a life blessed

My grandmother, Ms Oleta Clementine Frazier (pictured above with my granddad, Kirk Morror Frazier) loved this hymn, and it has become one of my favorites over the years for two reasons:  1) It reminds me of her, and 2) It is so true.   🎼 What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer. 🎼 I had the privilege of having my grandmother around for 7 years of my life.  She died at age 67 (if my memory is correct) of colon cancer.   There are three things that come to my mind about my grandmother whenever I think of her:  #1) I don't th...

♫  " You are my sunshine, my only sunshine; you make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away ."  ♫ This is what Todd sang to me as he proposed to me 25+ years ago, and 24 years ago, on June 20, 1992, we vowed that only death would ever make us part. The gray hairs on his head today, and the gray hairs (that are masked by the shade of the month) on my head, prove that we want to grow old together. This man has loved me unconditionally, tells me I am beautiful at my worst, is the best spiritual leader of our home, loves God with everything he has, wears his knees out in prayer and makes me want to be a better person. He does what is right even when it is not easy, and I have learned so much from him. His character is unmatchable. I love him deeply, can you tell? Happy 24th Anniversary to my hot Toddy!  I want to live life with you 104+ more years! "Love is patient, love is kind.  I...

I am a better communicator in writing than I am an oral communicator. What is in my head and heart rarely comes out of my mouth the way my heart intends. For this reason, more times than I choose to admit, I tend to stuff back words or tears...I tend to be more of a thinker and an observer rather than open myself up to vulnerability by speaking my thoughts. I get it honestly, I think, for my dad is a thinker and is a man of few words. The only difference is that my dad usually speaks with lots of wisdom, while I still have a long way to go!  I am very guarded with my feelings and thoughts. I usually tend to be drawn to people who speak their mind and do not have a hard time showing who they really are -- good or bad. It is probably because I wish I were moreso that way. I am of the belief that "silence may be misinterpreted, but it will never be misquoted." My silence has been misinterpreted many times, but I would rather keep silent than take the risk of misrepr...

♫ "Stir in me a love that's deep, a love that's wide, a love that's sweet; and help me Lord to never keep it to myself. I wanna stay close to You. It's really that simple, I wanna stay close to You my whole life long."  ♫ It really IS that simple, and that is my desire. https://youtu.be/WjT61SrGYGI

We must always remember....There is no new thing under the sun. God is, and will always be, in control. Everything He allows is for our growth and for His glory. Looking upward, we can remember this.  Looking any other direction, we lose sight of this fact. In those not so sunny moments that God allows, whatever they look like, I just pray that I carry myself with grace and in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ, standing fast in one Spirit...with one purpose of bringing glory to Christ. Through it all, my eyes are on You, and it is well... https://youtu.be/YNqo4Un2uZI

It's been a while since I've put my ponders to pen, and a lot more thoughts have been swarming around in my head since my last post.  I've penned a total of 5 posts in the year 2015, a year that has proven to bring about major life changes in my family.  It's just part of the natural ebb and flow which the tides of life bring about. The biggest change in our immediate family has been our first born, Grant, graduated high school in May. About six months have passed, and many adjustments have been made. #1)  College life is an adjustment in itself, with the biggest adjustment being made by the graduate; but it is an adjustment, also, for the whole family.  College life is a whole new world, so to speak, and we are adjusting to living in and around this new world.  Life as he knew it, and as we knew it, no longer exists. Friends fly off to their new nests as they attend their respective colleges in different states, never to flock together in their...

"Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land." (1 Kings 17:7) If you look closely, you can see a shimmer of light in the center of this photo. This shimmer is the reflection of light off of a little creek, or brook, behind our hotel room where we are staying for my son's travel ball tournament. Last night it rained pretty hard and steady, and the brook's flow was roaring heavily as it brought debris and trash along with it in its path. Today, the sun is shining brightly and the brook's roar has mellowed into a faint trickle with its flood line decreased to almost nothing. Both scenarios are equally beautiful to watch. With no more rain, however, this brook will dry up completely.  Are you experiencing a drought of sorts in your life right now - maybe financially, emotionally, spiritually, etc? Do you find yourself completely 'dry' with no rain in sight to nurture and water your soul? If not a drought, then may...