Monday, May 31, 2010

Thank you just isn't enough.......

Today, as I remember the profound sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, thank you just isn't enough, but it's all I have to give.......



Thank you, thank you, thank you..........

May you be continually blessed......

Only Because of Jesus,

anne

Friday, May 28, 2010

Happy Birthday Elly!!!

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Ten years ago today,(well, yesterday, by the time I actually got this to post... :-)) I was sitting in a hospital room, cuddling 10lbs 10oz of pure, delicious joy. I know it sounds trite, but it seems like yesterday. She had a rough start, my most difficult birth, but oh was she worth it!! Eliana Joy Beasley was born into this world and I'm amazed at how her name just nails who she is. Eliana Joy (My God has answered my prayers with joy) is true to her name, she loves the Lord and seeks to serve Him, she loves and loves and loves.

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This child has never met a stranger and tries to make even new kids at the park feel welcome, lest they feel like an outsider....nuh uh, not on Elly's watch!


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She's our chatty Cathy, social butterfly, and lover of people.

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She is loyal, and kind, and always tries to do the right thing. She blows me away on a regular basis.

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I still have to pinch myself that God somehow chose me to be this beautiful soul's Mama. I am truly blessed.......you see, Elly, God loved me soooooo very much that He gave me you, and I will be forever grateful.......

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Happy Birthday sweet girl.....I love you.......









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May you be blessed...


Only Because of Jesus,

Mummy

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Just a Thought...

Sweet Amber over at hutch5 posted this quote, and it really made me think, in a good way. I seem to be doin' lots of that lately....

"When my children hear godliness out of my mouth and they see wickedness in my life, then I point them to heaven and I lead them to hell." ~Alistair Begg

Amen....

May your day be blessed......

Only Because of Jesus,


anne

A Date with Elly

A couple of weeks ago (yes, it's taken me that long to post this, pathetic isn't it?) Elly, Sam and I went on a date to use the coupons Nana gave us for a free frappe at McDonalds. We had a blast!!!



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Elly and I had the chance to chat, and she, for once, had my complete undivided attention. It was lovely!!! My chatty girl was in heaven!!




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Sam was groovin' on the whole straw as sword thing. I think the dragon table was slain, the land of McDonalds is now safe for all, no applause please, the knight was worn out after such battles and is now in slumberland..... :-) 



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But, before the dragon awakened, the boy tried to eat the lemon from my iced tea....



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Somehow, I don't think he was feelin' the love for the fresh lemons.......




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Don't let these beatific blue eyes fool you.....a cheeky little monkey resides behind them, and there's absolutely NOTHING he won't try.......no fear..... at all....gives his Mama all kinds of grey hairs, but that's what hair color is for, and we love him to bits!!! We could eat that deliciousness up,his groupies and I....we are truly blessed.....



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May your night be blessed........

Only Because of Jesus,

anne

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Have You Really Thought About It?

With Memorial Day coming up, I usually really stop and think about, and remember the sacrifices of military members and their families, see here and here. Having been a Navy wife for 15 years, I lived all over the world and I've seen alot. I know alot about the sacrifices military families make, we were one. I also know about sending your husband off to parts unknown and praying for his safety, except, there was that part of me I had to put on hold, the part that could even fathom that he wouldn't come home alive. I was sooo very blessed that D did always come back to me. Every time.

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But, sometimes God intervenes and takes a husband or wife home i.e. heavenly home, rather than sending them home to their family. He doesn't give us warning, just one day they're with us, the next they're not. When that occurs halfway around the world, I can only imagine it just feels surreal, like it isn't really happening, like the Army must have it wrong, it wasn't my husband or wife in that convoy, when that suicide bomber struck. Nope, they're wrong, he's gonna call me, or email me and tell me that this is all a big mistake, or waking up morning after morning, after the blessed oblivion of sleep, only to realize, that the other side of the bed is empty, you are now a single parent, and your soulmate in life is gone. Suddenly, the nightmare is appallingly real. Sure, you'll see them again, but you miss them NOW, you need them NOW.

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I don't think most of us think about it in that much detail on a daily basis. Sure, we're grateful for all of the brave men and women that sacrifice their time and risk life and limb to secure freedom for the rest of us, but I doubt that we really think about what that truly means. I was a Navy wife, and I avoided really thinking about it. I think it was too close, too possible, and I couldn't let myself go there. Well, the day before yesterday, I did. I allowed myself to go there. Oddly enough, because a family, friends of ours that we'd lost touch with, well, it happened to them.

My friend Margo and her two daughters are without their amazing husband and father, he was killed in Afghanistan this week. I was up with a teething baby at 3:30 am, and D checked his email to find :

Dear Church,

I'm deeply saddened, dismayed, and completely perplexed that i have to write to you concerning the untimely death of Col. Tom Belkofer (age 45) on duty in Afghanistan, yesterday. Those of us who knew him can only scratch our heads and ask why? Tom was a great man and leaves behind his wife Margo and two teen-aged girls. They were very involved at Calvary while stationed here, and we deeply mourn this loss. We know he's with God in perfect bliss, but we are still stunned by such a sudden loss. Please pray.

Mark

Stunned, doesn't even begin to describe it. Then, my heart started breaking for Margo and the girls. When they lived in Maryland, Tom was a Major, and we used to make "Ground Control to Major Tom" jokes, and he gave as good as he got. He was an amazing man who loved God, treasured his wife and adored his girls. There are no words to express our sorrow at Tom's passing. No words that would make it better. There is a gaping hole in the world now, that Tom Belkofer isn't in it.


This is the homecoming video our friend Craig made for Tom when he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2006...

HOMECOMING VIDEO from cedarcreek.tv production on Vimeo.



This my friend Margo, Tom's wife. This video was played at Tom's funeral.

MARGO BELKOFER STORY (for Service) from cedarcreek.tv production on Vimeo.


They are an amazing family, and Margo just blows me away.

So, I guess, I say all of this to put out there, don't ever, ever forget the sacrifices are very real. They happen to real families, with real children, whose hearts and lives are really shattered when they don't come home. Pray for these families, pray like you never have before.....hug your husband, your wife, your kiddos, hug em' tight.......just because you can.....because, freedom is indeed, NOT free.

May your day be blessed....

Only Because of Jesus,


anne

Photos from Google images

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Get Out the Tissues.... No....Seriously.....

Ok, you can hold the tissues in reserve for the last part of the post, I just wanted you to be prepared....

This morning started out ok, I was hopeful, I was hopeful that this would be that Mother's Day that I dreamed of. I don't dream of the breakfast in bed, or fancy gifts. I just wanted to be able to get my eyebrows waxed (yes, with our current financial situation, a $10 eyebrow wax has become a luxury) and to have a spotless kitchen (at least spotless to the best of their ability--I AM realistic) . That's it.

Truth be told, I don't think I should have gotten out of bed, because that's where things started to go horribly wrong. Kyri was trying to help, she made eggs and instead of waiting for me to hand it over the baby gate she tried to climb over the gate with the eggs and the eggs went splat on the dining room floor, of course tears flowed. I tried to comfort her and clean up the mess before Sam had a picnic/spa treatment with the eggs from the floor. I finally got that cleaned up, and sat down to eat my breakfast and feed Samuel his. Ok, minor hiccup, it's all good.

Then all kinds of drama ensued regarding fashion crises of one variety or another, because with the current car situation, all we have use of is Dan's Yukon which, due to a broken seat belt, only seats 4. Thus, Dan, Samuel and I and one of the girls get to go to church on any given Sunday. We rotate who goes, and if one passes on her turn for whatever reason, the next in line gets to go, with one of the teenagers staying to babysit the youngers. So, anyhow, coming back from that rabbit trail, getting ready for church was full of drama that would make most soap opera writers run away screaming..... didn't matter who's turn it was, they all wanted to go, which, admittedly, is a good problem to have, but only one could go. I keep prayin' for that black Suburban :-) , but, in the meantime, this is the way it is. And they know that.

Oh, there's more, once we get to church all of the handicapped spots were taken and both the upper and lower lots were full. So, I dropped Dan and Elly off at the door to the church, and drove next door to the doctor's offices and parked in their lot which meant pushing Sam over this extremely rocky grassy hill ducking under trees to get across to the church lot. By this time, I was DONE! I was ready to just sit in the truck and have a good long pity party, I was completely poised to have a really good sob, but Sam was restless, so I sucked it up and half carried his stroller, with him in it over this rocky hill to get to church. I never made it to the service. Sam decided that he was done. Before we even set foot in the service, he was finished sitting, and began to loudly let me know displeased he was, so we did NOT pass GO, we did NOT collect $200, we went to the nursery, directly to the nursery. This is where I stayed all of the church service. I hear the guest pastor was fabulous, I suppose I'll have to take their word for it, no biggie, I'll get the CD of the service next Sunday.

Sam fell asleep on the way home, Yayyy!!! He's soooo much happier after a nap. I decided to sit out in the truck with him for a little while in the driveway, blessed silence, or, so I thought. Cait walks out, and informs me we have a "lack of cheese" crisis. The dairy industry would be so pleased, our family considers "lack of cheese" a major crisis that simply must be remedied immediately,(not quite on the level of lack of coffee....but that's more on the order of if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy..:-) ) so instead of going in and having lunch, I head out with sleeping baby and Cait. Off to the commissary. While I'm at the commissary, Dan calls and lets me know Mum and Jim are on their way. Yayyyy!!! I'm so glad they're coming to visit on Mother's Day!! So I try and rush through the commissary, no luck, honestly, it was like the beltway at rush hour, good grief! Praise God, the lines to check out weren't bad at all.

( Thank you my girlies for cleaning things up while I was at the commissary before Nana and Grandpa arrived!!! Y'all are just stars!!! )

Ok, have you entered my pity party yet, or are you reading this and saying, this woman needs to get a grip, grow up and get over it, ya big whiner ?!?! I'm leaning more toward the "grow up and get over it, ya big whiner!!!". Yeah. Well, anyhow, time to get out the tissues.......

Just before Mum and Jim arrive Dan tells me to read his blog. I'm thinking, ok, I have to make sure nobody painted the bathroom walls with eyeshadow etc. before they get here, but he insisted, so I did.


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OH MY GOODNESS!!!! This is why I married this man of mine. He wrote the most eloquent, humbling, kind, amazing blog post about me......I felt so unworthy of this praise, especially with the way I had been feeling all day, I fall short in so very many ways....but y'all gotta read this ....I'm tellin' ya, you're gonna need the tissues.....I bawled like a baby.....


I Know Such a Woman

I recently read “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and ran across three passages where the subject is Mortenson's wife, Tara, that really hit home...

From Chapter 22:

“How many women would have the strength and vision to let the father of their children work in such a dangerous place for months at a time?…Tara not only allows it, but supports it, because she believes so strongly in Greg's mission. If that’s not heroism I don't know what is.”

I agree. I know such a woman.

From Chapter 23 where Mortenson is trying to stay out of a firefight:

“I stopped thinking about escape and started thinking about my kids…trying to imagine how Tara would explain the way I'd died to them, and wondering if they would understand what I was trying to do how I didn't mean to leave them over here. I decided Tara would make them understand. And that was a pretty good feeling.”

I understand. I know such a woman.

And, finally, from the Acknowledgements:

“Most of all, I owe immeasurable gratitude to my incredible wife, Tara. I'm glad we took a leap of faith together. You are an amazing companion, confidante, mother, and friend. In my frequent absences over the…years of our marriage…your love has made it possible for me to follow my heart.. I love you.”

I know – I also love such a woman.

And 21 years ago she became my wife, only asking for my love, not seeking guarantees of prosperity or security. Willing to walk with me wherever our Lord and our lives would take us. Making it possible for me to follow my heart in following my Lord and His calling, a prototypical military/ministry wife.

Happy Mother’s Day, Anne.

I'll echo Mortenson's testimony to the rarity of such women. I've seen too much of life to ignore those who got going when the going got tough.

I was already in the Navy when she married me, and already stationed too far from home. She had to wait four months after the honeymoon to even be able to catch up with me in Japan. Later, she released me for military service in two combat zones at times when no one was sure what was coming next. The second time with two small children at home and us stationed in a foreign country.

And, of course, there were all the times both military and ministry when someone asked, “Can we borrow your husband for a bit?”

As a pastor, I hear about too many ministry families where that pastor does everything he can to duck the inevitable emergency phone calls because it will only cause trouble with a wife who thinks her “white-collar professional” husband should only work 9-5. When the phone rings like that at our house, this "woman God gave me" has clothes laid out and my stuff ready before I’m off the phone.

She walked readily with me into the unknown country of Parkinson’s Disease, sure that God would somehow resolve this blazing furnace, knowing that “the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us… But even if He does not…"

And I could go on, talking about how she’s swallowed her concerns and let me spend time in homeless camps (sending food along from her pantry, trusting that God would make it up) and on missions trips; freed me for racetrack chaplaincy and the extra time it took to attempt bilingual preaching…

How she’s thrown herself into ensuring that even the most underfunded weddings were made the most of (more faith from her grocery budget). Sending me to hospitals and funerals and all kinds of other time-with-the-family draining events – even when it had to have made her feel like a de facto single parent – because it’s what we do.

And how now, once again, she’s faithfully walking with me into this time of sickness and disability and lost income. Taking on the burden of watching over the kids, running our household, driving us all where we need to go, and generally keeping track of me.

Not to mention that she’s an “eyes on the prize” “worth far more than rubies” woman of faith who remembers (most of the time) that this all doesn’t matter anyhow ‘cause she’s just passing through on her way to that City God is building for us.

So what does all that have to do with Mothers Day, you ask?

Wouldn’t you want your children to have such a woman for their mother?

Ferndale Tonight


Ok, is that not the most amazing Mother's Day present ever???? It reminds me of the love letters we used to write to each other when we were dating or first married. When the Navy sent him to far off places....Wow......I do love that man. I just can't seem to help myself, he just melts me. Thank you my handsome preacher man, you have no idea how much that meant to me today. It's true you know.....when God says "no" it's not "no". It just means He has something better. Would I have chosen my day to go this way? Probably not, oh but the reward at the end, well, this post was sooooo very worth it!

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May you all have a blessed Mother's Day....... I did......

Only Because of Jesus,

anne

Thursday, May 6, 2010

I Dare You

Ok, I dare you too! Watch this.......

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I couldn't get the video to load....sorry.... (click the link to watch)

May your day be daring.....and may you be blessed by doing something you thought you couldn't, shouldn't or wouldn't do (keep it legal....:-) ) .........

Only Because of Jesus,

anne

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Happy Mother's Day ....A Few Days Early...




I was in tears, although those that know me, know that it doesn't take much! Happy Mother's Day to all of those fabulous Mums I have the privilege of calling my friends. Barbara, I will be forever grateful for how you mothered and loved and raised my wonderful Daniel, ya done good! And Mum, I am soooo blessed that God chose me to be yours. I don't know what I did to deserve it, but, I thank Him every day.......I love you!!!!!

May your day be especially blessed....

Only Because of Jesus,

anne
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