A New Adventure Begins....

 Wow! It's been a bit since I've been in this space! Whew. What does God say about my life? It's a mist or a vapor that appears for just a little while and then vanishes.  Indeed! The older we get the stronger we feel the reality of that.   

 I am currently waking up in Traverse City, MI. Tom and I were blessed to be able to spend a blissful 3 nights and 4 days on Mackinac Island. This is a trip that has been planned and booked for 20 months. It was originally supposed to happen in May 2020 to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. After rescheduling a few times due to COVID, we were finally able to make this excursion north!  We stayed in a condo tucked on the quiet side of the island on the west shore away from the hustle and bustle of the town and shops. The condo came with bikes that we were able to use for the duration of our stay. We devoured the island on those bikes, seeing things we have never been able to see on past trips. We have never spent the night on the island, let alone 3! It was so extremely relaxing! No schedule. No schedule. lol We sat on the beach in the quiet. We watched the sun rise over the water. We watched the sun set over the water. We browsed in quaint shops. We pedaled through woods. We pedaled through miles of gorgeous shorelines. We dilly-dallied over historical signs. We watched a blacksmith pound out iron. We watched hundreds of butterflies flitting in one location. We ate lunch on top of the world, looking down on beauty that is impossible to put into words. We walked our bikes up hills. We sat on a grand porch. We walked through buildings filled with rich history and stories. We sampled and purchased several kinds of tasty fudge. We giggled and grinned over videos and pictures of the cutest 9 month old ever! We slept until our eyes opened (usually around 6 ha!). We took carriage rides. We lingered on grand lawns in front of magnificent historical buildings. We walked through cemeteries and learned about the lives of people who were here before us. People who were very similar to you and to me. People with similar joys and sorrows as you and as me. We had long conversations. We had a lot of time to think. We enjoyed every single moment of it!

     What exactly have we been thinking about? Well, lots of things, but mostly that life is fixin' to change....BIG time! This trip comes at a time of transition in our lives. Isaac just graduated from high school and will soon be embarking on a new journey as he enlists in the USAF. And, Gracie will soon be returning to Harding for her sophomore year. What does that mean for us? It means we will officially be "empty nesters"! That's a big change. I have been raising kids for 27 1/2 years. I was 28 when Heidi was born. So, I have been raising kids for half of my life. Wow!!  Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens".  Our time for raising children has come to an end. Obviously I will always and forever be a mother! But, my mothering will be different from here on out.  Maybe I will have another 27 years?? I don't know. God knows. What will I do with the time I have left here on this earth? These are the things we have been thinking about.

    Hmmmmm? Perhaps I will have more time to come here and blog. lol  I know one thing I will be doing. I will be spending my time being a Nana and loving every minute of it. I will continue loving my beautiful children, but in new and different ways. I will get to spend more time with Tom now. And, as pointed out by a friend recently...it's good if I get to this point in my life and still like him. lol! And, I DO!! So, even though a lot has changed, a lot hasn't changed. Life is ever changing. That's a fact jack. But, our focus should forever remain the same. Love God. Love People. That's what it boils down to doesn't it? God's plan never changes. He is the same today, tomorrow and forever. He knows what is best for me. It's simple. Love Him. Love People. And, there is so much comfort in that! 

Love,

Wendy

Loyal to the Core

   So, I was scrolling through facebook this morning before work and I saw a post about bees. It was actually speaking of bees in a derogatory, but humorous way.  I immediately thought of my sister and her hatred of these tiny winged creatures. I think her view of bees is that they are "out to get her"! You can correct me if I am wrong about that, Terrie. ;)  Upon seeing this post about bees this morning my mind quickly went back several years to a very pleasant lazy summer afternoon. Terrie and I and the kids were out for a drive. I was driving with Terrie in the passenger seat and all the kids in back. We had all of the windows in the vehicle down and the wind was blowing through our hair. Wildflowers were dotting the side of the country road. Soft white puff clouds floating through the blue sky. Can you picture it?  Ahhhhh!!! Bliss!!  I am so looking forward to days like this very soon! It was bliss UNTIL.....Terrie started screaming hysterically and lifting herself up out of her seat in an all out panic!! She was attempting to hold her body up out of her chair with her arms. Her antics sent the vehicle immediately to the side of the road  as if on auto-pilot. What in the world?!! She was hollering "BEE!!!! BEE!!!! OW!! OW!!!!BEE!!!!" I think her door was open and she was out of the vehicle before the car even came to a stop. As soon as she was out Jacob came flying out of the vehicle as well from the back seat. He was about 11 or 12 at the time. I can't remember what kind of weapon the boy had, but whatever it was he was using it with all he had in him to save his Aunt Terrie from the blasted enemy! He was lifting both arms up above his head and coming down on the bee over and over and over again!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Terrie finally said, "I think ya got him, Jake!" :) :)

I hadn't thought about this incident for a good long while, but remembering this made me think of how LOYAL Jacob truly is. Loyal to the core of his being! If you are part of  "his tribe" part of "his people" he's got your back. You may not realize it until the going gets tough, but if and when things get tough for any of "his people" the boy is there BIG!!

Another example of his devotion to his people happened a couple of years ago when Gracie was in 7th grade, which would have made Jacob a junior. Apparently a boy in her class had flung a pencil across the room hitting Gracie. Gracie's reaction was to fling her pencil back at him. (YES! The girl does have some feistiness in her! ;) This resulted in both of them being sent to the office. The kids attend a very small school, so word travels fast. Jacob learned quickly that Gracie was "in trouble" and in the office. When the bell sounded to switch classes, which was the same time that Gracie and this boy were released from the office, Jacob met Gracie at the door outside the office inquiring of her "who is messing with you? Where is he?" Lol!! Gracie said she was kind of scared to tell Jacob....scared for the boy! Ha!! She just shrugged her shoulders and moved her eyes across the hall to where this boy was standing! Jacob, the big upper classmen gave this 7th grader the stare down. The glare that makes it very obvious that you best not be messin' with my sister ever again...and he didn't! Gracie learned that day that when the rubber meets the road she is a part of Jacob's tribe! :)  He can pick on her all he wants...and he DOES....BUT, nobody else better be doing it. That job is reserved for him alone. (Well, he and his brother..lol)

Almost two years ago now, I heard the same words coming from Jacob as Gracie did that day..."Who did this?" His stance was strong and rigid, his muscles were tense and his voice was very serious.  I was totally out of it and was surrounded by lots of people and emergency vehicles. I had just been hit from behind in my vehicle right in front of my house by a truck going about 60 mph. I knew both Jacob and Heidi were there....so concerned for me and so caring! Jacob's first reaction was to protect his Momma. Once again......his natural instilled instinct is to love and fiercely protect those he cares about!

His loyalty does this Momma's heart good!!

This quality has been evident in him over and over and over again! And, what an awesome characteristic it is! So proud of you Jacob Robert! Keep being who you are! I love you to the core!

Have You Ever Gotten Bitten by a Coon?

So, those of you who have been following my blog for a while....a good while...may remember this post from 2007, where Jacob (extremely out of the blue) asked us the question, "Have you ever gotten bit by an ostrich?" Ha!
http://zipadeedodadays.blogspot.com/2007/01/question-of-day.html

My mind ventured back to that day in 2007 and that question as we headed to the ER last night with Isaac. Only this time the question would be, "Have you ever gotten bitten by a raccoon?" and Isaac's answer would now be a resounding, YES!

Let me back up a bit, Isaac was nowhere in sight last night when dinner was on the table and ready. So, I got out my handy dandy cow bell, that was given to me by my dear friend, Wanda Burroughs, and stepped out the back door and rang away. Isaac came flying in from the woods. The boy doesn't like to miss dinner! ;) I didn't think much of it at the time, but at dinner Isaac was asking me all kinds of questions about coon hides. Are they worth anything? Can you get a lot of money for them? Questions like that. I told him that I think they used to be worth a little bit, but not anymore.

After dinner, we all went about our normal business. It was maybe 20 to 30 minutes after dinner and I was standing at the kitchen sink when the front door swang open and I hear sounds coming from Isaac that send a Mama's heart reeling. He ran into Jacob and was shouting through his sobs...."HE BIT ME!!! HE BIT ME!! HE BIT ME!!" What in the world??? WHAT bit you? "THE RACCOON, MOM!! HE BIT ME!!"

Yup, the boy has his eyeball on some new headphones. He has been counting his pennies and dimes and was trying to raise some more money by single- handedly, without a gun, slaying a coon for it's hide! OH. MY. GOODNESS!!

As we sat at the check in desk at the ER:
Name: click, click, clickety, click..... go the speedy fingers of the receptionist
Address: clickety, click, click, click
Insurance: clickety, clickety, click
Reason for your visit tonight: He got bit by a raccoon

Silent fingers, she looks up over the top of her glasses. "Did you say a raccoon?"
Me: Yes Maam.
With a slight giggle in her voice..."How did that happen?"
Me: He was playing Davey Crocket.
Isaac: Yeah, It didn't go so well.
Lady: Who won?
Isaac: Ummm, It wasn't me!

Lol!

So, SIX shots later...including one in the wound...I don't think Isaac will be messin' with anymore raccoons or any other wild animal for that matter! We aren't done yet either. We have to go back three more times for additional shots. They aren't taking any chances with rabies!

Some lessons are learned the hard way..........

Love, Wendy

Beautiful Boy!

Sappy Momma alert warning!! If you aren't up for it, then stop reading now! ;) I am entitled to being a sappy Momma though right?! My baby boy turned 18 last week and he is a SENIOR! My heart is so utterly full of love for him!

So, when Jacob was very small I watched a movie (can not remember the name of the movie!) that features a song that brought tears streaming down my face the first time I heard it in the movie. The title of the song is "Beautiful Boy". Of course I listen to the song with my beautiful boy in mind! (Isaac was not yet on the scene when I watched this movie..;) As the years have ticked by there have been different times when I will look at my son and this song will come rushing back to me. I think of it at times of achievment, at times of vulnerability, at times of joy, at times of sadness, a certain look, a certain glance, when he is sleeping and totally unaware that I am there, at times of disappointment.It happened again tonight as I sat at the computer clicking through his Senior pictures....once again the tears and the song. He IS and will always remain my Beautiful Boy!

You can listen to the song here:



Love,
Wendy

Savor the Moments....

You know those moments that hit you unexpectedly? Those moments that you just think...wow! Life is good....I am so blessed! I had one of those moments today. It's a moment that I want to record so that I can come back and read and remember this feeling ....and live it all over again in the future! I have a little cherub of a boy in my class this year. I absolutely adore this child!  He rushed into my classroom first thing this morning with more excitement than he could hardly contain! With big round eyes and simply oozing with enthusiasm.....with all the JOY that his little body could possibly muster he bubbled:

MRS. CORNETT!!! GUESS WHAT?!! GUESS WHAT?!!!!

OH MY GOODNESS N..... WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS IT??

MRS. CORNETT! ONLY 4 MORE SLEEPS!!!!

4 MORE SLEEPS TIL WHAT??!!!

4 MORE SLEEPS UNTIL YOUR BIRTHDAY!!! (squeals and jumping and glee!!)

OH MY GOODNESS!!! YOU'RE RIGHT!!

YES!! YES!! I KNOW!! (clapping and jumping and exuberance!)

AND GUESS WHAT MRS. CORNETT?!!!

WHAT?! WHAT?!

ONLY 6 MORE SLEEPS UNTIL MINE!!! (more squeals and jumping and glee!)

OH YEEEEES!!!!!!! :) :) :) :)

MRS. CORNETT! MRS CORNETT!! ARE YOU BRINGING A TREAT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?!!

OH YES!! OF COURSE!!! (I am now! ;))

 ME TOO!! ME TOO!!! (More jumping, glee and excitement!)

 Folks! It was one of those moments that brought tears to my eyes! Best birthday gift ever!! It definitely put an extra spring to my step! :)  He doesn't even have a clue that I will be 50!! And he doesn't even care!! Ha! All we know that it is positively the most EXCITING thing EVER!! Life is good! I hope that I can savor it! Savor it and truly enjoy it to the fullest like this little munchkin! God is good! 4 more sleeps! I can't wait!! :)

 Love, Wendy

An Anchor

A few days ago while driving in the car someone on the radio said the word "anchor".   I can not even remember what the person used the word in reference to. What I do know is that as soon as I heard the word it instantly triggered in me a memory....a song. And I immediately began singing the song out loud. These are the words I began singing....

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll
Fastened to a rock which can not move
Grounded firm and deep in the Saviors love

This is the chorus to a song that we sang in church when I was a girl. I don't think I have sung it too often since then because I sang it to my kids and they are not familiar with it. It is in our song books that we use in Coldwater though. I will have to check the books in LaGrange. I'm not sure if we have it in our books there or not?

It got me to thinking how important song is in our spiritual lives. The goal is for me to "store up His word in my heart so that I will not sin against Him" as it says in Psalms 119:11. I need His word in my heart to be able to draw on and use in a moments notice when I need it....to make quick decisions. In order to have it in my heart I need to be IN the word as much as possible. I often can not tell you book, chapter and verse of the scripture, but I know it is in there somewhere. It has been planted in my heart. Song plays such an important role in being filled with the Spirit as it says in Eph. 5:18-19 "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord." Put scripture to song and rhythm and it often more easily becomes ingrained in our hearts and allows us to "store his word in our hearts". God knows that to be the case. That's why song is such an important part of our worship to Him.

So, I came home that day and looked up where the word "anchor" is used in scripture. I came up with Hebrews 6:18-20 where it says, "God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

SO POWERFUL isn't it?!! The certain hope of our future salvation is an anchor to steady our souls while we wait on God during our present storms of life.

And my mind goes to the pictures of anchors of ships that I have seen. Being a Michigan gal this would be anchors from the mighty ships that have/do sail the monstrous Great Lakes. Those things are massive....I mean massive. Here is one we have seen. This is the anchor from the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Imagine how firm and secure the anchor God provides to steady my soul during the storms of life. It's such a comforting thought!

Here are the words to the song in it's entirety:

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

It is safely moored, 'twill the storms withstand,
For 'tis well secured by the Savior's hand;
And the cables, passed from His heart to mine,
Can defy the blast, thru strength divine.

When our eyes behold thru the gathering night
The city of gold, our harbor bright,
We shall anchor fast by the heavenly shore,
With the storms all past forever more.

Chorus:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which can not move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love

Love, Wendy

Student of the Month!

Got to kick off the new year and our first day back to school with an assembly at Isaac's school with special honors for my boy for student of the month. They base this honor on what our school calls the "four sparks"......respect, responsibility, positivity and safety. They only give this to two kids in the whole school. So, this Mama is proud. Good job Mister!!

Love, Wendy

Strawberry Platter

Many of you are aware that I have a strawberry kitchen. I've been collecting everything strawberry for my kitchen since we got married....29 years ago...gulp! ;) Today we had a girls day on the town. The main purpose of our trip was to exchange a few things that Gracie got for Christmas. She had three items that were too small. The girl is growing like a weed!! So, we did some clothes and shoe exchanging and of course the trip also included some fun browsing! During our browsing we came across a beautiful strawberry platter. Look what my sweet Heidi Jo surprised me with outside the store. I am one spoiled Mama! I love it!! :)

 

Love, Wendy

Sunbeam Bread

So, this may be old news to most of you, but I was certainly unaware of it until this year. I came across an article that gave me this information last week. Yesterday I remembered what I had read and went to my cupboard to check it out since I do often purchase Sunbeam bread. I have two loaves of bread in my cupboard. One that I purchased last week and one that I purchased a few days ago. There are two different pictures on the front of the bread package. Apparently one is used during the holiday season and the other for the rest of the year.

Here is the one used for most of the year....the one I purchased a few days ago:

 

And here is the one I purchased last week....the one used during the holiday season:

As you can see, "Little Miss Sunbeam", as I have learned she is called, is bowing her head in prayer on the packaging used during the holiday season and the words "Not by bread alone" are included on the packaging. And in small print underneath are written the verses Matt. 4:4 and Deut. 8:3. These verses say that "man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God"

 

Pretty cool huh?! I think so! I like it so much that I will definitely make sure that I continue to purchase Sunbeam bread. :)

 

Love, Wendy

LIGHTHEARTED

Surprise! Happy New Year. My last post here was exactly one year ago today. Wow. I don't think I have ever had that few posts in a year since beginning this blog. A whoppin' ONE. ;) But ya know what? It's ooooo. k. :) I'm officially letting myself off the hook. My hope is to be here much more often than once this year. But again....if I am not, I am officially letting myself off the hook in advance. Ha! Just so ya know. ;)  I created this blog as a way to preserve memories for my children. And, I really do enjoy writing and I DO want to preserve the memories. So, I shall press on in that effort.

So, 2015. Wow! I have a vivid memory of a conversation with my Daddy many years ago that went something like this:

Me (as I contemplated the future): Do you think I will be alive in the year 2000?

Dad: Well, I should hope so. And, I hope to be alive in the year 2000 as well!

Me: REALLY?!!

Dad: Well, YES!

Me: How old will I be?

Dad: Get your pencil out and figure it out.

I commence to figurin'. (and if I was telling this story to my own children I would have to inform them at this point in the story that NO, I was not using a slate like Laura Ingalls on Little House. We had paper and pencils back then...ha!)

Me: Well, I may be alive, but I will be old!! I will be 35!!

And my Daddy laughed. :)

And now, here we are, in the blink of an eye, 15 years past 2000. Whew!

I stopped making New Year's Resolutions several years ago. They just don't seem to serve me well. They usually just left me feeling worse when whatever I was resolving was not accomplished. What I have been doing instead is picking a single word of the year for myself. A general direction that I would like to see myself heading.....

.....my word for 2014 was LIGHTHEARTED! I love the word and enjoyed making an effort to bring more lighthearted moments into my life in 2014. My little sister, Terrie, seems to have always been a natural at this. No matter what is going on around her, she can block it all out and live in the moment and be lighthearted. I've always been the one to get down to the business of life...make the list and get er done kind of gal. The practical one. The organized one. The worrying one.  And, in the past even the extreme of The perfect one. Bleck! That kind of living is exhausting!  I learned a lot this year about being lighthearted. A new movie hit the scene with a song that helped me along my way. The title of the song was "Let It Go". Sound familiar? ;)  In order to remain lighthearted I need to be able to just "let it go"! I need to let all of my worries go...all of my anxieties go....all of my perfectionistic tendencies go.  I must give them ALL to God!! Duh. Of course, I KNOW that. But, actually being able to DO it is a whole nother thing isn't it? It's so freeing when I can actually DO this. It brings an overwhelming feeling of lightness. Lighthearted does not mean irresponsible. It means that NO MATTER WHAT is happening in my life, I am the same. Nothing ever changes because God is always the same. He IS. and ALWAYS will be NO MATTER WHAT! HE gives me the freedom to be light....to be lighthearted. Because of Him....I can smile. I can laugh. I can dance. I can spin. I can skip. I can shine. I can be cheerful. I can be carefree. I can be playful. I can be joyful.... EVERY single day of my life no matter WHAT is happening!! Whoo Hoo! How freeing is that? How FUN! Here are a few visual images that I used this year to remind myself to strive for lightheartedness:

 

 

 

 

And my visual reminder to become like a little child as Christ tells me in Matthew 18:3 And he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

 

And, something I learned from my lighthearted little sis during our sister weekend before Christmas. She simply said, "It's important." She said it in reference to doing little things for myself. Little things that lift my spirit in small ways and make me feel lighter....make me feel good about myself....make me feel pretty as a lady. I was contemplating making a small purchase for myself. My practical self was talking myself right out of it. But, these small things ARE important to do for myself. Thanks sis. I love you! These serve as a physical reminder to myself to stay lighthearted. A small purchase with a big message. A bundle of bracelets. I love the sound that they make on my wrist as they clink together when I move. A sound that reminds me not to take life to seriously. A reminder to keep things light. A reminder that God is in control NO MATTER WHAT period.dot.end of story.

 

 

Love, Wendy