Evidence of Grandchildren in your life

1. the potty seat in your bathroom even though the last of your children have been potty trained for over 15 years
2. that special toy that is sitting on your end table that someone special let you "borrow"
3. all action stopping when you hear the words, "Grammy..."
4. special treats in small baggies in your cupboards waiting to be given away
5. tiny gardening gloves and boots outside your back door
6. an itty bitty pool in your backyard waiting to be filled with warm water
7. a growing basket of books for special storytimes
8. a heart so full of love that you never thought could hold more!
9. an inclination to get on your knees more often that God's mercy will be to your little ones too.

I liked this!

My Frog Does Not Waste Precious Time
My frog does not wast precious time
just sitting on a log.
He's learned to use the Internet,
and now he has a blog.
It's filled with tips on how to hop,
and how to catch a fly,
on things that frogs can do to keep
their skins from getting dry.

My frog has hints on where to find
the finest lily pads,
and writes in great detail about
the latest froggy fads.
He tells of different ways to croak,
and how to act in bogs...
it's boring for most people,
but it fascinates most frogs.

Jack Prelutsky

Hero #3

Ok, so this one is a given... my husband...aka "The Dad" is my hero #3. BTW, these heroes aren't in any order... :)

Are you surprised? That my hero would be my husband-- goes without saying. I try to imagine my life without him and I just ... can't! God has given us many dear children who I know would take care of me so sweetly if I didn't have my sweet husband, but I do NOT want to think about that. So, I will treasure each and every second I have with him and thank the most wonderful God in heaven that he saw fit to bless me in my ignorance with the man of my dreams.

I've been re-reading Created to be His Help Meet lately and I was choked up to read the inscription that my husband wrote in it... he wrote that when gave me the book it wasn't because I needed it, but because he found me within it's pages. A friend had lent me the book to read and I got to read about half of it before my husband took it over and read the whole thing before I could, he then got the book for my very own on my birthday! I highly recommend the book first of all. Secondly, by reading it I feel like I fall so short it what I am doing here on this earth as a Help Meet.

But, back to why my husband is my hero. I grew up in an awful home. My foster parents fought all the time and it was not good. I used to wonder how in the world I would find a husband who I could trust and love having never seen such things myself! Then the Lord saved me. Took me out of that miry pit and just saved me. Simple as that. Plopped me down into a home full of love (Bro. Jim and Sis. Paula Smith's house!) and gave me 2 1/2 years there to watch and learn how to be a mommy and wife. Then came my Craig. We were so young! I'm sure the brethren quaked in their proverbial boots to think we were getting married! But somehow, we loved each other. More importantly somehow Craig loved me! I totally gave my heart to him...just threw in all my cards. I trusted God that He had brought me this young man and I knew that he would love me all my life. I had watched him for a while you see. I had watched how he was in visits; in church, how he loved the Lord. How he loved his Momma and his Dad. How he loved his family; his brothers and sisters. He was gentle, he was kind. He had a lot to learn! But we learned together! It's amazing when I think of all the years we have been given together. He is still my knight in shining armor. That armor has not dulled a bit... only gotten shinier in my eyes.

I admire him so much! He loves the Lord with all his heart and his integrity amazes me. And I get to be his help meet. I think, what in the world am I doing? Do I meet his needs? Do I love him the way he loves me? Cares for me... truly? Will I do him good and not evil all the days of my life? Have I already done so in the time I have been given? Hard questions... it's easy to say yes to them. But when life is happening, when I'm not sitting here at my computer writing this post, but out there in the trenches...do I truly do him good? Do I give him reason to have his heart safely trusting in me? My hero sure deserves all of that and more. I'd better go and get busy being a help meet to the man God has given me!

Hero #2

In the past it's always been uncomfortable to me to hear someone say, "they are such an angel!" or "she's an angel in disguise!" or other such likening of a person to an angel. It felt like an intrusion into a realm that was not mine to speak of. But, recently I came across a scripture where a woman was speaking of King David and she says something like this, "he was as an angel of God, comforting me"! This surprised me and then I found a couple of other scriptures that were similar. So, that got me thinking of my Hero #2. She's a woman who I have known now for many years. I sort of inherited her kindness by way of the library. She had been a volunteer there for many years before I became the librarian at our local library. So, when the librarian retired before me , I inherited this dear soul's kindness. Her name is Gloria. How could I tell on this blog of how her kindness has affected me? She has shown me what selfless love is. She is old enough to be my mother, and she has even referred to her love for me as if I were her daughter. It's because of her selflessness and kindness that I call her my Hero #2. A long time ago, she was driving with her two little children, a son and a daughter, when a drunk driver hit her head on. Her daughter was instantly killed and her son only survived because he was laying down in the back seat. I had known Gloria for years before she even told me that! She comes and visits me often at the library and at my house and is so concerned about me. What's going on in my life, who's having babies. When Baby Elijah was stillborn, it affected her deeply and it came to my mind at the time that I knew she would gladly have traded places with me to ease my sorrow. When my family is going on a trip, she will bring us snacks for the road, she remembers The Dad and my anniversary and she NEVER comes to see me empty handed. And it's not that she brings me stuff that impresses me. It's that she thinks AHEAD of what would please me and remembers my favorite flowers and candy. I have a saying, "when I grow up, I want to be Gloria!" Her selflessness, goodness, kindness and heart to comfort me is "as an angel of God". She'll never read this blog, or maybe I'll bring it up at the library next time she comes in, arms laden with thought-filled treats; but still I am thankful to have this dear woman in my life and I know that God brought her my way to teach me lessons on how to become a selfless woman and give of myself to others! I love you Gloria!