Meet Cinnamon

This is our new kitten, Cinnamon. Rob couldn't wait to get a cat (he's as bad as Barbara!), so he jumped at the chance when he found this unwanted member of a litter. He's a cutie- the kitten, not Rob. :)

Robert's 1st Tools

Robert has to have tools now for his electricity courses. So today, Rob took him to the store and was there to offer any help or advice while Robert got started making these purchases and getting ready for his not-so-far-off-in-the-future profession.

Oh, You Never Let Go

Friday night
seriously crazy busy week
a tiny bit of negative at work but thank God a lot of positives too :) - I'm focusing on the :)'s instead
nothing but running, driving, running, working, working, working
TERRIBLE pain
some not so good news
a hurting coworker/friend who I'm sorrowing for
homesick- wish I could hold my Momma's hand right now and lay my head on her shoulder
tired beyond words
missing two teacher/friends that I have come to love- both moving on to better things God has in store for them

I'll let these very true words from David Crowder Band's song- "Never Let Go" speak to my heart, and hopefully yours, tonight:

When clouds veil sun and disaster comes,
Oh my soul, oh my soul.
When waters rise, and hope takes flight
Oh, my soul Oh, my soul...
Ever faithful, ever true
You I know, You never let go...
When clouds brought rain and disaster came
Oh, my soul Oh, my soul
When waters rose, and hope had flown
Oh, my soul Oh, my soul...
Oh my soul overflows
Oh what love...
Oh, my soul fills with hope
Perfect love that never lets go
Oh, what love...
In joy and pain In sun and rain
You're the same Oh, You never let go

Thank You Father that You truly never let go- even when it seems that way or when I feel utterly alone and worn down, burdened and sorrowed for others. Thank You for Your love, Your hope, and Your hand.

Good night & Happy Weekend,
Rebekah :)

To my husband on our 20th anniversary

To my husband, Rob,

Today, August 20th, is our 20th anniversary. We don't have much and can't give each other a "real" gift, but here is my gift to you.

In these 20 years, we've grown up together, learned together, made a LOT of mistakes together, come to know each other, hurt each other, made three wonderful children together, grown closer than I could have EVER have imagined, cried together, laughed even more together, seen bad times & good times together, and truly learned what it means to be together and love one another through sickness and health, for richer or poorer.

Happy Anniversary Rob. Thank you for loving me, for being my best friend since all those years ago on our first date, putting up with me, staying with me, and understanding me better than I often understand myself. :)

20 Things I love about my husband (not in any particular order):

1. He loves God and is letting Him work on the "rough" spots in his heart
2. He makes me laugh, sometimes so hard I pee my pants :)
3. He is intelligent & can explain things to me when I "don't get it" (well, he can unless it's car stuff) :)
4. He is a "deep-end" thinker
5. He is an AWESOME dad!!!
6. He supports me in my life and my work & he understands the stresses of my work & "gets it"- the good & bad, the burdens I have for kids, the problems I face & see each day
7. He takes me on rides to the country sometimes when we can and we listen to worship music and talk and just enjoy each others' company
8. He understands the gobs of at-home schoolwork I drag home every night & weekend, and we do our schoolwork together
9. He has a terrific sense of humor
10. He loves our kids, totally & completely
11. He has become a good bass player & I love to listen to him play & to see him worship God at church in the worship band!
12. He still thinks I'm pretty - even though I know I'm really not
13. He makes me so totally, completely content & happy when I see him wrestle with Matthew, tickle & pester Barbara and make her giggle and squeal, cut up & joke with the boys and do one liners until we are all laughing hard!
14. He takes care of me- like right now he's back here fussing at me for staying up late when I should be going to bed. :) :) :) (Now you know what I've been staying up late doing for a night or two now. :))
15. He helps me in my classroom with all the good, silly, dumb, corny, and whatever else kind of projects I dream up- he's hung up more stuff for me, helped me move furniture, bought & assembled furniture and put up with me spending TONS of money on my kinderkids- and he's rarely ever complained, fussed, or grouched about it. :)
16. He went with me to all these dumb dr.'s appointments this year- when he never would have done that before- but he's been there for me through all these appointments, tests, and all, holding my hand and helping support me
17. He listens to me talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk (Momma thanks you for that I'm sure!)
18. He promised Momma that I would finish college when we got engaged & married, and he kept that promise.
19. He gave me three of the most wonderful children a mom could ever hope to have, and he helped me raise them into the terrific young adults they are now becoming!
20. He stood by me through thick & thin, when people advised us both to give up on each other & ourselves & our dreams, when we messed up big time and had problems that were just about insurmountable, when we were stupid, young kids who thought they knew better than others & we really didn't, when we were advised to get a divorce or have an abortion, or quit school, he stayed put and toughed it out with me.

Happy Anniversary Rob. I will always love you. I pray God allows us many more years to grow old together and closer than we are even now.

With all my love,

Rebekah :)

Long Way From Kindergarten

I remember watching my first born child say goodbye to me and walk down the hallway to his first day of kindergarten just like he was a big kid. He didn't want me to walk him to class, so I watched from the doorway of another classroom. So young and wanting to be so independent.

Today, I watched from the driver's seat of my car as that same big boy boarded a city bus (another first & something I've never even done) to leave and go to his first day of college. I prayed with him on our way to the bus stop, and I sat there to make sure he got on the right bus and that everything was okay before I left. Okay, I know that might be silly, but we live in a city of over 200,000 and the sun was not even up yet, so I didn't want to leave him sitting alone in the dark at a bus stop. At least that's my excuse.

Now I sit here wondering how his first day is going, how he is doing, is he understanding everything alright, is he feeling overwhelmed or nervous, does he like his prof and the class, is he excited, and about a million other things.

Today, I'm so proud of the young man he's grown up to be, so proud of him for knowing what he wants to be & do and going on to tech school to make that happen. But inside, where no one can see, there's a little piece of me that wishes it hadn't happened so fast. It sure is a long way from that first day of kindergarten.

Turning it Around

Okay, for the record, this lesson direct from heaven did not come because I was actually complaining, griping, or otherwise belly-aching, it just came because God must have known I was going to need it later this weekend.

Now, on to the lesson I want to record and have here to reread, relearn, and remember. :)

While grocery shopping I was joking around with the cashiers at the store where I shop. They know me not by name but because we come every week or two, spend a LOT, and I always have a slave, um I mean a kid with me :) - they take turns going with me on grocery days. The managers even know who I am and ask about the different kids when they aren't with me. This time I was alone (which NEVER happens) and the manager commented about that. It's kind of funny, actually. I digress.

There was a gentlemen behind me in line unloading his few groceries as I was paying. I started to jokingly offer to trade him bills as my receipt printed out about 4 feet long (a whole rain forest gave its life for my receipt). I've done this before and always gotten a laugh from somebody, but something stopped me. Now for anyone reading, please know that I have griped about many, many things in life, but NEVER my grocery bill. I really don't like paying a million dollars a month for food, but it doesn't really bother me and I have never complained about it. I love my kids and husband and don't mind spending a lot for food for them & of course for myself.

Anywhooo, something stopped me and made me think that maybe this gentleman would actually like having more people to buy for, that maybe he is alone and doesn't have anyone else to spend his time and money on. I didn't say anything but just stood there thinking about how blessed I am. As I told the cashier my usual, "goodbye, have a great weekend" bit, I said a silent prayer to God and told Him thank you for having to spend a lot of money on groceries, for it means that I am blessed with a family. As I left the grocery store, I really began to think on this mini-lesson God dropped into my lap. This idea can be spread out in my life to a lot of other things, and I started thinking of things that I might have viewed negatively in the past. I started a list in my mind, then got home and started putting things away and went on.

Move ahead a few hours. Rob & I went to help a couple of teachers and their family load up two houses & a storage bin into a U-Haul for their move to West Virginia. I was teary as we were getting close to leaving, and thinking about how I HATE saying goodbye, and I HATE how I finally get a friend and they leave and how I have to say goodbye, yet again, to someone I care about. I was feeling kind of lonely and bummed, but then my Saturday morning lesson just "popped" into my mind. Yeah, God, I'm listening. I get it.

So, I am turning things around and thinking of my life in different terms now.

Thank you God for:

• a big grocery bill every month, for it means that I have a family to love & who loves me
• a big grocery bill, for it means that I have a job & income to pay for this food- there was a time in my life when I didn't have the means to buy food for my family and where Rob & I went without & I NEVER want to be there again
• the "goodbyes" for it means that I was able to say "hello" to friendship, even if for a short time
• tears of sorrow, for it means I have experienced joy & happiness & I know I will again
• aches & pains for it means I am alive and able-bodied and I have those "parts" to be achy
• being angry with my children, for it means I have kids to love and teach and raise and who have & will give me great joy- even if it is not right now :)
• the blah feeling & the sorrow I have right now about going back to school, for it means that I had some time (even if it wasn't enough) to spend with my family and stay home
• the early mornings and the crazy-busy schedule, for it means I have a job and a family to take care of

There's more to this list rambling around in my head, but this is really deep & I wanted to get it down somewhere for when I do forget. This way I can come back here & re-teach myself something God showed me.

Thankfully His,

Rebekah :)