Boojoyful

Thanks to all these cooks in the kitchen who pulled a fabulous thanksgiving meal together.  Seeing everyone come through the door with their coolers and containers made me thankful for the financial and time sacrifices they made to help us feed this group  and  still have leftovers. I finished the last of the turkey and cranberry sauce and my husband devoured the last slice of pecan pie. The 25 degree weather that followed Thanksgiving was ideal for finishing off the homemade vegetable soup with turkey broth I'd made.  Having leftovers to graze upon the remainder of the weekend was a blessing. The leftovers made me think about the feeding of the 5,000. After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, ‘Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.'    John 6:12 (NLT) I posed this question to myself..."Besides food, w hat are the leftovers in life? True confession here...I tend to be a bit of a hoarder when it comes to old toys, games, books and craft items. I worry

The adult table Thanksgiving Day. Knitted pumpkins I made in clay hands of our children from childhood. What a journey I had last week. I arrived at 8:45 at the orthopedic's office, checked in and was ushered into an exam room early, before I even sat down in the waiting room!!! The nurse asked several questions and typed my responses into the computer and left the room. As soon as she was gone the whole office building went completely dark😳 Within about a minute emergency lighting came into the hallway, but none of the exam rooms. There are no windows in these corridors or rooms. The nurse has closed my door when she left, so I sat in pitch black. You could hear scurrying and voices in the hall.   I was texting my husband and daughter about the excitement and said I couldn't believe no one was coming to check on the patients. I think they were trying to figure out the emergency and what was best to do with us. A few more minutes past, I was totally content in the dark which i

Happy 15th Birthday to our oldest grandchild!   Indestructible- as parents of 5 boys with only 7 years between them, we looked for toys that were hopefully indestructible. Hats off to Little Tykes. Some of their products are even holding up through our 13 grandchildren. A recent 9 year old house guest, whom I had never met before, decided to test out my indestructibility and patience. He was up in the loft over our bedroom, which is a play area for the grands.  There were several velcro balls that go to a velcro dart board. I had entered the bedroom to look up something on my computer with my back to the loft. This young man decided to toss the balls and see if they would stick to my hair!  The first one hit me directly in the head. Who does this to a someone else's grandmother!  Are you kidding me? I didn't throw the balls back up for a second try. Toys break (so do grandmothers), trees fall, and bodies return to dust, but Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday,

  Gotta love these Andrews long snappers. Most of you know we are a football family.  My husband was a four year letterman who was the long snapper for UNC 1972-1976.  He later coached middle school football for 19 years at a local private school. All five of our sons played for him at some point. Our fifth child was the back up long snapper for UVA and now his son is playing high school ball. In the game of football you have to be prepared for a change of plans. You never know the next play coming at you and have to make immediate adjustments.  Players are injured, substitutions are made which can change things up.  Coaches are fired or take jobs mid season, which really presents a change of plans. It's the holiday season and plans seem to change daily.  Your table may be set for ten and you learn four more are coming or a family of four calls last minute sharing someone is sick and will not be making the trip. A sweet, older, widow friend had 27 family members coming for Thanksgi

Thankful to have this many of us here this holiday. My heart is full seeing the people I love so much and have invested in so deeply, loving one another. Thankful we have a place like Shiloh for our encampment and woods for this band of merry men and women to romp and play. Science was not my thing. I made it through high school with straight A's but it took a lot of memorizing with gritted teeth to make it through science. And dissecting the worm and frog...yuck. I still smell the formaldehyde! Regeneration is a scientific word relating to "the natural process of replacing or restoring damaged or missing cells, tissues, organs, and even entire body parts to full function in plants and animals. Scientist are studying regeneration for it's potential uses in medicine, such as treating a variety of injuries and diseases." When one of our grands gets a "boo boo" I talked to them very enthusiastically about the miracle God does through sending scabs and creating

  Make today all about Jesus,  the Author and Perfecter of our faith. May His presence be felt around your table. "Thanksgiving is good, but thanks living is better." Matthew Henry The Song "Gratitude" by   Brandon Lake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQdfs5S6jyA

  I had a long devotional written on the importance of implanting scripture in our children/grandchildren.  Somehow, I deleted the entire entry.  Devil Dart. I had come upon a resource site called Better Bible Teachers which listed recommended important verses for children to know.  The explanation of the value for implanting the verse was written to the parents/teachers. I tweaked it to be an explanation directed to our grandchildren, as I am giving these out in their Thanksgiving goodie bags. https://betterbibleteachers.com Explanations for the Importance of these Verses JOHN 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life . This verse explains salvation quickly and easily! With this verse in your arsenal you can quote it to explain salvation to a buddy.   PSALM 101:3 I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them. T

          Photo of a friend's first grandchild!  Isn't this precious.  Okay, this will be covered over two days. Lots to take in... A message popped up on Instagram and the man posed the question, "Which is more important...Bible Study or prayer?"  His answer was that we must inhale Bible Study to be able to exhale prayer. Some people pray and pray, exhaling, but never take in the other part of breathing...inhaling...by breathing God's Word into our lives.   If  you abide in me, and my words abide in you ,  ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.   John 15:7 We are certain God will hear our prayers when we ask for what pleases him.             1 John 5:14 Romans 8:28 says,  And we know that for those who love God all things work together  for good,   for  those who are called according to his purpose. The only way we are going to know "what pleases God" and "what is God's purpose,"  is to know who God is and what he promises us.

When you grandson requests a ninja turtle pancake.   My husband is a gift from God. He is a provider and protector who loves me well. I just hollered to him in the other room...."You know what?" With hesitation he said, "What?"  I exclaimed, "You are my favorite human being on this earth and I thank God everyday for your faithfulness to me!"  He knows I'm leary of dead birds and will sound an alarm warning to avoid an area when there is one in the yard or on the patio he hasn't removed.  When we are driving and he sees roadkill he's quick to say "Don't look!" After I witnessed the pit bull attack on our grandson he knew the mere site of one of those dogs could set off the PTSD I was dealing with.  We were driving and at a stop sign one day, when he saw a person approaching, walking a pit bull and he quickly said, "Do not turn to the right." Another time we were staying in a hotel with several of the grands and he saw a

  Our oldest grandson, now 15, years ago at a doctor's office.   If he was sick he'd forgotten it, thanks to a sweet mama filled with distraction  powers.                                                Our outlook changes when we look out at others. I had the privilege of praying, pre-surgery, for a woman who has visited our church.  She explained she was nervous and anxious. I told her I totally got that, I can't imagine there are many people who look forward to surgery and the rehab process. I wrote her a prayer and then shared...God has been teaching me again and again the past three weeks to "Pounce on the positive." My current health issues have me in a lot of pain, but God is showing me that the goodness/positives in my life, specifically in my body, far outweigh the issues. So, I need to think on the good things. This hand towel hangs in my bathroom as a daily reminder. Continuing in my text, I shared, "As you go to the hospital today, use your ten f