waterlogged

 Psalm 148:4-5
 Water. Life giving water. I was reminded all the ways we use it (and yes, sometimes, abuse it) this morning as I sat here and looked out the window at our lake. We have to have it to live. We are born in waters. We are baptized in water. We drink water. We bathe in water. We play in water. I believe, that most feel connected to God when we see great bodies of water, like I do! 


I have always LOVED the water! My mom called me her "little fish" because , when I was around 6 years old, I passed everyone else in my swimming class at the Downtown "Y" and have been swimming ever since! Actually, I remember going to camp and was the ONLY one who could swim in the deep water (which wasn't a lot of fun swimming alone! LOL!).  What KINDS of water do I love? I love all bodies of water! I love the Gulf of Mexico!!!!  Hey, I love BATHS more than anyone in the world! I'm a WATER FREAK!!!!!! I am "water logged" and love it.  What other water do I love? I love our beaches in Alabama and NW Fla. I love lakes. I love OUR little lake, here, where we live. It is called LAKE CYRUS. I love love love waking up each morning and seeing the sunrise over it. It calms my heart and eases my spirit when I am nervous or anxious. It gives me excitement to see the geese coming back after the winter months honking and honking all day long (they're back! LOL)! I love to see neighbors with their canoes out there fishing.*( One of my greatest memories was watching Patrick go fishing on our lake every day. I guess, for him, it was calming as well after a long day at school or just when he wanted to be by himself and relax. That boy loves the water too! Um, he's in the NAVY! LOL!) I love the grandkids to squeal with joy as they run to the fence to see the geese.  I love to see the reflection of the trees in the water. I love to see the ripples across the lake when there is a breeze. Most of all, I feel soooooooo connected to God when I am near the water. I could sit beside the lake all day long and meditate, that's how much I love it. I am so reminded how many times water is mentioned in the Bible and how relevant that is to me. I need water!!!!! I need it to survive. I need it to sustain my physical body as well as my emotional spirit. I remember going to Israel and we went to the River Jordan. THat was probably the highlight of my trip. I wanted to take a flying leap into that  very river where Jesus, Himself, was baptized. I didn't want to leave there when we had to go. It was moving and emotional. OF COURSE, I carried a bottle and filled it up to the brim. It is one of those "things"  I cherish and I have used some of that water in my grandchildren's baptisms and it meant the world to me to know that they were baptized with water from the River Jordan......But, let me state one thing very clear:  It's not about the WATER per se. It's about the GIVER of the water that means so much to me. I thank Him for giving us water to live. Living Water, you might ask? Or, if you KNOW, you are going "ahhhh! YES!" Yes, LIVING WATER that is  better than any of the other waters I have mentioned. Let me repeat: LIVING WATER. Without this LIVING WATER in my life, I could not truly live. Read about this LIVING WATER if you have never heard the story. It might change your life. Like it did for the Woman at the Well. And for this woman at the lake.
Read  the whole story again. Even if you know the story. It will fill you up until you spill over ......
JOHN 4: 1-29

Ryder Patrick: Coming Soon!

Today I went with Kelley to see RYDER via ultrasound in the 4-D ultrasound pix! It was so exciting to see my other little grandson, just like Carter, rolling around and growing in his safe little nest!! TWO baby boys! My babies, Patrick (Kelley) and Katie (Jon), having babies at the same time! Who can believe it??? I almost feel guilty writing about these healthy babies we have "cookin'" b/c my heart still hurts for Katie and Doug in the loss of their baby 2 weeks ago.(Right now, they are experiencing so much sadness and we are feeling so much joy. I do know that God is beside them, walking and crying WITH them,and there will be many blessings ahead for this couple, I am sure, in the future, but for now, this is the Valley this young couple must travel as sad as it is)
Today was so exciting! To actually SEE Mr. Ryder moving and waving. He was ASLEEP (um, sounds like his DADDY! LOL), but he was still moving and waving his tiny arms and legs. There is something so satisfying, seeing a tiny baby in their cocoon. AMAZING is a better word probably. I remember I got to have one of the first Ultrasounds when I was pregnant with Katie! And back then, it was just this tiny TV looking screen and I couldn't figure out her thigh bone from her head! LOL! Now, you can SEE, not only the faces/arms/legs, but actual FACIAL FEATURES.Just amazingly beautiful *(HEY! ANd NO CRYING! Just a sweet QUIET BABY!!!!! HAHAHAHA!)!. I just can't believe it, watching them roll and move and stretch and open their tiny mouths. MIRACLES. Why do people say "there are no miracles anymore"??? Hey, naysayers: I just saw one! People take for granted the miracles all around them. I know I do. I'm a "people" and I do that too. Sadly, we get in the "ho hum drum" of life sometimes and take for granted so many things. Like how God creates babies inside a mommy's tummy. All the miles of arteries/heart pumping/eyes blinking/fingers/toes/brain/arms/legs. WE TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED. I had 5 incredibly healthy plump babies. I watched them grow into children/teens and, now, adults. I sometimes STILL take for granted the fact that they are all healthy and happy and productive and God's Children even now. I was reminded of that today. I once had my babies rolling and turning in my big belly.And I'll never forget that feeling either. Not only that, I have 5 (almost 7!) beautiful gifts from God : Lily, Kemp, Daisy, Powell and Blakely! OUR GrandANGELS! That in itself is the biggest blessing that Terry and I have. Not our house (which I love but it's just, basically a roof over our head)/not our money (or lack thereof!)/not ANYTHING but our children and grandchildren. I could give up EVERYTHING and WOULD for their lives.I am blessed over and beyond and today, seeing RYDER PATRICK today and feeling Carter last week-end roll and bump ( in utereo) what a BLESSING it is and, makes me realize it even more. Of all our MANY MANY Blessings, we ask God, each day, for healthy family and babies. If we get bonus blessings? Well, THANKS  GOD, those are icings on the cake! But for REAL, today ,I am thanking Him for our family and keeping us all under the shadow of His wings....... And bringing us more joy than we could've ever dreamed possible........





RYDER AND CARTER????


GRANJAN CANNOT WAIT TO SEE YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE YOU SO MUCH ALREADY!

Mixed bag

Today's blog is a mixed bag! First, had a wonderful time in Madison with Kemp/Katie and Jon. SUPER quick trip but fun, nonetheless! Kemp enjoyed being with Jon and having a day away from school! Katie enjoyed picking out her gift from us for baby Carter! I was  pleased that she chose such a beautiful armoire as what she wanted for Carter's nursery and our gift to him. POSH MOMMY & BABY TOO is where she found it. It's the "Enchantment" line, just perfectly matched to Kemp/Daisy's baby bed. YAY! So now, she pretty much is ready for Carter since she has a place to put all his precious little clothes! They have in the nursery now, baby bed/beautiful minky dot chair/ottoman combo and soon ARMOIRE. (it will be here in a few weeks). It is all coming together beautifully!!! Kemp got a big laugh when we showed him, on his old baby bed, his TEETH MARKS! Natalie told Katie to paint it if she wanted to, but Katie loved seeing the little teeth marks there put by baby Kemp!!!! SO, they are staying! LOL ....Anyway, after getting the furniture and doing a few errands, it was time to head back home with Kemp. We dropped him off and ran to the Galleria and met up with Kelley for a little while , while she was on her dinner break. SHe looks good and Ryder looks like he is doing fine as well! Their nursery will be finished when they get to San Diego. Looks like they will be "tying the knot" in about a month! We are going to try our hardest to get out there for their ceremony. Then, hopefully, he will be here for Ryder's birth!!! Such exciting times! TWO BABY BOYS. Just please keep these little pregnant mommies in your prayers! Kelley is diabetic, so she has to be more careful and watchful during her pregnancy. Katie has had a great pregnancy but still, these mommies need prayers as they go through the final few last months!

 Speaking of prayers, pray for Katie's  high school and good friend, Katie. She was due the same day as Kelly (in April) and lost her baby girl Feb.7th sue to Pre-Eclampsia. It has been such a difficult time for Katie (both of them!).Today Katie met her for lunch and they got to visit but Katie is still having such a difficult time, as expected. She had a box of the tiniest little clothes she brought to show Katie that she was given by the hospital for her to keep along with her tiny footprints and handprints/ teensy tiny cap and diaper. All doll sized. Angel sized. There is a group who makes these precious keepsake boxes for mothers who  lose their tiny babies. It's a ministry if you ask me!!!! What a wonderful thing---a TANGIBLE thing for the grieving moms and daddies to hold on to. After lunch  Katie asked me if I wanted to go see where she was buried. So we rode up there and there, in Jefferson Memorial, in the section called Babyland (on Hwy 150) there is a circle where these precious babies are buried. It is moving/sad/precious and heartbreaking. It made me think, again, how blessed we are to have healthy babies---and reminds me there are so many who lose their precious babies before they even get to hold them. I couldn't help it , I just cried as I looked at the tiny gravesites decorated with gifts from moms and dads. Little cars/pinwheels/dolls/stuffed animals. And the heartbreaking words on the the headstones. I could see so much love and sadness and , yes, even joy in the tended tiny plots of earth.  They might not have lived long here on earth but are as much as God's children as you and me.  THEY LIVED. However briefly and in God's perfect timing.  It's hard to understand , certainly for me, but that is where the TRUST IN GOD comes from. Why? I want to ask, why did these tiny ones not get to live their lives out? But yet that is where GOD IS GOD. HE HAS A PLAN FOR US ALL. Even those who weigh 10 ounces and live for a mere 31 minutes. I realized we're all on God's time, none of us know how long that will be! My mother is 96 years old and yet there is one who lived 31 minutes. It's a puzzlement for sure but God knows the "why" and the reasons. I can imagine God will use her 31 minutes to touch many lives ! 
My heart hurts so deeply for Katie and Doug and I pray God will give them  peace as they go through this journey of grief. May  God bless this precious little couple and give them strength to rely on each other during this dark time in their lives and give them hope for more children in their future. Of course, no child will ever replace this one they lost but that the spot that is empty in their hearts now will one day be filled back again with joy and peace and children's laughter....

"My frame was not hidden from You, 
when I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me".               Psalm 139 15-16