Old Age is drawing closer...

I received a photo via email the other day. It was an ultrasound image of a new baby - our first great-grandchild. Can you believe it?? I know I am having a hard time with that reality. I am way too young to be a great-grandmother, I am not yet 59 years old, but there it is in all its magnificence ... a baby. What a blessing.

It sure causes one to wonder where the time goes. Those days roll into months and then years, as if in the blinking of an eye and one day it will be over, snuffed out like a candle.

What legacy will I be leaving behind? It certainly makes me think.

Spring is on its way

Wow.. its March 1.. where oh where has the time gone. Two months have slipped by since I was last here. Life has been a little busy .. a little lazy .. and a little just right. Needless to say I did not find the time to be out here. I will try harder to keep this blog updated.

I am attending a Bible study at Faith E.. a video series on Esther by Beth Moore. I am really enjoying it. She has some good insight into a lot of topics. For instance.. fear... the most repeated command in the Bible is "do not be afraid" .... We have no reason to be fearful... think of the most horrific thing that could happen... If (blank) .. then (blank).... what if this happened.. then what... whatever you think your then statement would be... cross it out and put .."God will provide.. or God will take care of me.." We have no reason to fear even death.. because as Christians we were already dead until we accepted Jesus as our Savior... then we became alive in Him.

Well we had a dump of snow the other day.. but it is slowly disappearing. Spring is just around the corner.. I am sure of it and I am READY ... bring it on.

Onward with 2009

Well it's 2009. A new year - a clean slate on which to write this year's resolutions. What should they be? Eat right, exercise more ... those two should top the list for sure. What goals should I set for myself? Life is ticking away.... tic toc tic toc... and that proverbial roll is getting closer to the end... what is it I want to be when I grow up? I look at that year ... 2009... next year I will be 60. How did I get to be so old? Where oh where have those years gone? I don't feel 60... I think the time has come to sit down and evaluate my life. I received the book, 1001 Things To See Before I Die, a couple of years ago. I stopped reading it when I heard myself say .. been there, been there, saw that, oh been there too... thought I should quit before I reached 1001st thing I have already seen .. then what is the 1002nd thing to see .. the pearly gates. Well I guess that is not such a bad site to see. Hmm, back to my evaluation, my bucket list, what should top the list... let me think.... maybe I had better mull this over a breakfast of bacon and eggs... guess I can scratch "eat right" off the top of the list.... maybe I will change that to "eat right now"....

Merry Christmas to All

Christmas has come at last. I wish all of you a very Merry day and joyfilled season. It was a white Christmas for us here in Billings and a cold one too. Dennis and I went for a drive last night to look at lights and take some photos. We may go again tonight, depending on the weather.
Christmas Eve we opened our gifts and laughed at the dogs as they opened theirs and watched It's a Wonderful Life.. and that is what it is... a wonderful life.

Today is a day to relax... have our turkey dinner, talk to family in far off distant places, and enjoy the day together.

We miss our family and our friends but send our warmest greetings to you all... Stay warm, be happy...

Christmas Preparations

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now its time to get ready for Christmas. The tree is trimmed, the lights are lit, the presents bought (well most of them). It is a busy busy time of year. Parties and get-togethers with friends, and food, food, and more food are all coming our way.

In the middle of all the hustle and bustle, I will take a moment this Christmas and ponder all that God has given to me, however small. Sometimes we overlook gifts from God because at first glance they do not look like gifts: struggle, illness, loss .... all these are gifts too... they are given to us to help us to become closer to Christ, to build our character, to humble us.

Merry Christmas all.... and to all a good night.

I Am But A Stranger Here, Heaven is My Home

Tomorrow I pay my last respects to a dear friend, Lu Fox. She went to be with our Lord at the grand age of 90 years. Lu never looked or acted her age. She was young in spirit and on fire for Christ. I will miss her as will all her sisters-in-Christ. What a mentor she was to us!

I can hear Lu saying now.. "Don't cry for me. I am home. I am home. Hallelujah, I am home." The sorrow I feel at her departure is simply selfish. I wanted more time with her. Death is just a reminder to us to make the most of every minute we have here on earth for we do not know the time nor the place when Jesus will come to take us home. We must live each day, ready to go at any time, always right with the Lord.

No time for pettiness, or grumbling, or disagreements. No time for putting things off for another day. This one go-round is all we have and the "end of roll" comes ever so quickly.

Thank you, God, for bringing Lu into my life. I have been blessed to know one of your most dedicated and humble servants.

Home Sweet Home

Here we are, back home from a short trip to Yellowstone Park and a night and day in Livingston MT. The park was pretty quiet being that it was the last day for the roads to be open. They close the roads for the winter. Now they won't open again until April. We saw bighorn sheep for the first time and they were the only critters we did see the whole day, other than the elk that walk and sleep in the streets in Mammoth. It sure is amazing to watch those sheep scamper along the edge of rocky cliff. Pretty fearless and sure-footed to say the least.

On Monday (November 3) Dennis and I attend a workshop put on by the Professional Photographers of Montana Association on the 4 Dimensions of Portraiture and Tips for Photoshop. It was pretty interesting. We both learned some things we may use in future photo sessions.

But it is nice to be home and to sleep in one's own bed. I was so beat from the trip that I was in bed at 9:15 last night. Today it's off to work. Dennis is already at the polling station performing his duties as an election judge and I am headed to the office early to open the doors because of some training happening there.

Home ... what a comforting place it is. How blessed I am to be able to say that. How many out there don't find home to be a haven. Instead its a place of dread or danger. Pray for those people today that they will find comfort in the loving arms of Jesus. He is our Protector and our Comforter. He is all we need. Remember the old song... Love, love, love is all we need. Its true. God is love and He loves us unconditionally. Now that's a snuggling feeling.