved, saved, wonderfully saved.

Washed in the blood of the Lamb.

Saved, saved, wonderfully saved.

And I'M SO GLAD I AM.

HALLELUJAH!

Every time we sing this song, I think of a Bearing Precious Seed missionary by the name of Carlos Demarest who is now in Heaven. On our first missionary trip to Mexico, we went down into Mexico on a bus with over 20 other missionaries, preachers, Bible students, etc. Carlos Demarest was in charge of the trip.

It was amazing watching him and his love for the souls of lost people. I'm sure there our  countless people in Heaven, because of Bro. Demarest's testimony, witnessing, passing out tracts and Bibles, and preaching.

 

The reason this song always brings back memories is when we were on the trip and stopped to eat somewhere, we would sing this song in the restaurant before we prayed and ordered our food.

 

Also, one of Bro. Demarest's favorite sayings was "Praise God! and shame on the devil!" He was a great influence in my husband becoming a Bearing Precious Seed missionary. I'm sure Bro. Demarest and my husband had a great reunion in Heaven.

El Paso, Texas 1986
Getting ready to go into Mexico on our first mission trip. Jerry and I are the
"young" looking couple on the front row on the left.
Behind us is the old bus we traveled on down into Mexico. We would stay
down in the country for about 3 nights and 4 days. The women would
sleep on the bus and the men would have to sleep anywhere they could find.
Also we had one toilet on the bus and we were in a country
where you couldn't use the water or eat the food.  Carlos Demarest's wife, Martha, would cook our meals on the bus.

But what a blessing!!
We would go into the little villages where maybe one building would have electricity. We would run an extension and show "The Burning Hell" in Spanish.
So many people would come forward at the end and give their hearts to Jesus.
Great Memories.
 

Moving Day

After a lot of prayers, I decided I needed to move to a new home.

I knew that financially it would be a good decision, but I also  felt I needed new surroundings.

Moving is always hard. Especially the older I get. My body isn't as strong as it use to be. In my mind I can do anything, but physically, I didn't know my body could hurt so many ways.

 

As with each home we lived in, there were so many memories. As I said good-bye to the old house, I thought of the last couple of years. I always try to think of the good times. I remember laughter from grandchildren, Sunday night parties, having friends and relatives visit. I remember the special time that Jerry and I shared together before his home going.

 

I am so thankful for all of God's wonderful blessings and for all the people who helped me move.

 

This was the 19th time to move in my lifetime. That's a lot of moves.

 

One day I'm going to move and I'm not going to have to pack or worry about getting rid of anything.

I'm going to leave that job for my family, because I'm going to be moving on up.

 

My forwarding address will be Hallelujah Square. What a great moving day that will be.

God Leads Us Along

I have always loved the song, "God Leads Us Along."

In shady green pastures, so rich and so sweet, God leads His dear children along;
Where the water's cool flow bathes the weary one's feet,
God leads His dear children along.
Some thru the waters, some thru the flood,
Some thru the fire, but all thru the blood;
Some thru great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season, and all the day long.

This song was written by George Young, a carpenter. Him and his wife dedicated their lives to serving God and going where He would lead them. They sometimes would travel from church to church preaching the gospel in revival services. Sometimes their finances were tight, but Mrs. Young would say, "We never went hungry!" She said we didn't have many worldly goods, but we always had much of Jesus.

They finally had saved enough to buy a small piece of land where George built them a little cottage. While they were away on a ministry trip, a person who had been offended by George's preaching set the house on fire. When they returned all they found were a heap of ashes.

While standing there they recounted all their wonderful possessions that fire could never destroy - their family, their relationship with Christ, their eternal home.

That is when the words for this song came to his mind.

 

Years later, a preacher was trying to find George's widow. He found her in a small town in Kansas where she was living in a run-down Poor House.

She told the preacher that one day God took her husband home and how much she missed him because they had served the Lord together.

She said, "I wondered where God would lead me after my husband's death". She said she was so thankful that He bought her to this place. About every month she said someone new comes to spend the rest of their days in this place and so many of them don't know Jesus. She told him she was having a great time introducing them to Jesus!  "Isn't it wonderful how God leads?"

 

At different times in our life, we didn't always understand why God was leading us to certain places or closing doors and opening other doors. And sometimes we didn't understand why God bought trials into our life. I have to admit that sometimes my faith would waver.

But to have that faith that no matter what happens or wherever God leads, He loves me and is in control.

 

Since Jerry's homegoing, I have struggled with making decisions and trying to figure out where I need to be. Pray that my heart will always be open to God's leading.

 

Psalm 23:2

 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

September is National Leukemia Awareness Month

September Is National Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month

As the month of September brings leukemia and lymphoma into focus, it’s time to increase public understanding of these diseases, including their prevalence, approaches to screening and prevention, treatment options, and resources that offer updated leukemia and lymphoma information throughout the year.

What is acute myeloid leukemia?

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has many names, including acute myelocytic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, acute granulocytic leukemia, and acute non-lymphocytic leukemia. “Acute” means that the leukemia can progress quickly, and if not treated, would probably be fatal in a few months. “Myeloid” refers to the type of cell the leukemia starts from.

AML is a cancer that starts in cells that would normally develop into different types of blood cells. Most cases of AML develop from cells that would turn into white blood cells (other than lymphocytes), but some cases of AML develop in other types of blood-forming cells.

AML starts in the bone marrow (the soft inner part of the bones, where new blood cells are made), but in most cases it quickly moves into the blood. It can sometimes spread to other parts of the body including the lymph nodes, liver, spleen, central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), and testicles.

Other types of cancer can start in these organs and then spread to the bone marrow. But these cancers that start elsewhere and then spread to the bone marrow are not leukemia.

 

It is estimated that 14,590 men and women (7,820 men and 6,770 women) will be diagnosed with and 10,370 men and women will die of acute myeloid leukemia in 2013.

 

 

In June of 2011, my husband was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. He had gone for an annual checkup and received a bad report about his blood count. The year before it had been normal. Within a year he had developed leukemia.  The doctors do not know when it came upon him, but it was sometime doing that year. I encourage people to have regular check-ups. We had no idea that he was even sick at the time of the check-up.

 

I am still thankful to everyone for the support, love, encouragement, and prayers as we went through the battle. I believe he received the best medical treatment that was possible at the time of his illness. The leukemia was too aggressive even after a bone marrow transplant. My husband went to sleep in my arms on July 24, 2012 and woke in the arms of Jesus.

 

Please be aware of this cancer and pray that through research they can someday find a cure.

 

I love you.

 

 

 

 

X Close
Table I-1 (http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/ 1975_2010/results_single/ sect_01_table.01.pdf)

 

 

Back In Greenville

After being away for two months and putting over 4500 miles on my car, I arrived back in Greenville, North Carolina last night around 10:00. 

It felt a little strange coming home after being gone that long. The house felt empty and a little lonely. I had gotten use to grand kids and family always being around.

It was hard leaving  family and friends back in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Texas; but it was great seeing Neal, Amy, Kyla, Hayden, and Brylee again. I was afraid my grand daughters had forgotten their Grandma Rice.

It is always hard saying "good-bye." I always tell everyone, "Until I see you again. And you never know when the wind might blow me your way again."

 

Now to get settled back in and get unpacked. It's going to be nice to unpack my bags for a while or at least until that wind starts blowing me away on another adventure.  

I also want to thank the Lord for His mercies, and giving me safety as I traveled,  and His love to me.

 

Happy 90th Birthday, Dad!!!!

 

I am so thankful that I was able to be with my Dad to celebrate his 90th Birthday.  It was a great day. I was able to see family I hadn't seen for a while and old friends.  I'm so blessed to still have my Dad. I always told him that he would probably outlive me. 

He was born July 29, 1923. He has seen a lot of history and has a lot of stories to tell.

I love you, Dad!!!

 

 

My brother, Jerry, and my Dad