Thanks in the New Year...

Thank you all for your kind words and your prayers as Norm & I face this new trial in our lives. You are all wonderful & faithful friends. Christmas went pretty well, as we did our best to set our situation to the side and just enjoy our time with family. I will be sure to keep you all posted on what happens next. Norm does have a second interview with that competitor & has other possibilities on the horizon. So please keep praying!!

I just wanted to take this time to wish you all a blessed New Year. Undoubtedly lots of changes ahead in all our lives this coming year....new jobs (prayerfully!), babies, moves and sending children to college. We need God in every bit of it! I pray His presence strong & real in each of your lives, no matter what you're facing this year. May you experience the love that comes from family and great friendships, the joy of knowing you are doing as He asks in your lives, and the peace that comes from knowing He is with you, a sweet peace that only He can provide.

2007 had its ups & its downs for us to be sure....but I KNOW I could not have gotten through ANY of it without all of you and the love & care of our heavenly Father. So, Happy New Year dear friends & family! I love you all very much...

Cheers!

Your Prayers Needed...

To anyone reading this, I am asking you for your prayers for my family. My husband found out a couple of days ago that as of January 1st, he will no longer have a job. Merry Christmas, huh?? While the timing really stinks, I can't say that we were completely taken by surprised. He was told a while ago that the company he works for was looking around the country to see which territories were small enough to merge with larger ones, thereby cutting their costs. It never happened back when we first got wind of it. But Buffalo is one of those smaller territories and therefore now is being eliminated, along with 3 other territories around the country. While I understand a company's need to save some money, I struggle with their dropping that little bomb during the holiday season. And don't you just hate it when really great people lose their jobs due to "financial constraints"? Seems disturbingly familiar somehow. Needless to say, we're being very careful in our spending, as we have no idea how long his unemployment may last. One good thing to mention is that he has a job interview tomorrow (Thursday) with a competitor of the company that just let him go. Hmmm....poetic justice?? Perhaps... Time will tell.

In the meantime, once again we find ourselves in a place of uncertainty. We are attempting with all we have to be optimistic and not let anxiety rule our every thought and conversation. As most of you know, we have been here before & not all that long ago. Norm explains that that's how it goes in sales jobs sometimes, good money can be made, but often job security is hard to come by. So to all my wonderful friends & family I ask for your prayers & to also keep him in mind if you know of any jobs out there. (Jobs that he might actually be interested in and qualified for please!)

We are blessed already in so many ways this Christmas, I know that God's hand is on us. This just hits hard at a very tough time. Please pray... Thank you... And as always....I'll keep you posted.

Love you all...

Safe & Sound & on the Ground....

Thanks to US Airways, a helpful airport clerk, a change in flight and a storm that won't come for another day, my son has made his way safely home to us. It was a great relief to see his face walking through the exit towards us, I can tell you that! We had been praying for him all day, knowing the crazy weather around the country & the great possibility of delays. Then there's this giant snow storm that allegedly is headed our way and knowing that any significant delays at that point could put him sleeping in some airport for a few days instead of in his own warm bed. So, my absolute heart-felt & humble thanks to my Lord for answering our prayers! His faithfulness to my ever needy family leaves me with a heart full of gratitude, awe & love. Thanks also to all of you who were praying yesterday! May your loved ones travel to you, or you to them, safely & soundly this Christmas. And if this storm is as bad as they are predicting & not just another weather man's over-excitability, then grab some blankets and movies, make a pot of soup and enjoy some down time with those you love. Now that my son is home....let it snow!!

He Hears our Cries....

One of the families that I clean for has a 6-month old baby boy, and he's adorable! Anyway, this morning while cleaning downstairs, I heard him begin to cry upstairs. He wanted his Mom. He was hungry. Or he needed his diaper changed. Maybe too hot, or too cold, or too tired, or too awake. Either way, he was not comfortable in his present condition, so he cried out. He instinctively knew that someone would come to him & care for him. Nobody had to teach him that, it is something God placed in him from the moment he drew his first breath. He knows that when he cries out, he will be comforted. He will be cared for. I got to thinking how remarkable that instinct is and how interesting it is that God put that inside each of us in order to take care of our basic human needs. He teaches us from the very moment we arrive on this earth to cry out in need. Initially to cry out for human touch, comfort & care. As we grow older & hopefully grow in our dependency on God, that instinct translates into our need to cry out to Him when we need to be cared for, comforted, encouraged, directed. Do we trust this instinct He has given us? His Word teaches us that, "In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears." 2 Samuel 22:7 Our Holy Lord gave us that in our basic human make up for a reason. And just like the loving arms of this baby's mother, God is there for us. He hears our cries. He wraps His arms around us...sometimes through others, and sometimes its just something you sense deep in your heart. He cares. He comforts. He loves us. And just like this comforted baby, we can then find rest.

Oh Christmas Tree....

When we were first married, Norm & I would always buy a real Christmas tree...that's what Norm grew up with & so that's what we began doing. But at some point when our kids were small we made the shift to the "dreaded" artificial tree. I know, I know...for you die hard "real trees only" people, this is a cardinal sin. But for a busy mom who had enough of real trees that fell over or lost needles too soon, not to mention the needles we were STILL finding stuck in the rug in July, we made the big leap to the artificial. Plus, the cost for the real ones just got plain ridiculous! Many people thought our tree was real it was so well made. So, what is the goal anyway? When you buy a really nice real tree people say "its so perfect it looks artificial", and if you buy a really nice artificial one, they'll say, "it looks so real"! You can't win...or lose!! And honestly, how long does the pine scent last anyway (and personally I've never really been a fan. I've never even used Pine Sol baby). When we lived in our house on Eastbrooke Place, our family room ceiling was so high that buying a decent real tree big enough would have used our Christmas budget! After moving to our new apartment, that first Christmas brought the reality that our beautiful artificial tree was just not going to fit. So, we've made the leap back. And, a few years ago we thought it would be fun, since now our kids were a little older, to cut down our tree ourselves. The cost is not too bad & it really has been a fun experience. As you can see by the look on my family's faces here.... Hahaha....

Anyway, its become our yearly tradition now that on Thanksgiving weekend, before the craziness of Christmas is upon us, to go as a family & cut down our tree. It was awesome this year to have Alex join us. I just HAD to take some pictures so he could show his Florida friends what crazy northerners do on a Saturday afternoon in 30 degree weather!

So, the tree is up, the house is decorated. Yeah, we only have about 5 Christmas gifts bought, but oh well...it'll all get done eventually. The gifts, the wrapping, the baking, the egg nog...yeah, I said it! The tree is always the beginning...so bring it on! Let the games begin!

Let me share a few more shots of our adventure in Clarence, New York (voted #34 out of 50 best small towns in the country to live, by the way).



Enjoy your holiday season my friends! And enjoy your tree, real or otherwise. No tree snobbery here!!

Surprise, Surprise!!

Well, as if I didn't have enough to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, I was blessed by the surprise homecoming of my son! We were in shock, since he very sneakily planned his homecoming with family members, all designed to surprise me and his dad. He showed up at my mother's home just as we were sitting down to our Thanksgiving dinner. Talk about having something to be grateful for! I wish I would have a picture of mine & Norm's faces! Shock & tears would cover it I'd say... How wonderful to have him back under our roof! So he grabbed a lovely, home-cooked turkey dinner compliments of Grandma, a shower, a quick nap, some time with his family, and then off to be with friends. Ahhh...life as usual! It's a beautiful thing.... Thank you Jesus!!

Miracles and Thankfulness...

We are quickly approaching my favorite holiday of the year. Thanksgiving. I love this holiday because of its simplicity & for the sheer idea that its a day set aside to gather with those we love and just...be....grateful. I definitely think that this is a lost art in our society...the idea of being thankful for what we have. I know that there are others who have much more materially than I do, but I am sincerely grateful for the gifts I do have. My beautiful & healthy family, our cozy home, and friends & family to share the good & not so good times of our lives. Despite the challenges Norm & I have faced over the last few years, I am determined to be grateful to God for how He's brought us through & how beautifully He has provided for us. I have some friends who are going through a particularly difficult time in their lives. They are struggling to stay afloat financially as well as trying to discover what God's plans are for their lives. They are an inspiration to me. I know that they have their difficult moments, I've been privileged to have them share honestly the enormous weight of their situation. But they inspire because they are always grateful for whatever God blesses them with. One of the things that she always says is that each week, God brings them a miracle. Whether its an anonymous gift card to Wegman's, a word of encouragement or an unexpected job that will help pay for that bill they weren't sure how they would pay. She is in constant awe as to how God continually brings blessings their way. They have learned to trust & are building their faith in His provision each time that miracle comes their way. I think God sends all of us miracles, I just wonder how often we actually perceive them as such. Are we more likely to look upon that job, that clean bill of health, the food in our refrigerator, that paid bill, that respectful teen, that obedient child as merely an everyday event? Do we overlook the everyday miracles in our lives? On a couple of occasions I was able to bless on this family & she referred to ME as the miracle. I really don't think that I am, but I'm open to the idea that God would use me for His purposes and am grateful for it. I remember feeling like, "man, she gets a miracle every week??!! I would like that." Then I realized that if I paid close attention to His gifts, I'd see that I do receive miracles all the time. I also thought that in the moment when God prompts me to reach out to a friend in need, I think I'd rather BE the miracle than RECEIVE one. Either way, its awesome to know that God is working in our lives, giving us just what we need, or using us to show love to another. So, this Thanksgiving, I will be grateful to Him for how He blesses me and my family. But, I will also be thanking Him for the chance to be that miracle to someone in need, knowing that's how He shows His true love to us and how we should do likewise.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my
beautiful friends & family!
I Love You All!!!

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians 3:15