Mother's Day Thoughts

When I wrote in her card on mother's day I told my mom that I was so thankful that she had been a "mean mom" and this is what I meant.

Was your Mom mean?
I know mine was.

We had the meaneast mother in the whole world!
While other kids ate cake and candy for breakfast,
we had to have cereal, eggs and oatmeal.

When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches
and guess what our dinner was, yep, different from what other kids had
We actually had to eat from all of the food groups.

She had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work.
We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook,vacuum the floors,
do laundry, empty the trash, mow the grass, and all sorts of other cruel jobs.
I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times
You'd think we were convicts in a prison!
She had to know who our friends were & what we were doing with them.
Where we were going and when we would be back!

She insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth
and if we didn't "our sins would find us out".
By the time we were teenagers she could read our minds
and she had eyes in the back of her head!

Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up
they had to come to the door so she could meet them.
While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13,
we had to wait until we were 16 - gasp!

Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced.
Like.....none of us were caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property,
arrested for any crime or pregnant. It was all her fault.

It was also her fault that we were in church every Sunday morning,
Sunday evening and Wednesday, that we memorized scripture verses,
that we had family devotions, and most of all, that each of us
came to know Jesus as our Savior.

I think this is what's wrong with the world today
It just doesn't have enough mean moms!

Doing my best to be a mean mom too,
Leah

Memories

I love pictures - don't always enjoy having my own taken, but love the PURPOSE of pictures. They tell our stories, help us celebrate, remember and mourn. Sometimes they help us when our memory seems to fail us.

At Easter, Amy gave me pictures she had come across from December 1998. They were of her, Aaron and I. Aaron was flying into Harrisburg, PA with his crew, spending the night and leaving the next day. I told him I would be there! It was only a little more than 2 hours away and the closest he would be in a while - what an opportunity!! Amy was very much "with child" at the time but I convinced her that the roadtrip would be great fun. It was like being kids again - we went to dinner and stayed up late talking. The 3 of us even shared a hotel room!

These pictures brought tears, of course, but something more. The human mind has a unique ability to capture our memories -- little snapshots that we've taken with our mind's eye and felt with our heart. Those snapshots started flashing before me and memories flooded my mind. I can remember how "giddy" Aaron was when he greeted us at the hotel that night, how we piled 7 of us in my little Mazda 626 to find a restaurant, what he ate at dinner, and where he sat in the hotel room (up on the heater by the window where he talked to Christina on the phone). How our mind does that I'll never know but it helps us hold that person so much closer when we've lost them.

Eating at Outback Steakhouse. I remember Aaron requesting a baked sweet potatoe and devouring it!

The next morning we got clearance to go out on the strip with him. How cool was that! I found some more pictures from this trip in my albums. Amy and I took turns sitting in the pilot and co-pilot's seats as well as the bubble where Aaron would shoot the gun.

As I look at these pictures I hear him laughing and feel that warm closeness. Seven months have flown by since that terrible October day but we'll NEVER EVER forget you Aaron!

With loving memories

Leah

Joel's Back

Some of you know that Joel has been having some back, hip and leg problems and an MRI revealed a herniated disk. Well, we traveled to Winchester on Wednesday to see the neurosurgeons at the Spinal Clinic. They agreed with the finding but are hoping that it is a "contained" herniation. They decided to start by giving him an epidural steroid injection. Depending on his results from this we will know whether or not we have to proceed with surgery. We are praying we do not but we'll take it as it comes. He is very sore from the injection and still is experiencing the "temporary" nerve affects from the herniation. We'll keep ya posted but would appreciate the prayers.

9 Years & Counting

Today Joel and I celebrate 9 years of marriage! I could write a book here about our relationship - our ups and downs but instead I just want to say I'm thankful for the Lord's guidance, love, forgiveness and blessings in our lives. He has done and continues to do an amazing work in us. I'm convinced that marriages cannot be strong unless they have difficult times to teach you the need for each other and total dependence on God. I think my vision of marriage 9 years ago was a far cry from the intimate, deep bond that would develop through years of tears, joys, life lessons and prayer! For better or worse............
Happy Anniversary Honey!



National Day of Prayer Today
I pray that couples will join together in prayer committing themselves to putting Christ first in their home and raising children that know and love our Lord. Our country sure could use a few stronger families!! And my daughter will need a godly man in about 20 years! PLEASE!