This is my favorite season...FALL.
I love to watch the leaves change but I really don't enjoy being the one to rake them.
I enjoy cool nights where you need a jacket to go out but don't like the fact that I am missing my husband with whom I'd rather snuggle.
I love smores and popcorn by the fire but don't like smelling like smoke.
I like to sip hot chocolate on a cold morning but I wish I could make the calories disappear.
I enjoy eating a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup but it always tastes better when I don't have to make it myself.
I love doing fun things with my girls but miss having my entire family together.
Fall reminds me of change. Trees lose their leaves, children start school, the weather gets cooler.... While change can be hard, challenging and even downright painful...it is good for us. It helps us to see what we are made of. If you asked me almost a year ago if I thought I could manage my home, children and additional responsiblities that were once my husband's for a whole year without him...I would have not really been sure what to say or how to respond. I would have hoped to say YES...but I know my weaknesses. We are at the very end of this deployment and I must say that the change I have gone through this year has made me a better person. I person who is more dependent on the Lord and knows where to turn when I feel like I just can't go on anymore. I am very excited though a little anxious for the upcoming change that will be taking place in a few weeks...my husband returning from his year long deployment. I am excited to have him back home but not quite sure how two people who have lived apart for almost a year will mesh back together. Even though I am a little apprehensive, I know that just as He has in the past, that God will see us through.
Are you in the midst of changes in your life right now? Have you allowed God to work in and through you? Having Christ in your life makes a difference. He doesn't make our worry or problems disappear but he gives us the strength and courage to face them as He is there for us...sometimes carrying us through. Embrace what this life offers you and meet it head on with God on your side. It not about just getting to the desintation but It's all about the Journey.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Tragedy at Fort Hood
I have been struggling with what to post...whether or not to post. We live on post here at Fort Hood. We were home last Thursday when the events unfolded at the SRP building, just over a mile away. Normally on Thursdays, we are usually off post for a homeschool co-op, but co-op had ended just the week before and we were home. Our plans for last Thursday included an afternoon playdate and dinner out with the girls. At approximately 2:20PM, as we were loading up the mini-van with meals for pregnant friends, returns to the department store and kids and their jackets, the emergency sirens here on post began to go off. I looked at my watch and thought...that's strange, they ususally test the system on Wednesdays at 12:00 Noon. The announcement that followed the sirens was " Seek shelter immediately, stay away from doors and windows". I looked up at the sky and thought, I don't know why they are saying that, it's a bright and sunny day, I don't see any storms let alone a possible tornado. A neighbor across the way yelled out her front door, "get inside and lock your doors." So I attempted to take my kids out of their car seats...as they kicked and screamed, wanting to get in the car and go to their friends house to play. As I reached the front door, my oldest handed me the phone. It was a friend who lived in a nearby town, asking if I had heard the news...there was a shooting on Fort Hood at the Readiness Center, seven people had been killed. We finished the phone call, got everyone into the house and closed and locked all the doors and shut the curtains and blinds. As I turned on the TV, it was all over the news. There was so much speculation going around, I didn't know what was truth and what was rumor. Was there another gunman out there?
As we tried to occupy ourselves in our quiet dark home, I prayed for the safety of my family. Phone calls, emails, text messages and facebook comments kept popping up and coming in. For the next five hours, until lockdown was lifted, I learned to trust in the protection of the Lord. People prayed with me on the phone and prayers were lifted up for us by friends far away. The days prior to and including Thursday, my quiet time with the Lord, included a devotional book titled, "Faith Deployed; Daily Encouragment for Military Wives". I had just read a devotion entitled, Already Written. A quote from that devotional says, "Whether they are home or abroad, God's plan for us is already written; we cannot do anything to change it!" The next day's devotional was on "The Sting of Death". How timely were these devotions in my quiet time last week. I had no idea for what the Lord was preparing me. I did not lose anyone in the attack that took place on Fort Hood on November 5th, but many people did or they knew someone who was there. I need to be ready to respond to those who are lost and hurting, with a meal, a hug, a kind word. We are called to bring hope to the hopeless. I want to always be ready to meet the need that I am confronted with, no matter what that need may be.
My husband's unit lost a soldier in the tragic shooting last week. I had never met her but Angel knew her. He described her as "a wonderful and delightful person." Please continue to pray for my husband's unit as they mourn the loss of one of their own here at home.
I need to remember that we live in a fallen and sinful world. Without Christ, people are lost. I pray that in the midst of this tragedy, that those who are hurting find comfort and hope...that they find healing for their hurts. That they find a relationship with the true God.
As we tried to occupy ourselves in our quiet dark home, I prayed for the safety of my family. Phone calls, emails, text messages and facebook comments kept popping up and coming in. For the next five hours, until lockdown was lifted, I learned to trust in the protection of the Lord. People prayed with me on the phone and prayers were lifted up for us by friends far away. The days prior to and including Thursday, my quiet time with the Lord, included a devotional book titled, "Faith Deployed; Daily Encouragment for Military Wives". I had just read a devotion entitled, Already Written. A quote from that devotional says, "Whether they are home or abroad, God's plan for us is already written; we cannot do anything to change it!" The next day's devotional was on "The Sting of Death". How timely were these devotions in my quiet time last week. I had no idea for what the Lord was preparing me. I did not lose anyone in the attack that took place on Fort Hood on November 5th, but many people did or they knew someone who was there. I need to be ready to respond to those who are lost and hurting, with a meal, a hug, a kind word. We are called to bring hope to the hopeless. I want to always be ready to meet the need that I am confronted with, no matter what that need may be.
My husband's unit lost a soldier in the tragic shooting last week. I had never met her but Angel knew her. He described her as "a wonderful and delightful person." Please continue to pray for my husband's unit as they mourn the loss of one of their own here at home.
I need to remember that we live in a fallen and sinful world. Without Christ, people are lost. I pray that in the midst of this tragedy, that those who are hurting find comfort and hope...that they find healing for their hurts. That they find a relationship with the true God.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Where have I been?
Again, another long lapse since my last post...BUT I have a legitimate reason. The girls and I drove to the East Coast (1562 miles from our home in Texas) to spend time visiting with friends and family. The way to save money on the trip was to drive there and to only do one overnight hotel stay. On the way east, we drove 17 hours the first day and about 12 the second day. The girls did wonderfully! I'm glad we have a DVD in the van and Redbox along the way.
We visited with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, great grandfather and friends. We spend time in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. We ate MD Steamed Crabs, fresh corn on the cob and home grown tomatoes. Boy do I miss PA/MD!! We took a drive south and spent a week at Colonial Williamsburg, enjoying Busch Gardens and Great Wolf Lodge too.
We had a great trip...but as all good things...or at least vacations, they must come to an end. We headed back to Texas cutting off some time on our driving adventure. It only took us 12 hours the first day and 14 on the second. I was glad to be back home in my own space. I should have blogged when we got home but we were getting ready for the start of our homeschool year and there was curriculum to order and supplies to buy and next thing I know...I'm here today, two weeks later finally sitting down to write.
I hope you have all enjoyed a great summer, as we have. I am glad to be getting back into the school routine and looking for God to do great things in my life and the lives of my family. I pray that you look for God in the mundane things of life and expect Him to do great things in and through you. Be blessed!
We visited with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, great grandfather and friends. We spend time in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. We ate MD Steamed Crabs, fresh corn on the cob and home grown tomatoes. Boy do I miss PA/MD!! We took a drive south and spent a week at Colonial Williamsburg, enjoying Busch Gardens and Great Wolf Lodge too.
We had a great trip...but as all good things...or at least vacations, they must come to an end. We headed back to Texas cutting off some time on our driving adventure. It only took us 12 hours the first day and 14 on the second. I was glad to be back home in my own space. I should have blogged when we got home but we were getting ready for the start of our homeschool year and there was curriculum to order and supplies to buy and next thing I know...I'm here today, two weeks later finally sitting down to write.
I hope you have all enjoyed a great summer, as we have. I am glad to be getting back into the school routine and looking for God to do great things in my life and the lives of my family. I pray that you look for God in the mundane things of life and expect Him to do great things in and through you. Be blessed!
Monday, July 13, 2009
The War in Iraq & Afganistan
My heart is heavy tonight and I can't sleep. I have decided to get up and write. I want to touch upon the war in Iraq and Afganistan. I am not here to debate whether or not we should be there fighting...or whether we went into the war blindly with misinformation....you can save your comments relating to these topics for someone else's blog. I am here to pour out my heart to you about events that I have heard about or spoken to friends about as they relate to the war.
We are a military family stationed in Texas. We live on an army post and are surrounded by everything military. We are an Army family. I am not a propenent for war, I would rather solve disputes through peace, but as a nation WE ARE AT WAR and our military NEEDS our support. Everyday families are sending loved ones off, hoping....praying that they return.
This past week I chatted with a friend of mine. Her husband is a chaplain who is in Iraq. You may or may not know this, but according to the Geneva Convention, chaplains are classified as "noncombatants". This means that they do not and are not allowed to carry a weapon. A chaplain assistant is assigned to a chaplain and it is this assistant who carries a weapon and if need be will defend him/herself and the chaplain should they come under attack.
My friend told me that she was heading to the area hospital where she was going to visit some soldiers. I asked her if they were soldiers from her husband's unit and she proceeded to tell me that yes they were.... but it was a little more than that. You see her husband was in a transport vehicle that was convoying to their location. Another vehicle, not her husbands, in this convey hit an IED (improvised explosive device) and there were those who had become seriously wounded. They had been sent back to the United States and she wanted to go and thank them for their service, especially since they were part of the convey that was tranporting her husband.
You know, we have not been in the military very long, but I have seen this war hit close to home. Last year a neighbor lost her husband to a roadside bomb, he had deployed just 6 weeks prior to the attack.
There are men and women who willingly put themselves in harms way for our safety, security and freedom. Many of them come home safely...some do not come home alive...while others are wounded in this war.
Today it was brought to my attention that a Battalion Commander from Fort Hood, Texas was severely injured due to an IED. LTC Karcher is currently at Walter Reed Medical Center being treated for his wounds from battle. His family and many like them need our prayers and support during this difficult time in their lives. I am asking that you join me in praying for our military..our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers....who are laying their life down for a friend (you and I).
Above this post is a link to a news article on the incident in Iraq and LTC Karcher.
Please take the time to read it and pray for this man and his family.
Whether or not you agree with the war, you probably know someone who is in the miltary and if they are not currently deployed to a combat zone, they have previously been there. These soldiers need our encouragement and prayers. Some of them have seen more in their time in combat than anyone would ever want to see in a lifetime.
I have previously posted 31 Ways to Pray for our Military and Psalm 91 (The Soldiers Psalm). Please share these with your friends, neighbors and church and let's get on our knees for these men and women.
We are a military family stationed in Texas. We live on an army post and are surrounded by everything military. We are an Army family. I am not a propenent for war, I would rather solve disputes through peace, but as a nation WE ARE AT WAR and our military NEEDS our support. Everyday families are sending loved ones off, hoping....praying that they return.
This past week I chatted with a friend of mine. Her husband is a chaplain who is in Iraq. You may or may not know this, but according to the Geneva Convention, chaplains are classified as "noncombatants". This means that they do not and are not allowed to carry a weapon. A chaplain assistant is assigned to a chaplain and it is this assistant who carries a weapon and if need be will defend him/herself and the chaplain should they come under attack.
My friend told me that she was heading to the area hospital where she was going to visit some soldiers. I asked her if they were soldiers from her husband's unit and she proceeded to tell me that yes they were.... but it was a little more than that. You see her husband was in a transport vehicle that was convoying to their location. Another vehicle, not her husbands, in this convey hit an IED (improvised explosive device) and there were those who had become seriously wounded. They had been sent back to the United States and she wanted to go and thank them for their service, especially since they were part of the convey that was tranporting her husband.
You know, we have not been in the military very long, but I have seen this war hit close to home. Last year a neighbor lost her husband to a roadside bomb, he had deployed just 6 weeks prior to the attack.
There are men and women who willingly put themselves in harms way for our safety, security and freedom. Many of them come home safely...some do not come home alive...while others are wounded in this war.
Today it was brought to my attention that a Battalion Commander from Fort Hood, Texas was severely injured due to an IED. LTC Karcher is currently at Walter Reed Medical Center being treated for his wounds from battle. His family and many like them need our prayers and support during this difficult time in their lives. I am asking that you join me in praying for our military..our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers....who are laying their life down for a friend (you and I).
Above this post is a link to a news article on the incident in Iraq and LTC Karcher.
Please take the time to read it and pray for this man and his family.
Whether or not you agree with the war, you probably know someone who is in the miltary and if they are not currently deployed to a combat zone, they have previously been there. These soldiers need our encouragement and prayers. Some of them have seen more in their time in combat than anyone would ever want to see in a lifetime.
I have previously posted 31 Ways to Pray for our Military and Psalm 91 (The Soldiers Psalm). Please share these with your friends, neighbors and church and let's get on our knees for these men and women.
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