MOVING FORWARD

Who would want to just pick up and move from their familiar surroundings? Read from the Bible the stories of Ruth and all the diversities she had encountered in her life. Think about our lives and the changes that occur for us. Many of us as we reach maturity will look back and finally see the plan God had for us. This is maturing in the Lord that I write here to share.

When my thoughts wander back about maturing the memories of being blessed with 6 wonderful children come to me. With these memories come the reminders of the choices that were also made in my life . Some of these choices would soon be recognized as complete disobedience. This disobedience would bring some diversities and some long hard journeys . One day a Pastor from my church will encourage me to ask my father who is already in heaven for forgiveness because of my disobedience to him. Finally realizing that because of this disobedience,things have been difficult for me I then closed my eyes and asked my Daddy to forgive me. Maybe you could call it refiners fire. You ask me why? I will share some things today and hope you will be blessed.

The time will come when all my thoughts about where I have travelled in my life will be made known. At this time I will share that growing up as the second oldest child in a family of 6 children had its strengths for me. Dad and Mom had 3 boys and 3 girls. I would soon be blessed with the same but in a different order. Well I was never going to have that many children and secondly I just wanted to leave home and have my own life. Well I did leave home at a very young age and got married to a man I thought I was completely in love with and decided he loved me too. We had 5 children in the first 8 years of marriage.

Finally, the youngest of 5 started school and I was excited! Then, oh no! That winter the doctors told me I was pregnant. I had cried a plenty but this baby would be born. Thoughts that abortion was just made legal and would take care of my problem entered my mind. Then my mothers second husband called me from his hospital bed . I had not got to know him very well but his words stuck with me. He was gravely ill with lung cancer. He said to me to have this baby it will be a blessing for me. So what did he know were my thoughts then. Life was already enough work with 5 young children to care for and a husband who caused me much sadness yet I felt I had to be committed to him. Knowing what an abortion could do to your body helped me to say no to the abortion idea.

The neighbors near our farm in Washington ST. gathered together and gave me a baby shower and our youngest daughter Cheryl, 12 at the time, helped with the surprise. This was only the second baby shower I had ever had. One shower for the first and this one for the last baby. Christopher was born and he came into this world with such a loud cry that I was told even the nurse up the hall from the delivery room came running back to see this baby boy. The Lord put on my heart in 1975 to dedicate Christopher to Him. Chris was already 3 years old and that year Pastor Mattix dedicated Chris to the Lord. I was baptized the same day in the Little Spokane River. Later I will share about his short journey here and when he left this world for heaven leaving with loud cries we will always remember Chris by.

Better are we if we do not look back most times but keep our focus on going forward. Looking back brings joyous thoughts of the past and will put a warmth in our hearts. Yet some thoughts can crumble our joy and cause a cancer that will eat us away. Let me just say I learned to be joyous for all the times. So let us be glad for the good times and the bad times because they all are considered refiners fire. Rejoice in today and always. Thank God today for His will in your lives!

NEW BEGINNINGS IN KENTUCKY

Who would have thought I could just pick up the pieces of my life and move them so far from everything known to me my whole life? From Western Washington to Western Kentucky! Well here am I in a new land unknown to me. The trip was made with Bill driving my car and Tim & Cheryl driving the Penske truck with my things. The truck was full and I had tried to thin down all my 40 year accumulation to fit in the smallest truck. Then we hooked up a car trailer to haul a 61 Pontiac Star Chief. A rare car in great shape that we had found on the internet, Bill bought it and we picked the chief up in Spokane WA on the way. You see , Bill loves antique cars and has built up a 1929 Model A Ford and a Cobra from a kit. So he added to his collection but still not sure why.

Behind the Penske the Chief would be in our view the whole 2500 miles and at times the trailer seemed to maybe be taking him into a spin. It was great having my son-in-law drive this truck the whole way. My daughter, Cheryl was so faithful to stay with Tim and let ole Mom ride with Bill in my car.

The chemo therapy & radiation for breast cancer had only just ended for me the week before we headed out on this trip. Was I tired? Well not wanting to look back and because Bill was my encouragement to still come the journey has begun!

We made a few short visits, Custers Last Stand , Mt Rushmore and Hustead's Wall Drugs , Sturgis & The Arch, "The Gateway To The West" in St Louis. There were some manuveurings Tim would do to get the truck and Chief into those places we did not want to miss seeing. What a guy, what a driver! The weather was so delightful for us the last of September. For the nights, we called ahead on the road to each hotel and always seemed to find a place of rest.

At last 5 days later we crossed the bridge over the Ohio and could see my new city. Lord you are riding with me and here am I and here are You also. Thankful to be here and thankful for a safe trip. Now to find my new dwelling and find help to unload my treasures. The help came after a cell phone call to Bill's brother, Walt. The apartment was locked so we waited and soon the Penske was unloaded into my small apartment. Cheryl helped me to get my new little home livable and then we took the Chief to his new home at Bill's. Where Bill will also see what damage was done to his home from hurricane Ike winds while he was away in Washington State helping me to move. Mostly and sadly was the damage to his huge Beech tree his late wife had planted from a young tree. The winds had split the huge trunk right down the middle. Lord you remind us of your power as we remember the significance of the tree.

Off to church at Yellow Creek Baptist Church on Sunday where I will soon come to know many new friends. Bill had assured Cheryl we can make sure we get her to Canton GA.Then after church we four travel to Canton GA where Cheryl will attend a writers Conference which will soon connect her with another Christian Conference in Texas in October where she writes a story that is published with other christian womens stories.