Such a beauty!

Mom had to come to town yesterday for a dermatologist appointment. My grandson, Austin, was staying with Ollie and me for the day, so I wasn't able to go with her. Ollie, Whitney, Austin and I did, however, meet her at Luby's Cafeteria for lunch! Mom loves to eat there and wishes that there was one in Marble Falls! I think they'd eat there almost daily!

Anyway, as I walked in the door of Luby's and saw Mom, I was a little taken back at how pretty she is! Do you do that? See a person you've known all of your life and see them differently from time to time? She has such a positive attitude, is an optimist, but a realist, is a Godly woman, a frugal but generous person and is beautiful inside and out. I say prayers of thanks for my parents every day! I am so blessed to have been raised by Mildred and Harvey Smith!

Dad stayed home with Jerry. He just doesn't love coming to Austin! He'd just as soon stay home in his chair! Dad and his chair...since I was a kid, Dad has had "his chair"! I remember that when Dad would get home from work, he'd head straight for "his chair." It was his sanctuary. We were very careful not to disturb him until he'd been in his chair for a while! Mom raised us to respect Dad and the fact that he worked hard and deserved some peace and quite when he got home! "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." Ephesians 6:1

Amen!

"Have a strong mind and a soft heart."

That describes Mom to a "T"!!! She caught Dad's cold, or shall we say that it caught her?! She said she had been running away from it for days! Bless her heart, she has had a bad cough and stuffy head since the end of last week. She even spent one whole day in her recliner in her gown and robe...and, if you know Mom, you know that is NOT like her! Sunday morning when I called her, she said that she was feeling MUCH better, "at least I am telling myself that I am" and then she laughed out ould at herself! She had decided that she was tired of "laying" around and that she needed to get up and get some things done. So, she decided she was going to feel better! And, you know what? IT WORKED!!!

I wholeheartedly believe that Mom's strength comes through her prayers. She is a fine example of a Godly woman who lives through faith!

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Amen!

Glenda is headed to Mom and Dad's today. Dad needs to go to get a blood test in Marble Falls, and Glenda will take him so Mom doesn't have to get out. Glenda lovingly fills their refrigerator with lots of healthy things from Whole Foods Market so Mom won't have to find things to cook this week!

I will get to see Mom on Thursday. She has a doctor's appointment in Austin and I make a point of going with her any time I can! She always schedules her appointments close to the noon hour so we can go to Luby's Cafeteria either before or after her appointment! Too bad there's not a Luby's close to her and Dad. She'd let them do most of the cooking!! Can't say that I blame her!

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.” Proverbs 18:22

Dad did very well!!! He's feeling much better also. Mom says he is not coughing much and thinks they are both on the verge of being well! Praise God for that!

Amen!

"Tis the season?

I checked in with Mom this morning, as usual. Dad has been suffering with a bad cough which has kept them from getting much sleep for a couple of days . Mom said feels like she's been "running away" from a cold this week also. Today she sounded congested, so I'm afraid she didn't run fast enough! No doubt that the lack of rest has weakened her immune system and she does sound very tired. She won't let me bring them soup or go help her with laundry, etc. I'm not surprised! Jerry, the caretaker, is back from his 3-week vacation, so she will get him to come help once they are both feeling better. She doesn't want anyone to come right now. She is so considerate of everyone! Keep them in your thoughts and prayers please!

Lord, please give Mildred and Harvey strength to fight this bad cold and cough. Clear their lungs and sinuses of infection and irritation so that they can breath easier and get the rest that they need to get healthy. Amen.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Hello all! I pray that your Christmas was as wonderful as ours! Blessings abound!!! We all gathered Sunday at Glenda's house here in Austin, all 22 of us. The only ones missing were Ollie's daughter, Neely, her husband, Carl, and our twin granddaughters, Livi and Madi. They had come the prior weekend and celebrated a little early with us.

Bless Mom's heart; any time she and Dad go anywhere, she helps him get shaved and dressed and then has to get herself ready. They both were dressed to the nines and walked in the door all smiles! Mom and Dad were decked out in their Christmas-sy red sweaters. Not to mention that Dad had on his Stetson hat when they arrived! He hadn't worn that in a long time! He also had on his western dress-pants and one of his prized belt buckles that he'd won when he was team roping! Jennifer's husband, David, and their son, Bradley, are team ropers, so Dad dons that belt pretty proudly ! Mom was glowing with beauty and Dad was his handsome self! They both looked great!!! As soon as I get everyone to email their pictures, I will post some!

As soon as Mom and Dad arrived and got kisses and hugs from everyone, we congregated in the dining room, said our prayer together as a family and ate.

Dear Lord in Heaven, help us all to remember that it is the birth of Your Son Jesus Christ that we are celebrating today.

We Sing praise to You for the loving unity of this family. We hold dear in our hearts our loved ones in Heaven and on Earth who are not with us today.

Bless those who are not able to be with their families, those who are alone and lonely, those who do not have enough to eat or a warm, safe place to call home.

We are so grateful to You for all our many blessings, our homes, our health, and our ability to work and support our families. Thank You for this food that was so lovingly prepared for this celebration.

Bless us oh Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ, our Lord. Amen

Shortly after eating we gathered in the living room. Several years ago we started the tradition of singing Christmas carols together before giving out gifts. Austin told everyone the reason we celebrate Christmas is because it's Jesus' birthday. We asked him why we got gifts instead of Jesus and he replied without hesitation, "Because it's Christmas!" Okay, that was a pretty good answer for a 5 year old! I'm just proud that he knows the reason for the season!! I need to video him telling the story! It's precious!

Handing out gifts takes us a while. Jean, Glenda, Danny and I take turns handing out the presents for each of the great-nieces and nephews. We hand them out one by one and watch each child open their present. That way the child knows whom it's from and we all get to see their joy in opening it! Like I said, the who process takes us a while, but we feel like it's worth it!

Other than during the prayer and opening of gifts, Christmas Day is very casual and without agenda. We visit a lot, laugh a lot, play a lot and eat a lot! How could we be any more blessed than that?!

I decided that Christmas is a lot like a wedding...you plan for it for months and it's over in a matter of minutes. However, the more I thought about that, the more I disagreed with it. In my heart I believe that most of us keep the meaning of Christmas in our hearts all year long! It is our challenge to spread joy and cheer to others all year! Most importantly, we should be spreading God's word throughout the year!

I still find it hard to believe we are saying good-bye to 2011! I've been told all my life that, the older you get, the faster time flies! I am finding that to be so true!!! From our family to yours, may your New Year's celebration be happy and safe! I pray for peace, health and happiness for all of you!

"I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid."

John 14:27

All is well!

Hello all! I was at Mom and Dad's last Wednesday and this past Tuesday. Dad is back to "normal" since his stint in the hospital and Mom is back to her routine! Dead is back on his coumadin and aspirin, which gives us some comfort. We all held our breaths when he had to get off his blood thinners when he was in the hospital. Praise God that he didn't have any negative results from his short break off those meds.

Last week on Wednesday, Mom and Dad were both tired because Dad had been up off and on during the night. This week, they were much more rested and were in great spirits! I had made a green chile verde chicken tortilla casserole that Dad and Mom both really enjoyed! I strive to find new and different things to cook for them that I think they will like. Dad's tastes have changed a lot since his stroke, and he doesn't mind showing it when there's something he doesn't like! It makes me feel so good when he oo's and ah's over something I fix for them!

Danny's daughter Nicole had posted a picture of her daughter Mia's dance class on facebook, so I showed that to Mom and Dad. They really got a kick out of it...Mia's a little character and full of personality!! We then sat at Dad's computer and watched a slide show of all the pictures he has saved. Often he pointed to particular people and made sounds. His biggest reaction was when the picture came up of him and Uncle Roy headed out in the fishing boat. That was the last time they got to go out and have one on one time together. It is a precious memory to Dad.

Jean went out there today and rode along with them to Dad's blood test (the doctors monitor his blood thinners monthly), lunch at the Chinese restaurant, Wal-Mart, etc. It wasn't the best weather to be out in, but it was still good for them to get out of the house! I'll bet Jean drove!!! Mom is still a good driver, but she and Jean have a friendly power struggle when it comes to who does the driving!

All of our family is preparing for our get-together at Glenda's house on Christmas Day! We love being together and having heavenly chaos! I don't know if I will get to post before then, so I pray that you and all your loved ones have a very safe, healthy and merry Christmas!

Luke 2:13-14
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those whom He is pleased."

Hallelujah!!

It truly was a Happy Thanksgiving!

Our family had so much to be thankful on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2011 (as we do every single day, of course!).

I explained to the doctor on Wednesday that, if at all possible, it was vitally important to have Mom and Dad present when our family gathers. There is no measure of the love and respect we all share, and it starts with the two of them! When I told him that, it was obvious that he understood and respected our wishes. He followed through with his commitment to see Dad at the beginning of his rounds Thursday morning and discharged him in time to have lunch with our family! That, in itself, was amazing! We've been so impressed with this hospital and its staff! The paperwork for the discharge was completed, Mom was packed and a wheelchair was already in the room when Danny and Lisa got there around 10:30. Mom and Dad followed Danny and Lisa and arrived at Jean and Jimmie's house about 11:45! Everyone was overjoyed in greeting them!

Mom and Dad were all smiles and their spirits were high! Dad still looked a little pale, but he did lose a lot of blood during this ordeal. It will take his body a little while to recuperate. We snacked until about 1:30,awaiting Whitney and Austin arrival. Austin had been with his Daddy for a few days until then. We gathered in the kitchen, said our family prayer and dug in to delicious turkey and dressing, so loving prepared by Jean and LaRose, and all the other wonderful foods that the rest of us added to the feast.

We were so fortunate to have a gorgeous day and most of us spent a good portion of it sitting out on the porch and visiting. Once Dad had a full stomach, he took a great nap and then joined us on the porch also!

It was a very laid-back day, full of love and thankfulness and togetherness! Mom and Dad headed home about 4:30. Dad was looking forward to getting in his recliner! Mom told me later that he let out a great big "Ah" when he sat in it! He slept until about 11:00 Friday morning too! There's nothing quite like being in your own bed!

We're all letting them have a nice, quiet weekend, but are checking on them often. Mom had plenty of food in the freezer that only had to be thawed and heated, so she won't have to do any major cooking and they won't have to go out unless that's what they choose to do. I'll bet they won't want to leave the house for a few days! Can't say that I blame them!!

It is with grateful heart that I know you will continue to keep Mom and Dad in your prayers. Know that you are also in mine!

Oh Lord, You are the only source of health and healing, the spirit of calm and the central peace of this universe. Grant to Mildred and Harvey Smith health and strength and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In sickness and in health...unconditional love!