Armor

Words hurt...............
The Bible tells us we need to watch our tongue.
All too recently I found out that a friend of mine from long ago was asked to talk to the Grand Jury about a situation he found himself in. Suspicion kinda remains as the situation is not cleared up but the public believes it was a framing. Although he can go on with his life the cloud hovers for now. Lies. truth, accusations. Leaves things cloudy and muddled. It seems the Christian is not totally safe but is often the target of the Devil as we try to live above the norm. and in turn our words and actions are often scrutinized and twisted if not up to Par of others. Yes we all have moments where we fail and often fall short of being examples but this road is a journey and the goal is what we need to strive for. Jealousy can cause others to attack also. I was the victim of that many years ago and just now have had some healing of that. A friendship with this same family was attacked by another and doubt was shed on me. No one knew what to believe but I knew the accusation was false and knew that I was straight with God so could move on. The pain was there still and a restored friendship has made a huge difference. I shed tears over the relief of that just today. The armor of God needs to be in place more now than ever, I feel. Words do hurt, accusations are painful. Friendships are important and should be held on to if at all possible.

follow up......although this remains unsolved....................my friends do not appear to be in the spotlight and have been cleared totally. Their life has gone on and although this remains a dark spot and may always until solved it seems to be able to put in the back of their mind for awhile.

it's time

time is a funny thing. We have spent five years here. We moved here newly pregnant with Zoe and now she is 4!. Our time here is up and we will be on to a new military assignment faster than I can get myself geared for it totally. Oh, now mind you I want to go but sometimes goodbyes are rough.

It is easy when events, calendars, and clocks dictate and guide our actions for our outer life and our daily pursuits; but what about our inner world. What about our internal thoughts which only we know. The thoughts which live in the depth of our being. The inner feelings sometimes are hard to get a hold of.

Our thoughts lead the way in our lives, too. Our thoughts are probably stronger than any time schedule we could have set for ourselves, and most of the time we are completely unaware of the havoc he inner thoughts can cause in the rest of our life.

As one lives life, it becomes very abundantly clear that there are beginnings and endings...over and over and over again. Beginnings can be a little scary to some as they navigate the unchartered territory; and to others, beginnings can be a very exciting time as infinite possibilities appear to them.

As for endings, well, what can I say? Endings means change, and once again, some welcome change and some resist change. One may think they are in control of their lives and try to maintain this power, fruitlessly. Some let the current gently guide them and accept what comes along. Many times death is one of those times in life that our inner thoughts may come forth. When death is upon us, we can see clearly how we really feel about life being organic and ever changing. Are we the ones who accepts and moves forward or are we the ones who get stuck and can't let go?

My constant theme for the last ten years is I roll with the punches. I know God is in control and I do my best to follow him. Having a Christian husband who also desires a walk with the Lord is beneficial and makes it easier. I can attest a marriage where we have the same path and are equally yoked makes it easier to handle the stresses life throws at you. For those of you who are not married this is very important for your happiness. For those of you who are, I only hope you benefit from this yourselves.

The last ten years have brought many changes to my life.................a husband, 2 more kids, 2 dogs, living with John's parents, purchasing a home in WV, moving to GA, three deployments, 5 surgeries, totaling a vehicle, receiving a diagnosis of epilepsy for one child, learning I will have to have iron transfusions for the rest of my life, amongst several other daily life type things..........
A lot of stuff to happen in any marriage, but you know what? God was faithful as we were to him and each other. Our marriage ended up being stronger for it all. Although goodbyes are hard, I look forward to the opportunities ahead and look forward to what God has planned for us
it's time...........time to look ahead and press to the mark that has been set before us for life here on Earth and for our neverending futures.

A LOVE NOTE FROM A FRIEND TODAY

Mothers Are Given Special Traits

Most women become mother by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures, and a couple by habit. This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen? Somehow, I visualize God hovering over earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger. "Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron Saint, Matthew. Forrest, Marjorie, daughter. Patron Saint, Cecelia. Rudledge, Carrie, twins. Patron Saint, ... give her Gerard. He's used to profanity." Finally, He passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child." The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy." Exactly, "smiles God. "Could you give a handicapped child to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel." "But has she patience?" asks the angel. "I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world and that's not going to be easy." "But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you." God smiles, "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect." The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?" God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word.' She will never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says "Momma" for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations." "I will permit her to see clearly the things I see . . . ignorance, cruelty, prejudice . . . and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side." "And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in midair. God smiles, "A mirror will suffice." By Emma Bormbeck

Been awhile but things are happening!!!!!

So I have been absent from my blog...........a lot has been happening.
Here are some highlights.
1. No seizures for Zoe.
2. Almost daily tantrums that can last from 10 minutes to an hour. Increasing in strength and duration. We do not give in and eventually she can get over it and back to her sweet loving self.
3. We went to Disney. Visited the World, the Animal Kingdon and Epcot.
4. Zoe and Danielle got to meet Cinder Ro (Cinderella for the rest of us) and have breakfast with the Princesses
5. Zoe turned 4.
6. I was released to finally exercise but have been put back on restriction as of today. Seems I had two sutures that did not disolve on their own which is why I STILL have two open areas. They are now gone. Thank you Doc. so until scabs are off and pain is gone No more running.
7. I was running a 7 minute mile as of yesterday.
8. Moving day is May 9th...............closets are being cleaned out as we speak as are the bookshelfs.
9. Kendra can now officially babysit..........she has her permit in hand from the Red Cross.
10. Danielle is starting to be interested in potty training.
11. I still think the kid is going to be a table dancer or naked show girl of some type. She likes to get up on something to elevate her while naked and belt out a song. We no longer laugh when she does it (at least not in front of her).
12. We have a new fur baby.........we saved her from death row. Her name is Molly and she is very very timid.
13. I received two awards from the FRG unit. But unlike with John's former unit, I was not in the loop and did not feel I did much to help out to deserve them. I did not go to the ceremony so they made my husband receive them for me. With 4/64, I did much more. I fielded some calls with 6/8 but nothing like the other unit.
14. spent 4 days searching for my missing keys...................to find them in the girl's closet. Can anyone say DANIELLE!!!!!!!!!!

will add pics later since I am back on restriction again. I was enjoying getting up and exercising while the girls were still asleep maybe I will sleep in tomorrow. I will miss my Wii fit.