Again...

...Remember when I told you about "The Teacher?" Well here is just a few of the many students she has loved and taught.

Again I say Rejoice

...Remember when I told you about "The Blesser?"
Well, here he is again!
It never ceases to amaze me what the love of a child can do to your heart!!

THE WEDDING SINGER

LIndsey is my middle child. I will always remember when she was a little girl Mr. Hillman had her sing in the Christmas play in Green-Isle. I can still hear the sound of her beautiful little girls voice as she sang about the lamb needing a place to go. She sang in our Church Plays also, Jan realizing that she had a beautiful young voice. Again in school when Lindsey was about in 7th grade, she sang the song "In the Arms of an Angel". Her voice moved over the people that were there in a heart warming gesture of love. When Lindsey was in 9th grade the United Methodist Church started a "Praise Team". The Pastor and Jeff asked her if she would consider giving her time and talents to this new adventure. Agreeing that it would be a lot of time commitment she said that she would try it. For 4 years she gave of her time to practice on Wednesday nights and sing on Sundays. I later joined and we got to sing together for those years. It was a wonderful time of Praising God. As Lindsey has grown in her life, finishing her degree in cardiac rehab from Mankato State University...
she has continued to sing. She has gifted others with her voice through funerals, retirement parties, birthdays, church services, women united and weddings. If you have a gift, use it to Glorify God, He will Bless you for it. I believe that Lindsey leads a life that is Blessed by God because of the gifts she shares with others.
Lindsey's voice continues to be one of my richest blessings!

THE TEACHER

Emily Jo is my first born... it was probably the only time of her life when she was the only one, sense her birth she has always been with children! If it wasn't her own sisters, it was the neighbor kids. She was always busy organizing their "play", teaching, and telling stories. Her first grade teacher wrote her a card and it said "May santa always have time to listen to your stories". He had told us that when Emily geared up for a story - you better have a little time, as it was going to be a good one, and it was going to be detailed!
I remember when she was young she had an incredible insight to life. She informed me that she would go out for sports, plays, activities, read, go to church, Sunday school, and that she would always get on the honor roll. She would do this because she had two younger sisters to set an example for. She wanted to leave a good impression with her teachers for her sisters sake.
When Emily went on to college she had a few bumps in the road. I remember being afraid that she wouldn't finish due to a broken heart. I'll be if she didn't pull herself up by the boot straps and go on to finish her four year teachers degree at Bemidgi State and then got her masters degree with two little ones at home. She is a kindergarten teacher now...
we are so very blessed by her teaching abilities and she still remains to be one of the best story tellers I know!!

THE INFORMATION SEEKER!

Lacey Lynn is my last born daughter... or, you could say the "baby of the family". She has always been a seeker. She loves to seek out information and study a situation before she will comment on it. Lacey started to read a lot about her 17th year of life. The thing with Lacey is she always seemed to be reading for "information", the entertainment part came second. A mother doesn't always know everything that is going on - but, I do know that with age she has shared many things she has learned with me and I am very thankful for that. If she doesn't know the answer, she will search it out in all places she knows and come up with a reasonable opinion surrounded by the facts. I would say her greatest accomplishment is that she reads and studies the Bible. One day when we were talking about life, she told me "The Bible is the only thing that makes sense." If I can think of one thing that I want my children, my children's children, my family and friends to know - it would be to know how to seek out the truth and wisdom in the Bible.
Lacey finished her liberal arts degree at Hutchinson technical college. She continues to learn on a daily basis -always searching for truth.
Her willingness to share knowledge with me is a treasure that I am blessed with.
I know she has done much information seeking on many different topics...
and look what she has passed on to the next generation...
This is a picture of Nola Jean "seeking out some information of her own!"

The yellow boots and the perfect day!

It was a perfect day. Planned at the last moment.
Almost everyone could be there...
Walking two blocks to the corner of main,
pushing strollers, carrying bags, lawn chairs and coolers.
Laughing, loving, giving, receiving.
And here we are, all smiles.
It was a perfect day!

The color of love

If I could describe love using a color, I would use the color red.
It is the color that most people look good in.
...the color of gingham on Nola Jeans dress
...red shoes with little straps going around her little feet, leaving her little toes bare.
...a covered wagon
...the touch of red undertones in her hair
...the color of the heart
but, most of all, the color of the blood that was shed for you and for me.
What greater love can be?
When they asked Jesus..."how much do you love me", he stretched out His arms and died.
And if I could tell you what Nola Jean is doing here...
I would say she is raising her hands in Praise to the Lord for giving us the color red.