Birthday Tribute to Tyrel

Happy birthday, Tyrel! Tomorrow, you celebrate the day you were born as our first grandchild.  We were so proud of you. That first Christmas, we bought you camouflage overalls. I guess we were reinforcing our goal for you to be tough and rough. Little did we dream of how that would evolve!! I'm recollecting about the time you were fishing in our backyard with a stick and string. PawPaw tied you a hook on it and sent you out to a little body of water puddled from our creek to entertain you. PawPaw left and 11 fish later, I marveled at how I had really unhooked those fish and put 10 more worms on! I still don't know how that happened, but I know it was the beginning of a little guy doing things in a big way!

I also recall the time you spent making humps and  bumps for your four wheeler around your house. And then you invited me to ride in a little red wagon behind you. By the end of that ride, to the amusement of all the family, I was flattened out in a little red wagon and you were having the time of your life! I should've known better than to crawl in beside you a year ago when you wanted to take me for another ride in your rebuilt, Chevy pick up with the racing engine. I don't know how many donuts I survived in that hay field, but when we rumbled back into the driveway, I was pretty sure you'd taken a few years off my life.

 But you know what, Tyrel? After every wild adventure with you, you always grin and ask, "Are you OK, MawMaw?"

I'm OK. OK with you being the caring, giving, loving, affectionate young man that you are. I'm OK with the way you reach out and give hugs and let us know you really care. I'm OK with the recent choice of a sweet girl to share your life with.  She's precious and compliments you so well! I'm more than OK that you prayed for her and God gave us Marleah!!...

You're a young adult now, making life choices on your own. It'll probably be a wild ride! (Hang on, Marleah!!!! ) That's who you are. Unpredictable, fast and adventurous! I think I'll watch from a rocking chair!  Love you, Tyrel.....

Beverage: Established 2017

I loved our recent visit to West Virginia. One of the highlights of visiting was to enter the door of Tyrel and Marleah's new home.  I was also privileged to be a part of their fresh enthusiasm for experiencing the Christmas Season.  I loved sharing cookies and milk around the open fire and the warm feeling of love and hope that I felt just watching them start to make memories in their little home.

I particularly like the signs I see portrayed in homes that says "Established" and the year of the marriage. Definition: "to install something permanently; to introduce and cause to grow and multiply."

One such sign is displayed in Tyrel and Marleah's little home, (created by Marleah)In September, they permanently vowed to introduce a new phase of living.  Their chance to grow. To learn. To love. To multiply. At a beautiful, unforgettable  setting in Seneca, Missouri, witnessed by several hundred people, these two were eternally bound to each other and to God to fulfill God's design of the establishment of a home. 

Recently, at our Oklahoma home, I painted the front door. The porch just lacked pizzazz. It seemed like whatever I displayed, something was missing. So, guess what? The door is now red and it has changed the entire personality of the front porch!!

This is the new Beverage establishment's front door.  What does it tell me about this sweet couple who lives within those walls?  It tells me they're expecting happiness and merriment to encompass them. It tells me they're ready to bless others. I walked through that door and yes, I felt hope, heard laughter, witnessed love and connection.  

I'm so happy for this oldest grandson. I know Tyrel spent a lot of time praying for his future, and selectively chose Marleah because of her wonderful character, her devotion to God, and her love for adventure.  

 I have not  personally seen a Jewish "mezuzah", but I am impressed by what I know about the reason they are displayed on the doorpost of every Jewish establishment. 

It is a parchment that quotes Deuteronomy. 6:4-9. " Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart,, and with all thy soul, and with all my might. And these words, which I commanded this day, should be in thine heart: – and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine  hand, and they should be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and on thy gates." 

I think that sign of establishment that hangs in their new house has a double meaning. My prayer is that the above challenge will be written upon the door posts of that little wood frame house in Arbovale, WV.  

Here's to the new Established Beverage 2017 household! May your door draw others to it by the things that you stand for. May your sons and daughters find security within your walls. May your laughter spread to your neighbors. May your adventuresome spirits be overshadowed by angel wings!  May your lives be full of God's love!

Determination

My little "almost three year old" granddaughter's newest phrase is " I have decided"... This little quip is packed with power and purpose for this dynamite of a girl...it means " Watch out!"

I am reminded this week that I need to infuse some of that purpose into my life. We all experience setbacks and discouragement on a daily basis, it seems. Personally, my schedule is so full that I have just been really tired of trying to deal with everything.

Galatians says to not  "be weary in well doing".   I like the Urban dictionary definition of "determination".  "Determination is simply not giving up.  No matter how hard things get. Sometimes you just want to let go when it  seems like what you are pursuing is just out of reach. Determination is getting back up when your legs lose feeling, when your arms break and your head is exploding.  Determination is telling yourself when your brain says " this is it" that you can do it  "one more time". 

That's when you return to the purpose and the echo of " I have decided".  Great things happen when you say it again. And again. And again. One more step. One more day.  Weary but pursuing. It's amazing how that decision keeps me going.  

So I'm telling myself, "Watch out!" Who knows where this day's steps will take me! Just today, I had the day planned. It was going to be a busy one, just like almost every other day these last few weeks. Last evening, I was feeling a little stressed, just thinking about it.  But, guess what? God changed the circumstances. I am sitting in a little haven relaxing, enjoying the cool weather, watching the flames in a fireplace, thinking about just doing a simple task of raking leaves....

I have decided to let God do my scheduling of life.  I tend to overbook and double up on everything. Which is what makes me tired. He has a way of adding to and cancelling out. Perfect planning!!!!

Make Me A River

"We are rivers not reservoirs." Bob Goff 

John 7:38 "he that believeth on me... out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

Water is a powerful thing. The influence of my life is a powerful force. Because I know a lot of people. What I do and say today will affect those I walk with today. 

I read Bob Goff's quote and have been challenged this week. 

According to the John verse, I shouldn't just be dripping water on others, it should be "flowing" out of me. That word "flowing" implies freshness, movement, and life. I have had that kind of person influence my life. I felt invigorated to just be in their presence. I have also been with people who you feel like you have to squeeze a smile out of them.

Just doing a little checkup today on me flowing capacity. Sometimes, I find myself being like a faucet.  I can turn the water on or I can turn it off. Some days I feel like blessing and some days I going to myself.

But I've been thinking that if God pours so many good things into me, I think the rivers will have to flow out. So if I don't let the rivers flow out, I will make a reservoir within.

Reservoirs tend to stagnate. For them to be used, they have to have treatment.  Sometimes, I think that's what God does with me. He has to give me a little treatment to make me flow again.

So I'm just trying to find out what I have flowing out today. Is it a trickle? Or is it a flow that is so strong that I can't help but open up and bless my world around me today. I really want to be a river and not a reservoir. I want my life and my spirit to be a refreshing source of love and blessing that people will be drawn to my Source...

Lord, flow into me. Make me a River...

Summer Moments

"Summer Moments"
 Philippians 4:11..."for I have learned... to be content..."

We are experiencing some rare, cool August days. It reminds me that summer is fast ending and a new season is just around the corner. Not intent on wishing my life away, I often remind myself to stop and enjoy the moment. It's not something I have always done. So I have been reliving my summer moments. It has been a good one. I am blessed. 

An early in the year blessing was having our oldest grandson choose a life mate. I have enjoyed watching their old fashioned courtship, and ask her father for her hand engagement. We are excited to welcome Marleah into our family on September 16.  She's a beautiful person.....

We attended our next oldest grandson's graduation and teared up a little watching him walk across that stage. But he's an optimist and spent a summer doing what he enjoys: playing music. I anticipate him doing "adulting" well.  I'm grateful for his values.

So many small, joyful snatched moments with the other grandchildren. I love them so. 

 

Rare moments with my WV girl. I love her still wanting to share her girl thoughts with me...

Bumper boats just for fun with Emalie and Nat.... it's the simple things...

Nat's special, first maid of honor experience.. she was so pretty!
 

 

Just a swinging with these funny monkeys!! Doesn't take much to make them happy. Love, love them!!

 

Remembering past tea parties with Miss Briley and missing them... starting them 8 years later with Miss Savannah....I'm due some beautiful moments with my KY girl!!

We are scheduling a fall tea soon, Briley!!

Hilarious games with sons in laws and grandsons. Keith and Jared still thinking they can outdo Blake and Connor and Cade!! Sooo funny!!

Crying over Chad's inherited!!!!ability to put his emotions into poetry!!!

 

How wonderful to go back and let your head swell over those sweet special day posts!  Beautiful moments!! Love that my children still love me in my old age and hoping my senior moments don't hinder that too much in the future!!

Why does everyone but me love these crawfish boils? But I like the camaraderie!!

 

 

Pie supper and fellowship after flooding and an extremely stressful work day at POG with no electricity!  

Teamwork projects and fun with 30 youth!! A memorable 3 days!! 

Love having my siblings near to celebrate anything we can think of... I spent most of my life long distance from them!! I cherish our connections!

Campfire on the beach.. unusual combination.. with friends... so much fun!! 

Oklahoma Sunsets... I am learning to sprint for the POG new deck and pull up a chair..so inspirational!!

 

Sharing this happy moment, after 3 grueling years, with our pastor's wife, Renee! Such an accomplishment!!

Special trips with my husband!! They have been renewing and much needed!

I treasure our gathering of travel memories...

Positive changes for lifetime involvement at an old fashioned campground..special beautiful moments of attending my 60+ years at Monark Springs Campground...

 I am surrounded by a loving husband ,supportive children, the sweetest grandchildren, and loyal friends who all have contributed to my beautiful summer moments.  Thank you, life, and thank you, God! I am grateful!
 

 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

Accountability

"Know ye not ye are the temple of God.....if any man defile the temple, him shall God destroy... II Cor. 3:14-17

I've been working in a small town in Missouri this week.  The office is on the town  square, also the County Seat.  A sedate old courthouse graces the middle of the little town. I have a big window in the office and can see the coming and going of all the county this week.

Somehow this gathering place for accountability for hundreds of people has intrigued me. I've watched dignified people walk into it. But mostly the common people enter the doors. I wonder how their lives are changed by the accountability they face within those walls. If you live in this county, you will probably be answerable for something within this edifice at some point in your life.. it's what the governing of people is all about. It can be good or it can be negative.  It depends upon how each person handles his accountability.

One source says:

How true!! Our choices always affect our circumstances....

I took a van load of youth to visit the Missouri State Capitol not so long ago. We were intrigued by the money and planning that went into this monumental building. Walking the halls, we sensed a certain amount of awe. We were quiet as we stood in the lawmaking chambers and reflected on how the decisions made there affect us daily!

We took pictures of ourselves on the steps where thousands have climbed to make laws. It was also gratifying to know we have a structure of government that seemed to be protecting us. That is debatable these days, but the idea of what our founding fathers established was a good thing: making us all accountable. 

The U.S Capitol Building in Washington D.C. Is even more beautiful and imposing. I have visited it dozens of times and am always overwhelmed at the power and authority that lies within the confines of those halls. Our country was founded on accountability and that is what made it great. Unfortunately, our present generation is not wanting to take responsibility for themselves in so many things, resulting in chaos and a lack of protection over its citizens.

 

For the last several weeks, I have been changing my eating habits. I was having some health issues I needed to address, and from experience, I know what I need to change in my food consumption. I had a little accountability in my plan. I was doing great, but also aware that accountability to yourself can weaken quickly. We've all been there; done that. Traditionally, change in lifestyle lasts a week or two and fizzles.

I was blessed to be invited into an accountability group that I felt comfortable with.  It has worked wonders for me. Every evening, we make each other accountable for the goals we are working toward. It's been very strengthening and enlightening, as well. Having others involved has been a great choice!

This morning, my devotional scripture was the Corinthians passage about our bodies being the temple of God... we are not our own. I was challenged again to be accountable to God for everything in my life. I cannot isolate any thing in my life from Him.. and if I choose to think I can, He will cause circumstances to evolve to get my attention! 

Thank you, Father, for creating this kind of necessary accountability in relationships, in government, and in my daily personal life.  It really works!!

 
 
 
 

Renewal

Isaiah 40:31: "They that wait upon the Lord... shall renew their strength..."

Renewal implies resfreshment, a watering, new strength.  

I love to give.. I love to water.  But sometimes the soul knows when you need to get away to wait on God for new inspiration.

So Toney and I, after an intense month or so, needed such a refreshing. We headed in a general direction for a couple of days get away.

We drove to a little restored village that we had visited many years ago. It was a quiet Monday morning. Not many people around. The relics and displays of bygone days calmed us as we quietly and slowly strolled through the peaceful little place. We felt our spirits being stilled .

 
 
 We sat in a little restaurant and enjoyed two of our favorite foods: fried green tomatoes and coconut cream pie. Grabbed our forks and just shared the plate!!

 We drove around a lake, visited a luxury resort, where we only looked because we surely couldn't afford to stay, and ended up in a little cabin called the " Chicken Coop. We are used to tiny places and feel comfy in them!! 

We love searching out unique restaurants.... found one where Toney enjoyed wonderful catfish. Rustic, quiet, good food.. perfect setting for the evening.

 

We hiked the dam walkway for a spell... shared our thoughts, did some talking to God, enjoyed reading a spell, and slept cozily in the little cabin.

 
 

By the second morning, we were feeling relaxed and peaceful so just drove... ending up in a little Oklahoma town where we lived 40 years ago. I guess we are getting old, because we spent quite awhile reminiscing.  Life has sure gone a lot of different and unexpected directions. But we always look back on God's mercy through all those years.  We were feeling so blessed.  

Toney's old barber shop in Nowata, OK.

Our first home we bought...we were so proud of it!!

We enjoyed breakfast at a little restaurant that had been in operation for over 50 years; had lunch at a small town grill.

 We drove through the little town of Pawhuska, quickly decided we'd exchange the crowd in the Mercantile for driving to the Drummond Lodge. Some beautiful ranch land....

 

 

We captured the back roads of Oklahoma on our peaceful drive back home.  It's amazing how renewed we both were from just a few hours of shutting down and relaxing.  

I love meeting God as He waits for us to "come away" for awhile. He examples this for us in the writings of his three short years here on earth.  Yet he got so much done!!

So we're back at Pearl of Grace Ranch, our spirits and bodies renewed and ready to get back to work!!

It's easy to wait and seek God in  the beauty of nature's renewal and seeing life through the simple things!

It doesn't take a lot of money or even time to get away. You don't have to travel to an exotic island or popular tourist attraction.  It only takes a few hours to lay everything busy aside, seek out some quietness, be ready to clear the air and talk to God.  I recommend it...