Fresh Pair of Eyes

Last year I wrote a blog named Bridge & Sisterhood on 9.21.11.  I was leaving Highlands, NC & was moving to Maumelle, AR at the time.  I wrote about my dear friends that I played bridge with every week.  There were five of us at the time, but now there are four because Charlene pasted away this past November.  I wrote about Charlene 12.9.12.

These ladies are so dear to me.  These friends are the ones that I try to keep in touch with quite frequently, & many times every day on Face Book.  I still call them for prayer, encouragement & advice.

When I left they gave me this beautiful hand cut necklace & earrings.  They wanted me to have something special to remember them by & Highlands, like I could ever forget.  Each stone is hand-cut  made out of picture jasper, spotted jasper, agate & Italian foil glass.  The store where they bought it makes each necklace difference.  So what I'm trying to say is that my necklace was created with care, love & was made unique.

I guess you might see where I'm going with this.  Just like God created each of us in
Ps 139: 13-14.
For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.

I want to go back to friendship.  I see each of their friendships as unique.  They each have a fresh ideas & experiences just like each hand-cut stone in the necklace.

I had several situations that have come up this year.  Besides prayer & searching the scriptures, God has given me friends throughout my life to share with.  Each one has a different mind-set that has fresh perspectives from their own life experiences.  They know the Lord & what He wants for each of us.  I appreciate friends who know me, & won't judge me.  Friends that I can identity with & speak honestly with.

Besides these dear friends that I turn to, I also have a dear childhood friend named Kay Wiggins Adham. Our lives have seemed to run parallel since we were born, & even more so since our fathers died three weeks apart at the end of last year & beginning of this year.  Since then we have been in contact pretty frequently.

One day I had a light-bulb moment.  I was traveling home, & I had so much on my mind.  It dawned on me, instead of just calling my friends, telling them all about my situation, talking it out with them, & asking for prayer; 

what about a fresh pair of eyes to help me truly change my heart. 

Yes, I told Kay all about the situation; yes, we talked it all out; & yes, I asked for prayer; but this time I truly wanted God to change my feelings, to change my heart.  I just didn't want my feelings validated that time.  I wanted to see my wrong, if I was wrong.  From that point on I could tell I was different.  I wanted to be different at the beginning of the conversation.  In fact, the purpose of the conversation was I desired God to change me & to use my friendships as a fresh pair of eyes, heart, & mind to help me see what God wanted me to see in my situation.

I'm grateful.

ann :)

       

Some of My Favorite Words

Most everyone knows the song sung by Julie Andrews in the movie "Sound of Music"- "My Favorite Things."  Well, I'm not Julie Andrews & you won't see me singing this song on YouTube & I'm not Oprah giving away her favorite things, but I did come across some of my favorite words that I would love to share with you.
                                            ABOUT
     
                                                        ALMOST

                                                                       MIGHT 

                                                                                  APPROXIMATE 

                                                                                                                MAYBE

Why you might ask?
                 It is very simple; these words are not final.  You don't have to be concerned about saying it perfectly.  These words give me allowances  & I don't have to be definite.  I love that.  Some people have to be very detailed in what they say.  This way, I guess I can get off the hook a little bit.  I call it GRACE.

For instance: ABOUT, instead of I am, are.

                     ALMOST, instead of I will, it is.

                     MIGHT, instead of again, I will or am or for sure.

                     APPROXIMATE, instead of exact, or correct.

                     MAYBE, instead of for sure.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I love having a plan & definitely knowing the facts or details.  In fact, I usually can't function without an organized plan & schedule.  But, when I speak, that is a different matter.  Sometimes, not every time;  Oh, Oh, another general word; here I go again-general; I'm on a roll.  When I don't speak precisely it can get me in trouble at times.  I like having the freedom to use general terms.  Again, I call it GRACE.

Well, this might not make sense to you, but it makes some sense to me.

I'm grateful that God uses GRACE with me.  

Even though He calls me to be like Christ & to be holy 

because He is holy; He covers me with His GRACE.  

Thank you Lord.

ann :)

Dear Haven

Dear Haven Joy,

I can't believe that you are already 5 1/2 months old.  Time has certainly flown quickly since you have been born.  What can I say?  You are too precious for words.


I won't ever forget the day we met.  When I saw you for the first time you were asleep on Mama's chest.  You loved that skin to skin touch.
As I got that first glimpse of you I thought you looked a little like me when I was a baby.  You had dark curly hair & big cheeks.  Looking like me did past by pretty quickly.  You definitely look like your Daddy & lately you have started to look like Lauren; but mostly you look like Haven.

We were all pretty shocked to see your dark hair & so much of it.  We all thought if you had hair it would be very blonde.  It was very curly your first day, but no curls since then.  I think we should put moose on your hair to bring those curls back.  :)  Also, you had so much hair that it stuck up on one side toward the back.  Around Thanksgiving your hair all of a sudden laid down & it is so long that it goes down your back.

You definitely didn't like your first bath.  I think I can still hear you crying, very loudly I might add, as I watched on.  Poor Lauren was very concerned about you.  It took a lot of convincing that you were just fine & not hurting.  You were ready to get warm & meet your family.

Something else your parents noticed about your little personality within the first few hours of your life was that you were & are still sensitive.  You didn't like big movements.  You had & still have the most pitiful bottom lip that I have ever seen when you get your feelings hurt.

The first time I held you was pretty soon after you were born.  I first took a ton of pictures of you, Mama & Daddy, then Mama gave you to me.  I was charmed.  You didn't want to open your eyes because the lights were so bright in the room.  About that time the nurses needed to take care of Mama for a minute, so you & I went behind the curtain where it was dark.  We then had some one on one time.  You opened your beautiful blue eyes & smiled.  I don't think I have ever seen a baby smile the way you did on your first day of life.  First, I introduced myself to you.  I said that I was your Nanna & that I loved you.  I also said that God loves you, & then I went down the list of everyone else who loved you.   You were & are so precious.

I love the name Haven Joy.  

It seems that Mama & Daddy have named you correctly.  

You really are an easy baby.  You smile as soon as someone speaks 

softly too you.  You seem to be a baby of rest & full of joy.  

You definitely have brought so much joy to me & everyone else.  

Your birth verse is: 

Gen 7:16-So those that entered, male & female of all flesh 

went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.   

I don't know exactly how this might apply to you, 

but right now I see God was Noah's shelter, a Safe Haven, 

in the midst of the storm.  I pray that God will be your 

Safe Haven, & a Shelter all of your life.

Another special moment the day you were born was witnessing Lauren holding you for the first time.  That was too precious for words.  She took her "Big Sister" job very seriously.  You were great as you just rested in Lauren's arms.  Lauren held you for at least 30 minutes without moving a muscle, including her head.  Only her eyes would go back & forth.  The pink monkey is what you gave Lauren the first time Lauren met you.

I love to tickle you.  I can put one finger under your arm & you will tilt your body in that direction & just giggle out loud.  You sound just like Lauren when you laugh.  Also, I have to get some sugar kisses every time I hold you from those sweet cheeks of yours.

This past few days we have been celebrating Christmas.  All of a sudden you started doing some special tricks: you love standing up, if we hold you of course; rolling over consistently; almost sitting up by yourself; enjoying this bouncy jumper thing; wanting a sippie cup; & loved the Christmas wrapping paper-everything goes in the mouth.

I have enjoyed keeping you many Wednesday mornings lately while Mama has some appointments.  It has been a great time for you & me.  I didn't think we have had too much special time until then.  It has been a great time for us to get to know one another better.  Also, on Thur. nights Grandpa & I baby-sit while Mama & Daddy work.  Here, we have learned you are definitely a Mama's girl.  When it comes to night time, all you want is her.  You change from your sweet, smiling self to a huge crying melt down.  I usually can console you, but that last Thurs. we kept y'all, no one could make you happy but Mama.  When she walked in the door & could see the look on our faces, she knew that it had been a hard last hour.  She quietly calmed you down in your bedroom & all of a sudden it sounded like you began tattle tailing on us for trying to put you down to sleep.  Mama then brought you out & you just grinned & grinned.  You are a mess & we love you.

Well, I just didn't want to miss this opportunity to tell you how blessed we are that God gave you to us & I'm so proud that you are my Grand Daughter.  I'm looking forward to taking you to the park, zoo, making cookies, & having tea.  It will be fun to see what else we can come up with to do.

I love you.

nanna :)

Charlene

When you look in the dictionary under the word spunky, you would find a picture of this dear friend of mine, Charlene Hendricks.  

Charlene past away November 7, 2012.  It is hard for me to believe that the picture in this collage in the upper right corner was Charlene's 96th birthday which was this past February.  

 The first time I met Charlene & her husband Sam, was when I was walked into Community Bible Church for the first time.  Before I walked into the church, I thought to myself, "the first people I meet are going to end up beng very special to me in this church."  This happened to be a very true statement.

Sam & Charlene were married, I think for 62-66 yr.  They had the same birthday & they both loved bridge.  In fact it was Charlene who asked me to join her bridge group.  I wrote about them in the blog: Bridge & Sisterhood-Sept 21, 11.  Both Sam & Charlene loved their family, Joy the children's dog, their friends, their church, but most of all their LORD.  They were big prayer warriors.  They had the gift of hospitality & loved developing relationships around the kitchen table playing bridge.

Sam was quiet & love poured out of him.  Charlene, definitely loved people, but she definitely had a spunky personality that couldn't help but make you laugh.  We were meeting at Charlene's home one afternoon to play bridge.  We were doing our normal routine of catching-up, eating, laughing & playing some bridge.  Sam had a beautiful gazebo built on their property.  All of a sudden, Charlene was telling us about how this gazebo was built just for her.  Then she started telling us about how Sam put this life size stuffed man sitting out in the gazebo.  She was appauled & felt that since this was her gazebo, Sam should not have put this "man" out there.  That was all she could see looking out her kitchen window.   He was dressed really tacky & Charlene hated it.  I think Sam did it to just get her goat.  We were laughing the belly laugh as she would tell us all about the situation.  I wish I could really write how funny it truly was, but I do remember the joy we all had together discussing it.

Charlene was true to herself & her convictions.  I had the joy of studying the Bible with her many times, but one study in particular we met in my home for a season.  This is where I began to learn of Charlene's heart in a more deep matter.

I began to get to know Charlene & Sam when they were in their late 80's.  Even though Sam would drive them around, most of the time, we would meet in their home.  Their home was unique because the upstairs was totally separate from the downstairs.  Their children lived upstairs & they lived downstairs.  One of my favorite decorations in their home was a beautiful professional hand painted picture of them walking through a garden holding hands.  That was their life.  They had been married for 62 yr.  Sam died right after his 82nd birthday & Charlene pasted away at 86 yr.

Charlene moved to an assisting living facility during her last few years of life.  When you would walk into Charlene's room, her face would just glow.  She was always ready to give you a hug & kiss.
Charlene had more consistent visitors in a week than anyone could count.  People enjoyed her, & she enjoyed them.  You could talk to her about anything & she would really listen to what you needed to say.

One of the greatest lessons I learned from Charlene is how to grow old graciously.  I observed a woman who still needed to work at being married in old age; lost her soul mate of more than 60 yrs; had to move from her home to an assisted living home.  She did this with God's grace, dignity & syle. She accepted her ailments, but still did what she could & choice to choose joy throughout her days.

Highlands will never be the same for me when I visit, because she was the hub of our group.  The other four of us would come to her since she could not get out too much accept for going to church.  It is going to seem so strange not to go & visit her & spend at least one afternoon playing bridge with her.

Charlene was called "Precious" by her grandchildren.  She was a precious lady, & a precious friend.  I'll miss her friendship.

I can see Sam meeting her at heavens door, dancing their way for her to meet Jesus, then on to see other loved ones that have gone before, & then I'm sure a game of bridge is set up right around the corner for them to play.

I hate that I didn't get to tell Charlene good-bye one more time, but I know she knew I loved her & I know that she loved me.  See you soon.

ann :)

Creating Holiday Memories Scrapbook

I'm calling this blog a scrapbook because, I am going to fill this blog with pictures.  When I look back on this time, this is what I want to remember.

.10.26-28.12 fall box; mt magazine

This years traditions really began in October while we were at at Mt Magazine.  What a perfect weekend.  All of us were able to come, including Amy's friend Kim.  It was so much fun just walking into our cabin.  It was beautiful!  Lauren walked in & just glowed.  We hiked, loved the outdoor spa; building fires; roasting marshmallows; carving Ben, Jenny & Lauren's pumpkin; just relaxing, having coffee & hot chocolate.  The weather was perfect!  Lauren's excited over the spa was something else.  Oh yes, opened the fall boxes.  If you don't know what the fall boxes are, please go back & read Oct 13, 11-All This In A Week?: Part 4-Thur. Tradition.
11.1.12-November

Even though I decorate for Fall in Sept with pumpkin & harvest, when November comes around, out comes the turkeys, Pilgrims & Indians.

--We began the November festivities by attending Angela Driskills' party for the staff in Dave's office.

--The following Saturday was extra special.  I took Lauren to go get donut holes, then to see Mrs. Claus at the Holiday House.  Her eyes got so big taking it all in.  Lauren's most favorite thing was riding the escalator, not the milk & cookies, & certainly not taking a picture with Mrs. Clause.

    That afternoon the girls & I went to the Holiday House.  We did great in not buying anything until the end.  All of a sudden we hit the mother load.  It sure did make my Christmas shopping easier.








--Then I was off to Valdosta for the Batts' Thanksgiving.  It could not have been for perfect.  Mother had been working on this since Sept.  I picked up Brittany along the way to ride with me.  That was a nice change instead of me driving by myself.  The only thing that was negative was  I got a speeding ticket.  Anyway, here are some entries that I wrote in Face Book:   

Day 16- I am grateful for the belly laughs playing Phase 10 with Brittany, Corey, Mother, & Melissa until midnight as the turkey was being prepared.
Day 17-What a perfect Batts' Thanksgiving celebration. Mother did an exception job in all the preparations & planning. The meal was totally delicious, devotional time was sweet, & going through mine & John's ornaments was a special time. Added blessing was visiting with the George family. It was joyful to my soul.

--When I got back it was time for our Thanksgiving.  Ben & Jenny with the children went to Picayune. It was quiet here but very festive having Amy & Rio with us for the weekend.
--Thanksgiving was early, so I began taking down all fall & putting up all Christmas.

This past November in Face Book, a childhood friend got me started in writing what I am grateful for everyday.  This was my last entry in November that I wrote:
Day 30-I am grateful for Dec. & what it means in celebrating my Savior's birth-Jesus. Looking forward to sitting back & savoring the moments. Looking forward to special time with the family & building memories. Looking forward to having my Mom for Christmas week. I guess still being new to Little Rock, we won't be having holiday events to put added stress on this month. What I do have are planned events in creating memories with loved one. Have an awesome Christmas season

In Dec. the same childhood friend found Christmas songs each day, which I copied to my timeline.

12.2.12-December: new traditions
Dec.2-During sunday night dinner, we finished our tree.

Dec. 9-Make the Ginger Bread House

Dec. 15-Making cut-out christmas cookies

Dec. 20-27: Mother coming to enjoy christmas & the trimmings; other scenery

Peabody hotel & trolly;

hotsprings with Lavern;

church;

Christmas eve dinner at amy's;

christmas am w/B&J's; lo's red boots

snowed in;

the end

ann :)

The Christmas Letter

Is it your tradition to mail Christmas letters?  Well, we have tried to make it our tradition.  I don't know how I did it, but during these last few years, I have gotten my husband to write the Christmas letter.  He is an excellent writer & very humorous.  I figure since I do all the decorating, baking the Christmas presents & Christmas meals, buy & wrap the presents; he should write the Christmas letter.

For a while he wrote it every year, then he decided to go on the every other year plan.  Not only do we send out a letter, but I include a picture of the family or grand children.

I love receiving every ones Christmas letters & catching up.  My favorite part is seeing all the pictures & seeing how much the children have grown.  

Today was my day to put the Christmas letter all together.  I'm not complaining, but it took me 5 hrs to put the Christmas letter together.  If you receive these letters, I hope you realize what a precious gift you have received.  By the time you write it, by the special Christmas paper to put it on, maybe add a picture, then the stamp; there is a price to this gift.

My favorite Christmas letters that we receive are the ones with pictures & are short.  Sometimes all of our letters come across as if our lives are perfect, including ours.  It is one thing to be positive & another thing being real.  What I don't like are receiving a cards with just a signature on it.  These are so impersonal.  Oh yes, what about those personal business Christmas cards with all the workers signatures.

Oh well, here is our letter (written by my husband with my idea for the letter), & picture.  I'll let you be the judge.  We do hope that you have a blessed Christmas & Happy 2013.    

Dear Family & Friends                                                                                    Dec. 2012

     Most people don't know that the abbreviation for the State of Arkansas is AR so some have thought we have moved to Alaska (AK), Arizona (AZ) or Alabama (AL). Nope: we are in Arkansas, which, as we have learned, is NOT part of the South; they serve more cream of wheat for breakfast than grits-not Southern at all.  Nevertheless, we love being here because we have wonderful time together with Amy and Ben and his family.  Sunday evening is our usual family get-together and Nanna does most of the cooking.

     2012 has once again proven the old adage that "nothing is constant but change".  We lost Ann's father this year and he is greatly missed but we gained another granddaughter, Haven Joy Register; Lauren is a great big sister and Ben and Jenny are wonderful parents.  Ann lost her dog of 14 years and Amy got a puppy named Rio; he was supposed to be a mix of lab and boxer but, as it turns out, he is a lab and Great Dane mix.  Amy takes him for a run every morning and on weekends throws a saddle on him and rides him in the woods.  Ann lost some close personal friends to Heaven and started a Bible study in our Church.  We both have missed our friends and the beautiful mountains of NC but Ann has a new life with the grandchildren (Nanna is special; Grandpa is not nearly so cool) and Dave has a practice he much prefers over his old one.

     Amy loves her job but it is very challenging; she works with troubled teenage boys and does an amazing job.  Ben still has the same "day job" but in the evenings he and Jenny do private counseling, which is a blessing to their patients.  Ann passed her Arkansas Dental Hygiene boards but hasn't found the part time job she is wanting.  Dave is thankful for his full time career but concerned about the future of health care; he is excited to be doing some duck hunting with Ben.

     We wish you all a safe and meaningful Christmas season.

 Dave and Ann Register

ann :)

12.11.12-ps

found out today that stamps cost$.45.  I senat a lot of our christmas letters out with a $.43 stamp.  I wonder how many are going to come back.  Oh well!