Happy Birthday Little Sister!

When I was growing up I wanted a sister. I was the oldest and then I had two brothers younger than me. When my second brother was born I was very disappointed that he was not a girl. I was very close to some of my cousins growing up and they had 3 girls in their family. I loved going to visit them.

I wanted to have a sister to share my bedroom.

I wanted someone who would talk and laugh late into the night with me.

I wanted someone to share my clothes.

My friends who had sisters thought I was crazy when I would tell them this.

God did answer my prayers just not in my timing. Twenty-one years ago today my first sister was born. I still remember sitting in my great-grandma's living room when the phone rang. I sat there so anxiously expecting to hear that I had another brother. But much to my surprise and delight at the age of 11 1/2 I had a little sister!

Those of you who know me and my family know that not only did God answer my prayer He gave me more than I could have ever anticipated and I now have four sisters. My sisters are some of my closest friends in my life and I am so very thankful for all of them.

But today I am especially thankful for Rose, my very first sister.

Rose, you will always have a very special place in my heart. You were God's answer to my many years of praying. I have so many memories but these are a few that have come to mind today.

I remember the blizzard the day you were born.

I remember the day you prayed to accept God's gift of salvation.

I remember how excited you were when we got our dog, Sammy.

I remember when you were 8 years old and your picture won best of show in the youth section (up to age 18) and your picture was in the paper.

I remember taking you to the penny change park the day after mom's funeral to celebrate your 11th birthday.

I remember watching with great pride as you gave the valedictorian speech at your high school graduation.

I have so many memories of laughing with you, celebrating holidays, and birthdays.

Twenty-one years ago today my life changed forever when God answered my prayer and gave me a little sister.

"What Is" and "What Will Be"

<sup>Ten years ago today I stood beside a hospital bed holding my mother's hand as she passed from this world into the presence of her Savior. It is a day that I will never forget and even after ten years the memory of that day is still vivid in my mind. The fact that the memory of that day is still so vivid often makes it hard for me to believe that it really had been 10 years.

So many times since my mom died I find myself contemplating many "what ifs" and "why" scenarios. What if my mom had lived to see me graduate from college? What if she had lived to meet my husband? Why couldn't she have lived to attend my wedding or to see my sisters graduate from high school or to see and hold her grandchildren?

Over the years when these thoughts come into my mind they often quickly lead to wondering why God allowed the cancer and why He chose to take my mom when it would seem from a human perspective that she still had a lot to accomplish here on earth.

I have found that dwelling on the "what ifs" and "whys" in life cloud my mind and keep me from focusing on "what is" and "what will be".

These "what ifs" and "whys" take my focus away from the fact that God has blessed me with a loving husband and three precious children.

Most importantly dwelling on the "what ifs" and "whys" take my focus away from "what will be". There are so many passages in Scripture that assure us that for a believer death is hopeful. One day all believers will spend eternity in the presence of God worshiping Him forever! God has used First Thessalonians 4:13-18 to comfort me many times over the past ten years when I am tempted to dwell on the "what ifs and "whys"..

I am so thankful that I serve a God who is sovereign, good, and faithful even when we do not understand.

I Thessalonians 4:13-18
13</sup>But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.

¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

¹⁵For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

¹⁶For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

¹⁷Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

¹⁸Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Basket of Rocks

For Christmas this year I gave my husband a basket of rocks.

Yep, you read right a basket of rocks and guess what? He loved it and told me it was the best gift he received this year.

The reason why my husband was so thrilled to receive a basket of rocks because it is a tangible reminder of God's faithfulness to our family.

When the Israelites crossed the Jordan river into the land of Cannan God told them to take 12 stones from the middle of the river (because God had parted the river and they walked across on dry land). When they got to the other side they made a pile of these 12 stones. Joshua tells the people that those rocks are a reminder to their children and grandchildren of the faithfulness of God. When they saw that pile of rocks they were to use that as an opportunity to remember and tell their children about how God had faithfully led them out of Egypt to the land He promised them.

So I gave my husband a basket of rocks. On each rock I used a sharpie marker and wrote down a time when God had shown his faithfulness to our family. All throughout Scripture we are commanded to remember the grace and faithfulness of God. It is so easy to forget especially when difficult and trying circumstances arise.

So if you ever come to visit you will likely see our basket of rocks displayed prominently in our living room. When our children ask why we have a basket of rocks in our living room it will be an opportunity to remind them of God's faithfulness. I look forward to adding many more rocks to our basket as the years pass. I love that every day there is a reminder sitting in our living room reminding me and our family that God is powerful and sovereign in our lives.


Scott opening his basket of rocks.