He is risen... He is risen indeed

my daughter had a part in the church program today... "Jesus died on the cross". she did so well at home and knowing how she did at christmas i knew that she would probably just say it at home. i was so nervous for her. we talked about how daddy used to talk on stage and he was so good at it. she said that she was going to do it, but i knew that it probably was not going to happen. i was nervous she was going to cry again, but she didn't and i was so proud that she stood there most of the time and crawled down the stage herself to come to me. she ended up not saying the line, but i was just really proud that she stood there and did not cry.

i have also been teaching her that if i say "He is risen" then she needs to say, "He is risen indeed". so tonight at the dinner table that what we said back and forth throughout dinner. then she asked about who is risen and that was such a great talk. i love my little girl.

during church today, i remembered how we did Resurrection Sunday last year. it was at my second favorite place over there and i remember P playing the guitar. he practiced for a couple weeks getting ready for that afternoon. the children loved opening each egg that had something in it to represent something from Easter. i remember washing each others' feet. hmmm~ it was a great memory to have.

God is good isn't He. right now i wish i could sit down with Jesus drinking a hot cup of chai tea latte and just chat about my deepest heart things on the most comfortable couch... what a great date that would be. sitting in front of my Savior having His full attention. maybe i'll go do that now... i don't have chai tea latte, but i could sit and have a great conversation with Him...

He is risen...

praise the Lord

God has been good these past few days... (as always)

Praise 1 (reiterated): JP's surgery went well. continued prayer for healing through physical therapy...

praise 2: my dad had his surgery this afternoon. the surgery went well and the last i talked to my mom, he's been sleeping a lot. please continue to pray for his healing and my mom as she takes care of him.

praise 3: as today is Good Friday, i am so thankful for the cross that my savior took on for me. i am so not worthy of it, but He thought i was so worth it... what a wonderful savior we have. thank you Jesus.

on sunday, A has a part at church. it is "Jesus died on the cross". hoping she'll say it this time. :)

tomorrow at 10:00 our church is having an Easter Egg Hunt. please if you want to come join us.

more prayer

praise the Lord JP's surgery went well. don't know more specifics than that, but loving how the Lord is taking care of him, with good doctors and hospital. please continue to pray for them as a family... J as he is a away in the hospital, K as she is home with the kids, and the kids.

please pray for my dad. got news last night that he went to the ER. he's going to need gallbladder surgery. trusting the Lord in all that, but my dad is in his late 60's and has other health concerns, so a little nervous at the same time. please pray for my mom as she deals with this and my dad as he goes into surgery and recovers. will know more later this morning.

please pray for me as yesterday has taken an emotional toll on me. just for continued peace.

today we remember Christ's sacrifice for us. i am so grateful for the life i have in that sacrifice. thank you Jesus for taking up that cross for me... can't wait til sunday when we say, "He has risen" and people say, "He has risen in deed". (that was for you KS)

**the Lord is so great in giving us the body of Christ. and today i just want to say thank you to DR and TR for always helping out with A. she loves you guys... all of you... B, S, O and G too!!! thanks for taking her for the night!!!!**

urgent prayer!!!

got notice today that a friend got in a motorcycle accident. from KP's letter... "Today J got into an accident on his motorcycle and hurt his knee very badly. Tomorrow (hopefully Wed. evening your time) he will be evacuated for further testing, treatment, and possible surgery. At the hospital they did x-rays, which showed a fracture in 2 places and his kneecap is too high. When he gets to Singapore they will do a scan to look at the ligaments and soft tissue, which are likely torn, and at the very least damaged. At the moment he is in intense pain and cannot move his leg even a little bit without increasing the pain. He said this is the worst pain he’s ever experienced in his life…and he’s pretty tough."

i ask for prayers to be lifted up on their behalf. J will be leaving with a friend and K is going to be at home with 3 kids (a friend is there to help). i feel like i know what it's like to have to be home with kids while your husband is in the hospital (although different circumstances), so please pray for them!!! they need prayer coverage!!!

daddy's princess

these past few days, A and i have been trying to bond. that may sound funny, but we have had several rough days, so i feel like i need to establish stability for her by bonding a little. so i do things a little different at times so she knows that i love her and want to care for her. to some it may sound like spoiling, to me it's loving and meeting her where she needs to be met.

for naps, i have been singing to her until she falls asleep in my arms, which is only like 15 minutes max. it's a relaxing time for me to just sit with the girl i love the most and sing, and it's a sense of security for her. just now as i put her down for a nap, i saw some features that she has that are from P. her hands for one are just like his... her eyelashes are definitely from him too (gorgeous knockout lashes)... the top half of her nose... and much more, but i was thinking how beautiful she is.

P told A since she was born that she couldn't date until 30... ha ha... now i think the same way... she's so beautiful, not just on the outside, but her heart is so gentle (and as she grows, i'm praying she'll have a heart like her savior)... what am i going to do to take down all the boys that will be after her?

daddy's little princess is growing.

my friend just had a baby and as i held her today and looked at A, i just thought, "where does the time go?" - and she's only 3. i know there are people who feel that about their kids going off to college, getting married, having kids... ugh... praying my little girl will be solid in her faith that when she goes out, even though my heart will break, i'll know that she has someone far greater than me looking out for her.

my pastor, RB, told me how God cares for her and loves her more than i could ever... that truth is amazing and so comforting... thank you God.

so i feel like our rough days are coming to an end and i'm just going to have to love her and meet her where she is at. it's a challenge to do that and still lay down the law, but it's been so much better. please continue to pray for me about that.

behind Jesus

in my sunday school class we are watching louie giglio do a series on hope. of course in hope, there is suffering that comes first. in listening to his message today, i, and probably others in my class, were in tears. there was a part where he read something from a man dying of cancer to his chilren. it said something like, "when you come to heaven, after you give Jesus a big hug, i'll be right behind him waiting to hug you." i cried when i heard that... it hits home for me... i tell A that all the time, especially when she asks when her turn is to go to heaven. i tell her when God says it's time... i explain to her that when we get there, Jesus will be so excited to see us, He'll give us a big hug... and right behind him... daddy will be waiting to hold us... she always has such a big smile after i tell her that.

my friend, AB, once mentioned how A's answers to important questions are either, Jesus or daddy, then AB said, "the two most important people in her life." i thought how true it was... in that order too.... Jesus... then her daddy is probably who she thinks of the most...

A wants to be baptized and has been for some months now. we were reading a story of John the Baptist and Jesus... so she talks about how she believes in Jesus and now she should be baptized. she wants me to do it and most days she wants it done right away. one time she even mentioned how then there will be a bird... ha ha... you know those picture bibles has the dove on Jesus' head. I love her thought processing. please pray for her and her desires of this... i think it's great. she's already starting to memorize bible verses, like her daddy and loves singing. her favorite one is "mighty to save" and "better than life". but she really likes "Jesus loves me", "Jesus loves the little children" and so much more. today as we were getting ready for church, she marched herself onto the porch and stood there singing while i got everything together. - God thank you for my baby!!!

i have to say though, as much as she is a gem, i do have my hard days of single-parenting. i look at P's picture frequently and say, "this is not what i signed up for, come and fix it."

i love the promises we have in Christ and that we have hope... and as hard days come, there will always be hope in those hard dark days in Jesus Christ.

this is week is a pretty significant week for those who follow Christ... passion week. praying that it will be a blessing for all. - if you are reading this and do not know who Jesus is or what the significance of passion week is, please contact someone who does, a local church, a local christian radio station, and find out, it'll change your life - forever!!!

spring

P loved going into stores and smelling fertilizer. he thought that it was a sign of spring coming and enjoyed smelling it. i smelled that at the store about a week ago and then the other day... teared up... he loved when seasons changed. here another season comes and he isn't here to see it. it's funny how things just keep getting you. times when you don't expect it. throws you for a loop. uh!!! but glad that i have those memories.

thank you for your prayers as we traveled. A and i had a great time in sunny Florida. it was good. we got time to swim and go around. i enjoyed it... the last day i wanted to make the most of it and go out to eat and have fun, so when dinner time came i asked her what she would like to eat. she says, "mommy, i don't want to go to no more places. i'm tired." ha ha... so we headed back to our room. she's so funny.