A Lifetime of Love

Please pray for the Avery family. Julian passed away this morning. His mother's own words: "Time of Death ,11:22am ... Never thought I would ever hear these words about my 4 1/2 year old son. But this morning , those words got engraved in my mind and my heart forever. Julian fought until the last painful breath. Again NOTHING peaceful about this process until , until he stopped gasping for air. Julian looked like a fish out of the water, trying so hard to fill those lungs ,but nothing. You could see the normal breathing motions his body made, but nothing got past his throat.Finally he stopped fighting. When he started having a hard time breathing I went to get Ken . He stood on one side of the bed and i was on there with Julian . We talked him thru his transition . We told him it would be ok . We told him we were proud of him . I told him to say Hi to Jesus for me. I told him that Cody and Jacob were waiting for him . I told him that we would be ok . I told him he wouldnt hurt...

I know about AD/HD. I know about the symptoms and treatment options. I have studied and even worked with kids who have this exceptionality. And I know Th does not, although he does have the hyperactivity part down to a 'T'. Th has an excellent attention span for a 5 year old. He can sit and draw or color for a good 45 minutes to an hour. He does not have trouble watching television (unfortunately!) or a movie, nor playing games. He likes to read books and have books read to him. But, he is constantly moving while he does all of these activities. I never worried before because I just knew that he was an active child. I am not really worried now, either, but I am becoming more concerned, especially the closer he gets to entering kindergarten. His current preschool teacher has even talked to me about it, especially because it has gotten worse since returning from the Christmas break. She, too, agrees that he is just an extremely active child and so far it is not disrupting her tea...

Thirteen Things about South Carolina Mom 13 jobs I have held. . . 1. Special Olympics Swim Coach Best job ever and very rewarding! 2. Preschool/Youth swim instructor My first job (I volunteered until I got hired on at the Y, then I was paid.) 3. Lifeguard This was my first paid job. 4. Crew Chief/aircraft mechanic on the KC-10 I loved it- I saw the world on this plane and pushed myself the farthest mentally and physically I ever have or ever will again. Of course I missed my family and friends, but if I had to do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat. 5. Debrief personnel I talked with aircrews after they landed about their flight/mission. I learned the logistical side of flying. 6. Tool Crib personnel I gave the mechanics tools for various jobs needed to fix the airplane. I also inventoried and ordered new tools, and that was fun. Until this job, I had no idea that tool companies have a representative drive around in a truck full of tools for people to use and try. It was during t...

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, save me!” The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the simplehearted ; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. ~Psalm 116:1-9 NIV This is me. This is my life. This is my God. As I live each day and struggle with the mundane and not so mundane, I pray I meditate on these words as a reminder of God’s love and mercy and kindness and grace for me. Thank you Lord for who You are. I challenge you to keep a journal or log (or blog!) of God...

Well, my wonderful husband spilled the beans yesterday. . . he was planning to surprise me for my birthday with another couple's conference at the Wilds over Valentine's weekend. But, there is a waiting list and we are number 10. I am praying for some others to cancel but am not counting on being able to go. How did I get it out of him, you ask. Let me back up to Friday night. We had a T-n-T event at church and just as we were about to begin the adult game time, TJ's phone rang. It was his grandpa who lives in PA. He was calling to tell TJ he had just registered for the Spring Family Camp in April at the Wilds and he wanted us to attend with him. Yesterday I was filling out our registration form and writing the deposit check. I inquired about the Valentine's conference (I really want to go as the speakers are going to be GREAT!) because I wanted to register for that, as well. He opened his email to show me he had already attempted but it was full. So, while I am disapp...

I ended my last life post when I went on my first date with TJ. That was in April 1998. I was 19, he was 23. We have been together ever since, but here is the story of how our relationship has evolved over the years. We began to date seriously, and I moved in with him and his friends in June or July 1998. I know it was sin (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8), but I still didn’t understand how the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7) should shape my decisions. Even though I was saved, I wasn’t spiritually growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord (Colossians 1:10). TJ and I occasionally went to church together, but our schedules changed and I was going back and forth between swing (3:30-11:30pm) and mid shift (11:30pm-7:30am). Plus, there was a hurricane that devastated Puerto Rico that summer, so TJ was gone every weekend supporting the hurricane relief effort. One weekend while he was away, I got a phone call from one of my commanding sergeants and went TDY to Chile, South America and some other ...

I finished the main bag this afternoon; I still have a smaller bag that I need to make (to hold diaper creams, loose change, ink pens, etc). What do you think? I love it- I think it turned out better than the one I made for myself! I will be personally delivering it to her the first weekend in February. My mom and I are going to visit together. I am excited and looking forward to it! I begin school on Monday. I am a little nervous about taking 4 classes; I haven't taken this many at one time since my first semester. I have a break between classes for about an hour and a half on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I am hoping to be able to get some uninterrupted work done on those days. Please just pray for me. I am looking forward to the semester, especially one class in particular. I will be working one-on-one with students who have autism. If you know me, autism and mental retardation are "my thing". These two areas of special education are my passion and I have extensive k...