Mother's Day Evening

It's Saturday night...Mother's Day Eve...and it's finally raining!!  It's not a big thunder-boomer torrential rain, but a nice gentle rain that is exactly what we need to help refill Still Waters Pond and water the grass, trees, flowers and beyond... Praise God for the rain!!! We rejoice to finally see it coming down, and I hope it rains all night long!

I do a lot of this...yes, drink a cup of tea, but what I am focusing on is the verse on the cup:

"Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God." Job 37:14

I thought this tea bag had a rather profound statement also:

Yes, "In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous".  Aristotle recognized that there was something marvelous in nature, but I don't know if he fully recognized WHERE that marvelousness of nature came from...from our Creator God Almighty Himself! Yes, He created all of nature for us to enjoy and marvel at.  I do a LOT of that. For instance, this is kind of funny, but it's God's creatures doing what they do best...

Yesterday afternoon those pesky Muscovy Ducks were up on our back porch again, looking for the cats' food.  I've learned to try and make sure the ducks aren't around when I feed the cats, and I also have started staying out there with the cats for a few minutes while they eat so I can be sure they get to eat their food before the ducks show up.  So far it's working, and by the time the ducks show up the cats have finished their food so the ducks are beginning to realize there's nothing there for them.  

However, the Sand Hill Cranes also spend a lot of time in our yard looking for things to eat in the ground, and sometimes they find some extra bird seed or other tasty bits out there.  Yesterday while the cranes were out there foraging around, the duck found himself somewhat "trapped" on the back porch and unable to leave because the cranes were keeping a close watch on him.  If the duck jumped down on the ground, the cranes would chase him off immediately because they are protecting their "baby", young "Trumpet", who is just about ready to start flying any time now.  But still, the parents are very protective, and if you look at these pictures, you will see the duck walking across the porch looking for a way to get off the porch, and the crane is staying right up with him, blocking his exit from the porch to the yard.

Notice the head of the Crane following alongside the duck as he moves across the porch:

Do you see him? It was quite comical. The duck would move forward, and so would the crane.

He is keeping a very watchful eye on that duck!

Finally the duck has enough of it and just takes off and flies out over the cranes and out to the pond.

See him flying below? And also do you see young Trumpet there below?

So, once that duck is gone out to the pond, the Daddy Crane turns his attention to the other duck, who had managed to sneak off the porch down at the other end and was high-tailing it back out to the pond before the crane came after him!  Meanwhile, I was standing inside taking these pictures and cheering on the Cranes!  I love it when they manage to chase away the ducks, because really, they are the only ones the ducks seem to be afraid of. They pretty much ignore me and just wag their tail feathers at me. LOL.

Yes, God's creation is fun to watch.  We are thankful we have this opportunity.

Now, look who's here!  Yes, that's Lily Grace, and she's wearing her "I'm Mom's Favorite" t-shirt, which was a gift from a friend a few years ago when our sons each showed up with t-shirts saying the same thing. 

And you will notice that she is standing beside a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  Not just any flowers, but these are special flowers to me...do you know what they are?

If you guessed "peonies", you are correct! Why are they so special you ask? Well, because peonies don't grow here in Florida, and I haven't seen them since we lived in Ohio many years ago.

Well, today we went to the "Deep Creek Farm" where they were having a farm market today, and there was a young couple there selling cut flowers and bouquets for Mother's Day, and they had these beautiful peonies! I couldn't believe my eyes!  Apparently they had ordered them from someplace up north to have them here, and well, I couldn't resist. 

I don't usually buy cut flowers, but this was something extra special to me and so I bought this Mother's Day bouquet gift for myself. 

I really can't begin to tell you how much I am enjoying this bouquet. It brought back such sweet memories from our time in Ohio so many years ago, and the special bouquet I made for my mother for Mother's Day. (click on that link for that story).   It didn't have any peonies in it because I think they were already done, but it was made up of lilacs and apple blossoms and tulips, and I mailed them to her in Florida from Ohio.  Of course they were mostly wilted by the time she got them, but she could still smell the lilacs and said they were so beautiful she cried.  Lilacs were her favorite flower, and they don't grow in Florida either.

And I actually bought myself another "Mother's Day" gift while there at the market.  It's okay, because hubby and I went shopping the other day to see if we could find something special for him to give me for Mother's Day, and we couldn't find anything at all.  (Instead HE ended up with two new shirts, which I told him we should put away and save until Father's Day! LOL)

But I saw this today and again, it just spoke to me and it was something that I really loved. It wasn't expensive at all. A lady makes this jewelry from some kind of poured acryllic material, and no two are ever the same.  

What do you see when you look at this?  I see a Mother and child, or perhaps the Madonna and Child...Mary and the baby Jesus. Either way, it just spoke to me and I loved it, so there you have it! 

Here is her card, in case you are interested in seeing what she makes. I guess she doesn't have a website, however, just an email and phone number. But she had so many beautiful necklaces and earrings and other things. And very inexpensive! I don't know how she does it!

So now tomorrow will be a sweet day with our kids here after church for lunch.  Normally Scott would probably grill some chicken or something so I don't have to cook, and Rose and Benton would bring extras...and they are bringing some of the dinner, but I am going to put some boneless pork ribs in the crock pot early in the morning so we don't have to grill because it may be raining tomorrow. We also picked up some fresh sweet corn today at the store, and so we will cook that and make a salad. It will be easy and fun and wonderful just having them here. That's the best gift to me of all.  

Mother's Day isn't always an easy day for many of us, I know that. There's no need to list the reasons why...we all know what they are...some may be very personal and even painful memories. To me, it is a day to honor all women, especially those who have had some hand in either raising us or encouraging us or have been a special part of our lives in one way or another.  

The Proverbs 31:10-31 "woman" is the ideal that we look up to, but many of us may feel like we come way short.  Of course the whole passage is great, but like I said, we may not all be able to reach those heights. These are a few select verses in that passage that speak to me as being goal-worthy.  Here they are:

10 "10 Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

17 17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.

25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."

Whatever your current situation in life, whether you are a mother or wife, Aunt, or Grandmother, a daughter, sister or a dear friend...you are a blessing. Your life is so valuable to God and to everyone who knows you. Of all the things listed above, be that woman who fears the Lord. That is the most valuable goal we can have in this life, and if we do that, every other relationship will be as it should be.

Have a blessed and beautiful day my friend.

 

Thursday Thankfulness ~ "The King is Coming!"

 
Hello Friends...It's Thursday, and today I'd like to share some things I am thankful for with you.  So come on in to my "Home Sweet Home" and "Stay Awhile" and we can visit and talk about some special things and memories...

Today I went to the eye doctor for my annual check up, and I am so thankful that my eyes really haven't changed much since last year, and the doctor said he really didn't think I needed to change my glasses yet. But  he did say that probably next year I will have to have cataract surgery.  He thinks I'll be okay to wait until then. So I am very thankful for that good report!

Isn't this Coral Vine beautiful?  This is on an old dead palm tree where we go walking...

Everytime we walk past this big old palm tree there is something new blooming on it!  (Not to mention now there is a CROSS on it, made from some of the palm branches that fell down from the top and landed like that!)

Not long ago the purple wisteria was blooming:

And shortly after that it was this Cat's Claw Creeper vine mixed with some Trailing Lantana

It's really amazing how so many beautiful different flowers can climb up and grow and bloom on that old dead tree!

Looking at it here you'd never imagine that it could hold such beauty!

Maybe there's a story there for us!  Something like "don't judge a book by its cover!" There may be more to this "person" than meets the eyes. And the when the time is right, your true beauty will shine from within.

Here's some "food" for thought about this from the Bible...

1 Peter 3:3-4 NKJV

3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold,

 or putting on fine apparel— 

4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

Proverbs 31:30-31

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,

But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,

And let her own works praise her in the gates.

John 15:5-7

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Maybe you can think of some other verses that would be appropriate there.  How about this one:

John 11:25-26

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Remember this?

Yes, that's the empty tomb and cross that our son Benton created for Easter.  Well, I was so surprised when a special person we haven't seen in probably 46 years contacted me and said that she wanted one of these to put in their church for Easter next year.  What was significant about this is this woman is from the very first church that my husband pastored, way back in the late 1970's.  We have recently reconnected via Facebook, and it has been really special to us to hear from this person and her husband, because they are the first couple that my hubby ever "married" as a Pastor.  Here he is on the left, and I'm not sure who the man is in the middle, but the man on the far right was the retired pastor from that church who had been there probably for all of this young couple's early lives.   

Now this couple has been married for about 47 years! That in itself is a blessing!

I've already shared a little about this church before HERE, which is where my hubby was ordained as a minister.  It was really exciting to us that she wanted to have our son's special Easter Empty Tomb decoration to put in this church.  When we were there so many years ago, Benton was in 2nd grade, Matthew was in kindergarten, and Scott was just a baby!   However, I think this couple is probably the only people left in that church who would still remember us. Most everyone else who was there when we were there has either already died or moved away.  Most everyone was retired, and I remember that we were the youngest couple and had the youngest children when we first went there. 

Our friend also sent this picture to us...yes, that's me, and I don't remember the fellow playing the guitar, but I was the soloist for the wedding.  I had to ask her what I sang, because I didn't remember! (It's been a LONG time, people!!)   Anyway, she said I sang "The Wedding Song", hence that is why it was best accompanied with a guitar.    

I bet many of you remember this song by Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary:

The Wedding Song

Sung here by Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary

"He is now to be among you

at the calling of your hearts.

Rest assured this troubadour is acting on His part.

The union of your spirits here has caused Him to remain

for whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name

There is love

There is love

Well a man shall leave his mother

and a woman leave her home

They shall travel on to where the two shall be as one.

As it was in the beginning, is now until the end.

Woman draws her life from man and gives it back again.

(And) There is love

There is love

Well then what's to be the reason for becoming man and wife

Is it love that brings you here, or love that brings you life.

For if loving is the answer then who's the giving for.

Do you believe in something that you've never seen before

There is love

(Oh) There's love

(Hum)

(Oh) The marriage of your spirits here has caused him to remain

For whenever two or more of you are gathered in his name

There is love

(Ah) There's love

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Paul Stookey

Wedding Song (There Is Love) lyrics © Music & Media Magic, Inc.

I wonder how many of you had that song sung at your wedding?  Did that bring back memories?  

Just for laughs, she also sent me this picture...LOL. Yes, that's hubby and yours truly...we were having a "Hobo Party" (instead of Halloween)  and here we either had just bobbed for this apple,  or it was on that string and we were supposed to do some game with it...either way, you can see we were having fun! Yes, Pastors and wives can have fun too.  LOL. And no, I wasn't pregnant...my shirt was stuffed with a pillow as I had been dressed up like an old hobo before dunking my head in a bucket of water to bob for that apple.

HERE's a link to a previous old post written about this time in our lives.

It was wonderful to walk down memory lane for a few minutes there. Such special memories.  When I was looking through some of my own pictures for back in the day, I came across this one, which really doesn't have anything to do with that church, but it was probably about the same time, and this picture was taken at my parents' home. That is my Dad, me, my sister Doris, and my hubby, and we were practicing to sing at my Mom and Dad's church on Sunday.  We used to do that every so often when we could all be together at the same time.  It was so wonderful.  My mother didn't sing with us, but she was always a good alto and she could have if she'd wanted to. But I think she was actually the choir director for their church at this time, so she had plenty to do.  

We were known as "The Mursch Family Singers" singing

Victory in Jesus!  Wish we had recorded it!

  

But in case you don't know the song, here's the Gaither Homecoming Family singing it:

Victory in Jesus

Verse 1

I heard an old, old story how a Savior came from glory,

How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me;

I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood’s atoning,

Then I repented of my sins and won the victory

Chorus

O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever!

He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood;

He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him.

He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood

Verse 2

I heard about His healing, of His cleansing pow’r revealing

How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see;

And then I cried, “Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit,”

And some sweet day I’ll sing up there the song of victory.

Chorus

O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever!

He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood;

He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him.

He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood

Verse 3

I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory,

And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea;

About the angels singing and the old redemption story,

And some sweet day I’ll sing up there the song of victory.

Chorus

O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever!

He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood;

He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him.

He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood

So keeping in "tune" with this muscial theme...Here's a song that I'm sure most of you will remember, also from the Gaithers.  You may want to listen to it first and then I will tell you why this is "ringing a bell" with me today as I think about the music we've done in the past.

The King is Coming, with the Gaither Homecoming Family:

Fast forward quite a few years from those early ministry days, and many years later in actually the very last place where we served in the ministry, our church was blessed to host the Gaither's pianist, Anthony Burger, in a special concert.  Our church was a small country church, and I'm really not sure how we managed to have him come and do this concert, but I know we had to rent a Grand Piano and build a special platform to hold it so that he could play.  The concert was free, so many people came from miles around and filled our little church to overflowing.  Well, at that time I was actually the choir director for our church. (that was actually my first and last experience of being the choir director! LOL, but I enjoyed every minute and song!)  Anyway,  Anthony Burger was an extremely accomplished pianist, as you can imagine, since he played for the Gaithers. (And yes, that is him playing in the video of them singing above).   Anyway, his grand finale song was "The King is Coming".  He was to play through the song without anyone singing until the very end, where the choir was to stand up and sing the final chorus.  My job was to cue them in and direct them to sing it with him as he played.  Well, I was sitting on the front row watching him play, and I was so enthralled by watching him play this song that I nearly forgot about directing the choir to sing.  All of a sudden I realized Anthony Burger was looking at me as he was playing and nodding his head to remind me it was time to have the choir join in!  I literally had to JUMP up from my seat and direct the choir to stand and start singing "The King is Coming, the King is coming, I just heard the trumpet sounding, and now His face I see!  Oh, the King is coming, the King is coming, Praise God! Praise God! He's Coming for Me!!!"   

Wow! I know my face was a bit red that I'd almost missed this great ending! If I had've missed it, I would've pretty much said "Jesus, just come on and take me now!"  LOL. But Praise God! We made it, and it was truly a wonderful ending to an amazing experience!

The King is Coming piano solo by Anthony Burger:

If you don't know the story of Anthony Burger, you might appreciate hearing his testimony. This is also what he shared with us that night at the concert.  It's an amazing story, well worth listening to:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBhY1k_DWU4  You may have to click on that link because the video may not show up here.

This video is so magnificent: "The Best Compilation of Anthony Burger"

I think you will really enjoy this one. I'm still listening to it while I write. Amazing gift from God. 

Here's a link to his whole life story on Wikipedia.  This is the sad part:  

"On February 22, 2006, at the age of 44, Burger died of a massive heart attack after performing aboard the MS Zuiderdam, a cruise ship chartered for a Gaither Gospel Cruise. According to eyewitnesses, Burger was accompanying Bill and Gloria Gaither and Guy Penrod when fans in the audience noticed Burger had ceased moving, his hands clenched into fists over the keyboard. Several fellow artists carried him backstage, where the cruise ship's emergency response team performed CPR for about 45 minutes, to no avail."

Yes, he passed away all too soon, and actually he died just 2 or 3 years after we had met him.  We were greatly saddened that the world lost such an amazingly gifted man, but God had a need for him to join heaven's concert hall.  I expect he's playing some truly heavenly music today.  Maybe when I get to heaven someday I'll have another chance to direct the heavenly choir singing "The King is Coming" while Anthony Burger plays on the Grand Piano of Heaven.  Wouldn't that be something?  Well, I can dream. LOL.  

I am so thankful to God for these life experiences. And most of all I am thankful that we have that hope..."The KING IS COMING!"  Are you ready?   I know I am, and I can hardly wait, but I guess we will all have to wait until everything is ready in the halls of heaven for us to enter.  Until that day, let's keep singing and praising God for His goodness to us. Amen?  Amen. 

 

Good Night my friends. I hope you enjoyed this little different  post.  You never know where we will end up when you come visiting here in my "Home Sweet Home".   Thank you for "staying awhile!".

Celebrating My Mom~Updated

Today is May 7, 2025, and it is also the 19th year since my mother passed away on this day in 2006.  I know I originally wrote this post for her birthday, but I just felt like sharing it again today to remember her on the day she entered heaven's gates, and also because Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday, and so she's really on my mind!

 It's hard to believe she's been gone 19 years already, and I still find myself wishing I could call her up and just talk, or go visit her and enjoy one of her delicious apple pies (or coconut cream), or sit down at the table with her and my daddy and enjoy being back in my childhood home again with them.  But that will never be possible again on earth, but perhaps there's apple pie or coconut cream pie in heaven? If so, my mother is baking it!  Here's a link to a post I wrote about her pies.

 On January 6, 2025 it would have been her 108th birthday!  I am updating this post from when I originally wrote it on January 6, 2021, so there may be some things edited and some new things added.  

This picture was only given to me recently   (back in 2020) by my cousin, and it has quickly become  my favorite picture of my mother. Here she is, driving the tractor on our farm in Pennsylvania  back in the early 50's or late 40's. We left there to move to Florida in 1956, so it had to be before then. She was so happy as a farmer's wife.  It's what she always wanted to be. My Dad was a great farmer, but in the 50's it became too costly to remain in farming unless you had lots of financial help. And so, with four hungry children to feed and clothe, they decided to sell the farm and move to Florida.  My mother was not a real happy camper about moving away from the farm and especially not to Florida, so far away from the beautiful farm country she loved and her aging parents in Ohio, but she loved her husband and followed him wherever he felt he needed to go.  And God took good care of us in Florida. She adapted...but to her dying day she still missed living on the farm.

These pictures have been added to my collection more recently, so I wanted to include them here for my own reference...our family on the farm, around 1952.  My brother Clifford, Russell, our dog Laddie, Mom, Doris, Daddy and me!

Again, our family, probably  1954...Russell, Clifford Daddy , Mom, Doris and me!

This is my next favorite picture of my mother, taken when she was in her 80's, on the 4th of July. Yes, my mother was always the patriot. She loved her country and was a very proud American.  Today I thanked the Lord that my mother is in heaven, far away from any world government.  She is living with the God Who rules heaven and earth, and one day He will make all things new. 

In the following pictures are some special treasures that remind me of my Mom:

This first group of pictures was taken many many years ago, when my parents came to visit us in Ohio, where my husband was pastoring a church and working on his Doctorate in Ministry. My mother and I went shopping at some interesting thrift and/or antique shops, and we came home with a couple of beautiful antique hats.  We were having fun modeling them, and my youngest son also had fun modeling for us. (He'd probably not be real happy with me for showing this picture. LOL. )

In the first top picture Mom is baking us a pie. Most likely apple since it was fall and I am sure probably found some good fresh apples at an orchard nearby.  My mother was the queen of pie baking. I've written about that before: The Pie Legacy HERE  Looks like she is threatening someone with that rolling pin!  She was feisty, that's for sure! LOL.

I still have both of the hats that we bought that day:

Every time I look at these hats I remember that happy time with my mother. Those are precious memories.

This next picture is a doll that I bought for my mother for her 85th birthday. She looked like my mother must have looked as a little girl...dark brown hair and pretty green eyes.  And she's holding a birthday cake and has a sweet little teddy bear.

The pictures beneath the doll are of my sister and our mother and me, taken at Mother's Day one year, and her birthday the year she was given this doll.

Below are some beautiful dishes that came from my mother's china cabinet.  The plates and some of the teacups and saucers were her Haviland China dishes. I am not sure if these came from my grandmother's dishes, or if these were just some that my mother had purchased through the years because they reminded her of her mother's dishes. Either way, they are wonderful and I love them.  

The two Chinese designed teacups and saucers above in front were definitely my grandmother's  (my mother's mother).

I love this tea towel that is framed and hanging in my special little dining treasure room.  You can read for yourself the note my mother typed and put with the towel when she gave it to me.  The only sad part is that her signature is fading out. It was written in red ink, and now it is getting hard to read. I don't want to write over it, but I may have to so it isn't lost forever.  

My mother knew how much I loved tea things and special keepsakes. That is why I framed this so I could keep it nice and enjoy it forever! Yes, she was right..."At any rate I know you will enjoy this bit of your Mother's past!! Much Love, Mom".  

My mother knew me well.

I know I was blessed to have had such a wonderful mother. Lately I've been hearing other people discuss their relationships with their mothers, and so often they were not pleasant memories.  My mother and I certainly had our "moments", especially when I was a teenager and tended to be quite sassy. There were times I didn't understand her moodiness at all (but later I figured it out to be menopause and then she also dealt with low blood sugar issues). But one thing I knew for sure, my mother loved me and all of her children fiercely.  If she fought with us it was because she loved us so much and wanted us to be safe and sound in mind and thought...at least in the way she thought we should think. She loved a good debate, which I discovered was a hereditary trait from her father and brothers...and loved to discuss politics and religion. She was very opinionated and didn't compromise on much. But that was one thing I respected about her. She knew her mind and she stood strong on principle.  

I will finish with a passage from our morning devotions found in I John 4:7-11

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God;

and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

8.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9.  In this the love of God was manifested toward us, 

that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

10.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us 

and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11.  Beloved, if God so loved us,  we also ought to love one another."

So let us love one another, regardless of our differences of opinion.

Here are a couple more pictures of my mother. 

These are her sisters Margaret and Belle, and Mom (Dorothea),  is the little one  with the cute chubby cheeks on the right.

And below, 

Margaret holding my mother (Dorothea), their brother Truman, and sister Belle

My mother around age 19:

My mother would shoot me for sharing this one of her with her new hair dryer on Christmas day:

Her family with their car back in the 1920's: Chalmer, Belle, Mom on the ground, Margaret in car, my Grandma, and Truman.  Grandpa was always taking these pictures, so he's not in them!

And one last one of her family: Margaret on ground, Belle standing, Chalmer in high chair, Truman, Mom (Dorothea), and my Grandmother. Their dog on the ground.

Here's a picture with my Grandpa Tedlie, mom's brother Chalmer home from WWII, and my mother, back in the 1940's.

Okay, that's enough family photos...but I just wanted to share a bit about my mother on this, her special day.  Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom!  (Update: and Happy Heavenly Mother's Day, as well as the remembrance of the day you entered heaven's gates, 5/7/2006)

UPDATE: If you are blessed to still have your mother, please take the time to honor her in a special way this Mother's Day.  Life is short! We don't get to keep our mothers here with us forever!

And if your mother has also already entered heaven's gates, honor her memory in some special way. Regardless of whether or not she was perfect or always did everything right. No one is perfect. But most of us try to do the best we can with what we are capable of doing. And if there are still some hurts from the past, today is a good day to forgive.

Matthew 6:9-15

9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

"Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

10 Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

13 And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 

15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Amen.

Tuesday 4~Home Where the Heart Is

 

Home Where the Heart Is

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.
This week let's talk about home or the house in which you grew up.


1. What do you think of this picture.. the staircase. Do you like how it looks? Does it say "home" to you?
Would you like something that looks like this?

Although I think the staircase is beautiful, I am not fond of the floral carpet on the stairs as well as the floral wallpaper. It's a bit too much.  As far as this saying "home" to me? Well, not really. The home I grew up in did not have any stairs. And I really wouldn't want them now at this stage in life.  They are pretty, but very impractical for old folks like us!

2. Did you love growing up in your family home? Could you live in a house like that today?

This is a picture of how my family home looks today.My father built this home back in 1957, and I lived there until I left home to get married at the age of almost 19.  My parents lived there until they passed on from this life to heaven...my mother died on May 7, 2006, (19 years ago tomorrow!) and my father died on April 19th, 2011...14 years ago. It's hard for me to believe they've been gone that long and that our family home has been in the hands of "strangers" ever since my father died.   I've posted a few links at the end of this with some other old posts I've written over the years about the home I grew up in.  It was very special to me, and YES, I loved growing up there. 

There were six members of our family...my parents and us 4 children:

Here we were on probably our first or second Christmas in this house:

And here we are with our parents many years later in the same location: (you can see that I outgrew my older sister, and that is why I call her my "little big sister" to this day!)

3. What did your bedroom look like when you were a teen?

Sadly, I don't think I have any pictures of my bedroom...if I do it doesn't show much. I shared the bedroom with my sister until she moved out when she got married.  We had twin beds and my dad had built a nice big desk for us, picture a long table top about the size of a door, with a divider underneath with drawers, so we each had our own side of the desk.  My dad was a cabinet maker/woodworker, and he also built us a built in chest of drawers and a closet with cubby holes up above. It was all very neat.  I'm sure there's pictures somewhere, but I don't have them. When we were teenagers, my mother made curtains for our window that were white with big red megaphones sewn unto them, as we were both cheerleaders for our school. So our color scheme was red and white for a while, and then when Doris moved out I changed things to have lavender accents on white. I don't remember what Mom did with the red and white curtains, but somehow we changed them.

Oh, and our house only had one bathroom for all six of us. That was somewhat challenging, but we survived.  My brothers also shared a bedroom, and daddy built the same kind of furnishings in their room.


4. What kind of vibes or atmosphere do you like to foster in your home today? Sophisticated, homey?

(these photos were taken during the winter, hence the blanket on the sofa)

I think you've all seen enough pictures of my current home, and yes, it is very homey and lived in. I want our home to always be comfortable and cozy for anyone, family or friend or guests we've just met.  However, we do have more bathrooms now than when I grew up!  There is a full bathroom on the guest bedrooms end of the house, and then we actually have TWO bathrooms in our master bedroom!  Each bathroom has a sink and toilet, and then one has the shower, and the other one has a garden tub that we never use because it is too hard to get in and out of. The house came that way, which was a surprise to us, but I sure do love it!

These links are here for your interest if you wish, but also for me to be able to return to and remember!

Here is a link to one post I wrote about my old family home.

And Here is a link to more info about the town I grew up in

Here's another one!

I hope that no matter where you live or what kind of home you have, the most important thing is the love that is inside.