Last Day of April

Sherlyn's Creation

Sherlyn picked these blossoms from her yard so she gets credit for the beautiful contribution. We have heard that April showers bring May flowers and that has certainly proven true this year. The Redbuds and Dogwoods are more beautiful than I can remember their ever being. Their blooms are quickly being replaced with green leaves, however. Our Bradford Pear Blooms are long gone and our trees are fully leafed out now. Some other trees are still struggling because of our much too cold temps, especially at night.

We have sunshine today with a strong wind and 70º temp. I like the temp but not the wind!!! We may have gusts up to 40 miles per hour.

Well, today is the last day of April. Tomorrow will be May Day. I remember when I was in High School how we would wind the May Pole. It was a neat celebration. We have a very busy schedule for May this year. It seems the entire Summer months are already scheduled. The Summer will pass quickly as a result but we have a lot of pleasant occasions to look forward to. Some of those occasions will be celebrating birthdays for some very special people. I will list them today as one comes on May 3rd.

May Birthdays:

Miss Madison..........................May 3rd

Mr. Conner.............................May 6th

Darla......................................May 19th

Mr. Marshal............................May 30th

I wish a Happy Birthday for each of these with many, many more to follow.

Thought for the day: "Do you think it would be wrong for me to learn the noble art of self-defence?" a religiouly inclined young man inqired of his pastor."Certainly not," answerd the minister, "I learned it in youth myself and I have found it of great value during my life."

"Indeed, sir! Did you learn the Old English system or Sullivan's system?" "Neither, I learned Solomon's system." "Solomon's system?" asked the young man. "Yes, you will find it laid down in the first verse of the fifteenth chapter of Proverbs: 'A soft answer turneth away wrath'. It is the best system of self-defense I know" replied the minister. The most glorious victory over an enemy is to turn him into a friend. Try it!!!!

Dortha

Happy Birthday Uncle Ron!

Uncle Ron, I hope you have an amazing birthday! You've always been an amazing uncle to me. Who else could teach me things like how to spell C-O-K-E to get what I wanted when I was way too young? Who better to try and see if I could sit up when I was 3 months old and let me fall over?! You're one of the most consistent and loving people I know and I'm so glad to be able to call you family. You make us look GOOD!
Love You!
Sherlyn

Happy Birthday, Dad! I'll chime in here with the rest of them to wish you a happy day. There's not a whole lot that hasn't already been said, but you can tell that we are all really proud to be related to you in some way or another. I know that our kids love to hang out with "Granddad" and always have a blast everytime they get to visit you. I hope you get to golf today, because I know that's what you'd want to be doing, at least. Thanks for being such a great father and granddad! We all love you very much!

I'm a little behind everyone else, but here are some pictures of yesterday's birthday girl over the past few years. Molly is such a joy to have around! She started out as "the quiet one", mostly due to her big sister never letting her get a word in, but once she got to school, she blossomed into a social butterfly and hasn't stopped since.

She has a very silly side to her and loves to make others laugh. Molly is constantly in motion and lets you know what she thinks. Happy 8th birthday, Miss Molly! We love you very much.

Tribute to Ron from Roger

I have permission from Roger to post a tribute he wrote to Ron on his 50th birthday. Dortha


Happy 50th Birthday, Ron,

Wow, where does the time go? At first it seems impossible that 50 has snagged one of us. But, really as I look back on soooo many phases and periods and events and places and experiences and looks, I guess it must take 50 years to get all of that in.

What a pleasant experience it is to reminisce through our boyhood together: remember the sandlot baseball in Paul's Valley, the bedroom across the breezeway without heat, mowing lawns, riding our bikes to A&W "for a cold one", climbing the pecan and apple trees, shooting BB guns, playing marbles, building model airplanes, going to church, hunting with Granddad, fishing at the river or the pond, watching pigs slopped and cows milked, getting a strawberry cola at the feed store, playing the knife game, going to the cattle auction and on and on through our boyhood together.


Then, perhaps we did less together during junior high and high school, but we roomed together, argued quite a bit (testing our independence), and kept track of each other. I'll never forget when you left for the Air Force. Dad's heart was broken and he wept openly. Although I appreciated the use of your Chevy Impala SS, I quickly realized how big a hole it was in my life to not have you around. It taught me a lot. How glad I was when you were stationed in MO and started coming to Springfield every weekend. Just to have you back around seemed so important and I was so glad.


Through marriage, kids, houses, cars, softball and a lot of growth, we have watched each other not as close in distance but so much closer in heart. Because---I speak for myself---I absolutely realized how special my brother was and how unique our relationship was (and is). There will never, can never, be another person to take your place. Nor would I ever want anyone to. Ron, you are one of the kindest, nicest, best men I have ever known. I appreciate you more now than you can realize.


Here's to a celebration for your birthday (slightly after the fact, but you missed the 28th for a very good reason). I hope you take great satisfaction in the fabulous man you are at 50.


Annie and I are very glad to give you and Vicky a little "getaway" as a birthday gift and we look so much forward to spending time together in Scottsdale next month.


God bless you is my prayer. You are loved so very much,

Always your brother,

Roger

Happy Birthday,Ron

Happy Birthday, Ron

This picture may cause you to wish you were back in Jamaica today rather than sitting in your office. I hope you are having a great birthday anyway. I am so glad you chose me to be your Mother. Watching you grow and mature into the wonderful person you are today has been a blessing. You have always been kind, loving and considerate and a real blessing to our family. You are now a wonderful leader and example to your own special family. I could not be more proud and thankful for you. I never thought of you as being a "trouble teen". You were never disrespectful and were always willing to help with whatever needed to be done. As you have said, "Jan didn't have to do anything because she was a girl and Roger didn't have to do anything because he was the baby but you had to do everything because you were just 'right'", and still you did it willingly. I am VERY thankful for you and.................

Love you very much,

Mother

Happy Birthday, Ron!!

Happy birthday wishes to my wonderful husband!! You are also a great dad and granddad!! I love being able to work with you everyday and admire your hard work and integrity!! I have so much fun with you and love sharing my life with you. I hope your day is special and you are blessed with a happy, healthy year ahead.

I love you, Ron
Vicky

Happy Birthday, Molly!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOLLY!!!!

Molly, I think this picture is of last year's birthday and I hope you are having another good party today. Sunday is a good day to have a party. Then you don't have to miss school. You are a special little girl and I am glad you are my great-granddaughter. I hope I get to see you this Summer. I wish I had pretty hair like yours. Have a really great birthday.

Lots of love,

Great-grandmother Holland

Happy BIrthday Molly!!

Today we celebrate Molly's 8th birthday!! She is a very special little girl with a heart of gold! She is always ready with a hug and always going at top speed. Molly, we hope your day is extra special!! We wish we could be there to help you celebrate. Happy Birthday, Molly!!

We love you bunches,
Gramma and Granddad

I GOOFED!!!!

Looks as if I need new batteries for my little bird-brain. Sorry I got the date wrong on my greetings for Scott and Heather. At least I can say "Happy Anniversary" on the right day and Scott can just start his birthday celebration a day early. I will try to do better next time!!!

Love you anyway,
Dortha

Happy Birthday, Scott

Happy Birthday, Scott

Sorry to leave little Bella out of the picture but I like this one of the 3 of you and I don't have a recent one with Bella. I hope you are having a wonderful day and will get all the attention you deserve and get to do all the things you want to do. I remember so well 36 years ago today and how proud your parents were to have a little son and how thankful we were to have our very first grandson. We had to wait a few days before we got to see you as we lived several hours away but we knew right away that you were a "keeper". You have blessed our lives in so many ways and we will always cherish the memories of the Summers you spent with us in OK. The years have a way of flying by and those little girls can grow up while you are not looking so don't let that happen. I love and appreciate you, Scott.

Grandmother Holland

Happy Anniversary, Scott & Heather

Happy Anniversary, Scott & Heather

I am sorry I am a day late wishing you a Happy Anniversary. I just forgot to look at my calendar. I am remembering how beautiful your wedding was and I am so thankful I could share the day with you. Has it really been 5 years???? You are now blessed with two beautiful little girls to share your lives. God has been so good to you and I know He has many blessings in store for you during the years ahead. Remember to give Him honor and thanks for all you are and all you have.

My love and daily prayers,

Grandmother Holland

Spring has Sprung!!!!

We are seeing Green!!!

Finally it feels like Spring time. Our world is turning green!!!!! After months and months of drab and dreary days, we are enjoying some sunshine and warm temps. We don't need the rain we are expecting today but perhaps the sun will peep through the clouds part of the day. The rains stopped long enough last week for our garden spot to dry out and get plowed. We now have seeds in the ground and all they need to do is sprout and begin to grow. We enjoy our fresh veggies so much and they also help with the food budget.

Spring time is my favorite time of the year. I like watching the world come alive with new life after the cold and bleak Winter months. Our flowers are blooming, our grass is growing and the air is fresh and warm. Our bedroom has a sliding glass door and we have opened it a bit the past two nights. I enjoy listening to the "night sounds". The crickets are chirping, beetles are making their "noise", and the frogs are croaking. I awake in the early mornings to the song bird's greetings. Life is good and our world is beautiful. Cherish each day.

I hope each of you will have a beautiful day!!

My love to all,

Dortha

Decisions!!!

We need to make some decisions concerning our transportation. We are now paying $3.25 a gallon for gasoline. Yesterday I saw some stations that were charging $3.49. No doubt we will soon be paying that amount and more. What do you think??? Should we trade our cars for 2 scooters or for one cycle?? I think the cycle would be a bit more "classy". There is not much room for luggage on either, and we want to go to California this Summer. I suppose we could pull a trailer.

I had a really good trip to Searcy yesterday (I got home at 1:15 this morning). The fellowship with the family and friends was great. Some were there from the East Coast, some from the West Coast, some from Missouri, from Illinois and of course, from Arkansas. The lady who passed away was a very special friend. Her first great grandchild arrived shortly after she passed away. I am so thankful I was able to go to the Memorial Service.

I got up at 6:15 this morning and got some food prepared for our Sunday Dinner. Devin had invited himself and Carley and Sherlyn promised to come if we had chocolate cake. Well, we did have chocolate cake plus a few other dishes. Jan also joined us. Courtney has a new boy friend and she was to meet his parents and have dinner with them for the first time today. He goes to her church and they make a very handsome couple. He even opens the car door for her---a rare breed, these days!!!! I like him already!!!!

Hope everyone has had a great week-end. Time for us to leave for our evening church service.

Love to all,

Dortha

Happy Birthday, Jessica # 2

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESSICA

Happy birthday, Jessica. I hope you are having a wonderful day. We feel so blessed that you are a part of our family. You are a very special person and we wish you and Keith many blessings and many happy years together.

Much love,

Dortha

Today is Jessica's day!!

Happy Birthday Jessica!! We hope your day is extra special and you enjoy every minute of it!! We are thankful to have you as our daughter-in-law and that you make Keith so happy!!

We love you,
Ron and Vicky

Belated Happy Birthday Andrea!

Andrea,
I can't believe someone didn't post that family picture where you were crying and oh so tired of pictures! You must have paid a lot of people off! Well, we love you anyway. And we miss you so much! It's been way too long since I've seen my little girl, I mean you and Kelly and family! I was so glad to hear that you are coming in August. I hope you had a GREAT birthday! You deserve it!
Love you!
Sherlyn

Fri. Night

EVERY DAY SHOULD BE VETERANS' DAY!!!

We live in the land of the free because of the brave!!! We appreciate our Veterans and our Military each day and they are worthy of our daily prayers.

We had 3 days of sunshine this week. We have since had 2 days of clouds, cool temps with light rain and possibly will have more rain next week. Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day and I will be thankful as I will be driving to Searcy for a memorial service for a very dear friend. It will be a long trip for one day (450 miles round trip) and will be a much easier drive if it isn't raining.

Devin is here for the week-end and he made reservations for himself and Carley for Sunday dinner on Holland Hill. Sherlyn and Jan will join us also. Courtney will have dinner with her boy friend and his parents. I hope guests won't be too disappointed with their meal as I won't get home until the wee hours tomorrow night.

I wish a blessed week end for all.

Love you,

Dortha

Happy Birthday, Andrea!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Andrea!!!!

I hope you are having a great day with your special family. Seems too long since we have seen you and we are looking forward to your coming in a few months.

The years have a way of passing much too fast. Seems such a short time since you were a little girl and you would spend the Summers with us. That was a special time just as you were a special little girl. After your 3 brothers arrived, your parents were prepared for another boy but God knew they needed a little girl. You have been able to light up the family in so many ways and have achieved so many goals. We are all thankful for you and the wonderful person you are today. May God bless you greatly on this---your special day.

I love you,

Grandmother

Andrew's 1st Birthday with GJ and Ryan!

I'm so glad that I found this picture! It was taken on Andrew Bailey's 1st Birthday at a mall in Dallas, TX. Looks like GJ and Ryan were having loads of fun! But Andrew was the cutest baby ever! I guess that's why he's so handsome now! We will have to be sure to show this to his future girlfriends, I know they'd be impressed! What are Aunt's for?!
And yes, Ryan did dress himself as you can tell. He had his own special sense of style!
This picture just brought a smile to my face and I hope it will to yours too Darla. I miss you and hope everyone is doing well. I know that you're always busy, but if you have time, I'd love to hear from you! I love you! Love you too Andrew Bailey! Kristen, I would love to see a beautiful picture of my niece if you can post one on here. I love you too sweetie! Have a great day!
Love,
Sherlyn

Devin-The Age of Innocence! Lol!

I love this picture of Devin. He looks SO innocent! Of course, looks can be deceiving, especially when you're about 13 years old! But Devin and I did everything together. I took him to all his basketball practices and games. We even had some tournaments that were pretty far from home. And of course, he thought he needed to go everywhere with me. Now I miss those days! If you look close, you can almost see Mr. Wal-Mart already in progress! I love you Devin! Thanks for all you do. You make life interesting and fun! I wouldn't change anything if I could.
Love You!
Sherlyn

Wednesday

I've been wondering why the numbers on the scales keep going up and now I know!!! Don't know how to empty out my head so guess I will just have to deal with the pounds. I read that you can get rid of the wrinkles by eating until they fill out. Glad to know that 'cause I like to eat!!! I can identify with Garfield!!!

I don't have anything interesting to report. We are relieved that April 15th is now past and our tax reports are in the mail. Never a pleasant task. I like living in the good 'ole U S of A but some of the things we have to deal with do not seem quite fair.

We have had 3 days of sunshine in a row. Grrrrrreat!!! Our temp was around 70º today but the strong wind made it seem cooler.

Chuckle for the day: A wife found two black and white negative in a drawer and had prints made of them. She was pleasantly surprised to see that they were of a younger, slimmer lady taken on one of her first dates with her husband. When she showed the photos to him, his face lit up, "Wow look at that. It's my old Plymouth!!!" Sometimes we just can't win!!!

Love to all,

Dortha

Sunny Monday!!

Guess what!!!! We have sunshine!!!! After all the complaining I have done for weeks, it seems, it would be only fitting that I give credit where credit is due. THANKS FOR SUNSHINE!!!!! The air is still much too cool to be comfortable outside but some day it will be warmer!!!

I am sorry about the grandmother who is missing. I will do what I can to help find her.

Thank you, Vicky, for sharing your pictures. We were feeling sorry for you the week you were gone because you were missing the rains and freezing temps we were having. I am glad you had a good week and rest.

Did you hear about the new's report that said a huge semi-trailer had overturned? The TV reporter gave the news as follows: "Two cows, Black and Gus, escaped into the nearby woods." After the commercial break, the reporter corrected himself saying, "About that overturned truck, make those 'Black Angus cows'."

Hope you are having a good day,

Dortha

More pictures

Ron and Vicky in Jamaica

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Jamaica. We had a very relaxing time and lots of fun with some friends from previous trips and some new friends we made. The time seemed to go fast but it was good to get home. We did have a little bit of rain but at 85 degrees everyday, who's complaining? Enjoy the pictures- I'll post some more later.

Vicky

Grandmother is Missing!!!!

HELP, HELP, HELP!!!!

THE COMPUTER SWALLOWED GRANDMOTHER

The computer swallowed grandmother,

Yes, honestly it's true!!

She pressed 'control' and 'enter'

And disappeared from view.

It devoured her completely,
The thought just makes me squirm,
She must have caught a virus
Or been eaten by a worm.

I have searched the re-cycle bin
And files of every kind;
I've even used the internet,
But nothing did I find.

In desperation, I asked Google
My searches to refine.
The reply from him was negative,
Not a thing was found 'online'.

So, if inside your 'Inbox',
My grandmother you should see,
Please 'Copy, Scan and Paste' her
And send her back to me!!!

Her granddaughter

No Blue Skies For Us!!

I am going to think "tropical", perhaps that will help!!!!!

Thanks for the blue skies, Darla. That helped a wee bit when I enlarged it full screen. I do not think we will see even any patches of blue today and we have 37º with a low of 26º tonight and 24º tomorrow night. NOT GOOD. No doubt we will be losing fruit again as we did a year ago.

Well, I am going to have warm thoughts anyway. I look forward to our church services tomorrow and spending time with friends. Devin is here for the week end and he can light up a room----especially when he brings Carley with him!!! We have a lot of fun and one of the interesting things is when we can tell Carley about his past and how we almost threw him out with the bath water time and time again. We are glad now that we endured and so did he and it is a delight to see the person he has become. We always knew there was a good person in there somewhere!!!! Oh, he wasn't really that bad, he was just trying his wings. Some of my most treasured thoughts of him are the years he played basket ball and of how well he played. So glad I was able to attend most ALL of his home games as well as the ones away from home. I miss those times, Devin. Thanks for the memories. You made us proud!!!

Darla, I am quite sure you can get a picture of your little daughter after she gets dressed for the dance. That would be nice. We don't get to see her often enough.

Love to all and a great week-end,

Dortha

Blue Skies

Well, these weren't our skies today, but I did see some blue out there. I just wanted to give my Grandmother some blue skies. It did turn cold outside this evening, but hopefully tomorrow will be nice, and start drying out our lake. Well it used to be a backyard- but hey, I always wanted a swimming pool! I just always imagined it would be deeper and cleaner!
Kim your pictures looked so inviting, and it sounded like a successful trip. Thanks for sharing. I will try to get Kristen to stop long enough to get a picture posted- but it seems like a 13yr old's life is very busy. She has a dance tonight- so that should use up some of her energy. And she can clean her room really fast and good when she wants to go somewhere! Andrew has had a busy tonight changing the order of all his girlfriends on his myspace. We have a new front runner as of today- I'm sure it will change again soon. But it makes him smile a bit and he's cute! Well, I hope everyone has a good weekend with beautiful weather. -Darla

A Very Cold Friday Morning

What CAN you do on a cold, cloudy, windy day? I think I will stay inside and think about what I will do on a warm, sunny, breezy day. I am not sure when we will have a day like that but I hope we can have some in the not too distant future. At least our rains have stopped for the present time and I feel for those thousands of people who are not as fortunate as we and whose homes are now surrounded by water, some homes are lost due to the tornadoes this week and others will have added destruction since many flood gates are being opened today and causing more flooding down stream. I cannot remember a year when we have had so much rain in such a short time.

Kim, thank you for sharing your Ireland pictures. Your trip sounds exciting and very fruitful from seeing so many turn to Christ. What a blessing to hear. I am thankful you were able to take the trip and I know you were a blessing to the folks there as they were a blessing to you.

We had an enjoyable time during our luncheon at church yesterday. Very good food and fellowship. One of our church members, who is also an evangelist, showed slides of one of his visits to Egypt. They were very interesting. Many reasons for us to be thankful that God chose America to be our home. We have many comforts that some do not have in other countries.

Kristen, we are waiting for a picture of that new haircut!!! I suppose you have been busy as has your Mom after her trip.

Have a good day,

Dortha

Here's a collection of some of my favorite shots from Ireland.

Pictures from Ireland

Brett and I took a group from our church a couple weeks ago to Ireland for a missions trip. It was fantastic! We stayed in the Dublin area, and spent several afternoons on Trinity College campus, speaking with students and sharing the Gospel with them. Thirty-nine people made professions of faith and we worked to get them hooked up with a local church. The country is beautiful, the culture is fascinating, and the building are gorgeous. I took nearly 200 pictures, so I'll post my favorites and post a collage in just a few minutes.



One day we took a bus/hiking tour to Wicklow Mountains. This area was breathtaking, and several scenes of Braveheart were filmed here.

We did some hiking near an old monastery at Glendalough. There were two lakes up in the mountains that we got to walk to and this waterfall was somewhere along the way.

Had to take a picture of this. Keith noticed it had his birth year on it.

Ahh, the doors of Dublin. Many of them are painted brightly. The Irish were supposed to paint them black when an English head of state passed away to signify mourning, but they rebelliously chose brighter colors.

This was taken when we arrived back in Detroit, after seventeen hours of traveling. It was good to be all together again!

Weather News!!!

Toooo Much Rain!!!

This is where our boat will wind up if these rains don't stop!!! I don't have much time but it won't take much time to do our weather report. It is more of the same. We had more than 3" of rain over night. So far we are not under a storm warning. Certainly hope the clouds move out soon and we can see some sunshine.

We are off in a few minutes for our monthly luncheon at church.

More later,

Stay safe,

Dortha

Not a Good Day!!

Dortha in the Morning

I say first things first!!!! House cleaning can wait.

I wish I could say we have a beautiful, sunny, breezy, just right day. I COULD say that but it would be wishful thinking. Instead, we have clouds, wind, gloom and we probably won't get out of the 40's. We also have a forecast that promises heavy rains and possible severe storms tonight and tomorrow. I am still ready for some nice, warm balmy days.

Darla, I am glad you were spared any damage from your Sunday night storms. I think you have had your share of damage for one year. Also, thank you for your kind remarks. Your post and Sherlyn's ---on the very same day----blessed and encouraged me. I don't have anything interesting to post today but at least you will know I am OK.

I have a tremendous job ahead of me but don't want to start on it today. We have had to trim some costs some where and one that will help a wee bit was to empty a storage unit we have paid rent on for 13 years. Foolish I know, but for some years it was easier to pay the rent than to think of vacating the 10' X 10' space and deciding what to do with the merchandise. Well, the van got parked outside and my dear husband has made numerous trips with his pick-up and brought the last load today. So the contents of the unit now occupy the van's space in the garage. I DO NOT look forward to going through box after box and deciding what to do with each item but I HAVE to do it. Wish me luck!!!!

My love and prayers for all,

Dortha

I will definitely agree with Grandmother about how nice these past few days have been. I sat outside for a few hours yesterday just reading and enjoying the view. Miki was chasing some birds and you could hear the frogs singing. GJ came in just for the day so he sat outside with me and read also.
Darla, I'm glad to know you made it back in one piece! I hope your luggage shows up as well. Please tell the kids I said hi and I love them.
I thought I'd share a cute story with you fine people. I babysit a group of 6 kids on Tuesday at our church so the women can enjoy their Bible study. These kids are great and keep me on my toes- never a dull moment! Oh, did I mention that they are all under 5?! Well, today Landon (he's 4) gave me a run for my money. I was changing two of the babies diapers and when I looked up, Landon was standing in the little plastic wading pool, which is in the corner of the room. He was stark-naked! And I was in shock! I asked him what he was doing and he told me that he was just taking a bath so he HAD to take his clothes off. I tried to explain to him that this was not appropriate at church and he needed to put his clothes back on. He said they wouldn't go back on. I insisted that they would =) ! You get the picture. After we got him dressed, I told him that pretending would be a good idea. He could pretend that he was taking a bath, but he definitely had to keep all his clothes on. About 30 minutes later, all the kids were playing and I was helping a couple of girls build a mall when I heard Landon shriek, "I'm NAKED!". Furtively, I glanced over to the wading pool and yelled, "Lan-DON!?". Thankfully Landon jumped up fully clothed and yelled, "I'm Pretending! I'm Pretending!". It's always good to laugh and little kids can usually be counted on to get you there. Well, I didn't tell Landon's Mom because I didn't want to embarrass her, but maybe she needs a smile too.
I hope everyone has a great day!
Love to all,
Sherlyn

Sorry to send storms your way!

I'm very familiar with the storms you guys had this morning, they kept us up all night with threats of tornadoes. Bill and I took turns watching the weather, we didn't want to wake up the kids unless it was necessary. I wish I could sleep as good as kids seem to sleep. I know to them they feel safe, because they know their father and mother are keeping them safe. It always reminds me of how our dear Heavenly Father looks after all of us. And when we rely fully on Him, He keeps us safe.
Well, we did return home safe from our quick Orlando trip. A little chaos with the airplanes, but we got home safe. We got home Sunday- no luggage- but we were back in our own bed, and that always feels good.
Grandmother, I loved what you said about our fingerprints. I printed it off so both my kids could read it! I think people forget how our actions can be perceived by others. I'm always reminded of the verse that says something like- if anyone of us does something to make a child of God fall, we will be answering to God for it. I sure don't want to be in that position!!! But I enjoyed what you wrote very much- thanks for loving us and taking the time to give us those gentle reminders with such beautiful words. I have to say- I have one great grandmother!!! Much Love -Darla

Rain, Rain and more Rain!!!

Our Sky at 6:30, 4-8-08

Well, well, well---who complained about the beautiful sunshine we enjoyed for 3 days----I would really like to know!!!!! I was awakened by LOUD thunder and frightening lightening this morning. It has rained non-stop for several hours now. The day is very dark and gloomy but not too cold---56º right now. Many of us are like stained-glass windows. We sparkle and shine when the sun is out but on a day like today, the only light we experience has to come from within ourselves. Sooooo I will try and let my light shine from within!!!! I can be--- and am--- very grateful for many things today. I can always busy myself with something of interest whether it be reading, sewing, cooking, cleaning or just reminising. I am very glad, however, that I took advantage of the beautiful day we had yesterday and ran some errands that needed to be done. Today I can stay inside.

I wish a happy and safe day for each of you.

My love,

Dortha

We Leave Fingerprints!!~

Is This Precious or What????

We could all learn a lesson from this little guy and his companion and spend more time in prayer.

I hope everyone had a great week end. We have had 3 days of wall to wall sunshine. No room for complaining. We also had a wonderful day yesterday---very good church services and a special Sunday Dinner because we joined by Jan, Devin, Carley, Sherlyn and Ryan. We feel so blessed when family members join us. We thought Jaron would be here for the week-end but he had to go back to his dorm room Friday night.

Our Pastor just finished preaching a series of messages entitled, "Leaving Our Finger Prints". The lesson to be learned was this: whatever we do and wherever we go, we leave our finger prints. It may not be prints as such but every word we speak and every deed we do is being observed by someone and it very well may be someone we least expect. Someone is watching us just as we watch others. We don't have much respect for someone who says one thing and does the exact opposite. Our walk should match our talk at all times. We must be mindful of how we react to a disappointment or when we feel we are wronged. Even our driving habits reveal a lot about us. How patient are we with someone who moves too slowly or perhaps cuts us off in traffic? I like to think that any inconvenience I may endure is God's way of protecting me from possible danger up ahead. Remember in each of these examples, we leave our "Finger Prints" through our actions and our reactions.

I recently read of a man who owned an auto repair shop. A prospective "customer" walked into the shop and informed the owner that he is a driver for a trucking company and often needs repairs on his truck. His comment and question were, "How about adding a few extra parts to the bill for the truck repair? We'll let the company pay for them and you and I can split the difference. I come through here often and we could make quite a lot of money." The shop owner told him that was not the way he operated and he was not interested. The customer accused him of being a "fool". As the shop owner turned to walk away, the "customer"extended his hand for a handshake. He then said, "I own a trucking company and I am looking for a mechanic I can trust. YOU will be getting my business." What a wonderful lesson for each of us!!!

May we all choose to leave "good" finger prints by being a good example in all we do. Remember, it is what we do---not always what we say---that matters most of all.

My love and blessings,

Dortha

Sunshine, YEAH!!!!!!

HOORAY!!! Guess what!!!! We have sunshine!!!! We also have COLD wind but that, we can tolerate. Just give us more sunshine, please. This morning at 6:30 our temp was 31º. I am glad I got a picture of our beautiful Bradford Pear Blossoms 2 days ago. They may turn brown now after the freeze last night.

Darla, I hope you had a safe trip to Orlando and are now back home. You mentioned that you didn't blog very often since your life was not very exciting. Well, you know what, it is often the simple joys and pleasures that our hearts remember and treasure rather than the "flamboyant times". Things we do may seem very mundane at the time but as the years pass, they find a way of living on in our minds and become enjoyable and important memories. The years I spent during my childhood, in that old farm house, sitting around the home made table with the kerosene lamp in the center for light, with my Mother and my Sister doing my home work, didn't seem worthy of remembering at the time but when I think now of those Winter nights, I feel the warmth of love and of safety because my Mother was there. I know the times you are spending with your children may seem more of a necessity than all pleasure but trust me, THEY will remember that YOU spent time with them and that you were there for them!! And, we enjoy reading what you write and the pictures you share whether they seem important to you or not.

Love to all and have a great Sunday,

Dortha

Winter is Past!!!

According to my calendar, Winter is past and now we have Spring time. My Bible also tell me, "For, lo, Winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of the birds is come." Apparently the weather man doesn't read his Bible!!

I am very tired of rain and cold temps. Oh, that we could have some sunshine!! Perhaps tomorrow!!!

Until then, I will try to be patient.

Love you,
Dortha

Bradford Pear Blossoms

Our Beautiful Bradford Pear Trees

April 3-08

The area's Bradford pear Blossoms look like banks of snow!!!! Sooooooooooooo Beautiful. The green leaves are beginning to take over and soon the blossoms will be gone. I wonder how they had the stamina to bloom with our crazy weather---so cold and much too wet. Today the temperature is in the 30's, cloudy and windy. We are promised some sunshine later today and much warmer tomorrow, however, our forecast calls for rain 4 days next week.

We need lots of sunshine to dry the ground enough so we can get the garden plowed. Need to get the seeds in the ground so we can have garden veggies when our company comes in August!!! We also need garden veggies to help on the grocery bill every day!!!! The green beans we canned last Summer sure do help---taste good too!!! The grocery prices continue to rise and there seems to be no end in sight. I am paying $4.00 a gallon for 2% milk, $2.00 for a dozen eggs. I really feel for the families who have a lot of mouths to feed. They would have to have good paying jobs to afford the "necessities" of life.

Today we are expecting Jaron to drive here from college. Possibly we will also see Devin for the week-end. We are glad they are close enough to come home often.

Stay safe, warm and dry!!!

Love you,
Dortha