Arranging for moving Mom closer to us!
Mom has lived in the same independent living facility for most of the time since Dad's passing into Heaven one year ago this past January. Our younger sister Ruth and a dear "adopted" sister Sharon have provided much of Mom's extra assistance as needed. Ruth has moved out of the state to be with her husband, and Sharon has a grandson who has special needs, and even though we still have one sister and one niece with her family who live locally to Mom, my brother, husband, and our offspring and I have never had the privilege of having our parents live locally to us. We prayed about this a lot, and God showed through many wonderful ways that this is the right move. We've been (& continue to be) very busy with all of the preparations for her move to Ohio -- just about one month from now! And who knows, maybe we can get the rest of our family to move out this way, too!!
After research online by Ruth, my brother Don and I visited the top two contenders, we talked over the results each time with both Ruth and Mike, and then we narrowed it to the one which we feel is the right place for Mom. This past weekend, Mike and I took a 3-day round trip to IL to share with Mom that we were wanting her to join us in OH. We'd been very prayerful about each step, and especially as we were sharing with Mom about this next step in her life. She had always said that she didn't want to leave IL. I had prayed for Mom's heart to be prepared by God to be desirous of this change, and had asked others to pray the same likewise. When we shared with Mom, she was full of joy, relief, and excitement! Thank you everyone who helped to pray about this for us, and who are still praying as we continue to work through the process of making the arrangements for this big move for Mom. (The flowers are some that was sent to Mom by all of her four children earlier in the week.
The pictures below are of ~ 1. The front of Mom's new home here in Springfield (from their website); 2. Brother Don standing just down the hall from Mom's new room, where he will be leading the moving crew to take Mom's things into her new apartment; and 3. the view outside Mom's window.
Reuniting with an "old" friend!
Over the years of our marriage, Mike and I have opened our home to many special people: college students, couples from church who needed a place to stay, missionaries, family members, etc. God has blessed us immeasurably for this, and we have dear friends whom we haven't seen in many years.... but when we do reconnect with them, that is a very special time for us. And thanks to Facebook, we have reconnected with some of these friends and are able to keep up with them better. This last weekend while we were at Mom's for the weekend we received a voicemail from Scott, a former student who graced our home each Sunday afternoon. After our church service (where he served in various capacities), and then after a home-cooked meal, a nap or time of study and play with our sons, etc. he would go back to church in the evening, and then head back down to Cedarville College (from where I also had graduated). We looked after his then fiancee Julie during her senior year and his first year out of college away from her, and then our sons and Mike and I were privileged to have a part in their wedding at our church when she graduated with her BA in nursing from college.
Skip 25 years later from that last time that we saw them, and Scott is a widowed, senior pastor who has reared their seven girls since Julie's cancer took her Home to be with the Savior whom she served so faithfully. Scott met us at a local Bob Evans restaurant, and we shared pictures, stories, hugs, and breakfast this past week. Such a blessing! He was back this way (from Idaho) to bring his second eldest daughter to Cedarville (now University, & MUCH LARGER) ... to become a nurse, too. We look forward to meeting her soon.
Keeping up with everyone .... Family and Friends by E-mails, Facebook, Xanga, Phone, etc.
Basically, I am behind. You aren't forgotten, I've missed birthday greetings and more, but I am hoping to get in touch ..... just maybe behind a bit! When I'm not doing the stuff mentioned above, I'm resting up for the next bout of stuff... but I have been enjoying some t.v. & reading, and some solo word games... and have slept much sounder of late. Please DON'T GIVE UP ON ME!! I SHALL BE IN TOUCH!! 
In closing: Facebook swaps of our grandkids, and quotes from the books I'm currently reading:
Our oldest grandchild, Tristen began THIRD grade this week! Here she is in her new outfit all ready for her first day of school. The younger two are seen "holding hands" -- while Brogan is watching Disney, Jr. (according to his mom he held Baby Quinn's hand and stayed put like that for over 20 minutes, which is unheard of for this active guy except when he's sleeping). The last picture shows Brogan in his more usual active mode with his "best bud" Alivia, his next door neighbor. 
From my reading of 199 Treasures of Wisdom on Talking with God -- (Quotes by Andrew Murray) ~ "I need daily, prayerful fellowship with God if I am to have His thoughts make their home in me."
From Spurgeon Gems ~ "(Christ) is no more a baby and He is no more dead! He sits on the Throne of God, reigning and ruling; and He will come the second time . . . the Living Christ is our hope! . . . 'Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.'" (Hebrews 7:25, KJV)
From Confucius Cat Says . . . , by P.R. Mason ~ "A closed mind is like a hooded litterbox with the door blocked. There's no way to use it effectively."
FROM: https://www.facebook.com/FriendshipQuotesFriendsforever
So what do I do now?
I've also tried some other new recipes, but this was actually a new food for me.
and rest of the week, too!
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