Second Week of Advent - Peace

We are in the midst of the second week of Advent and "peace" is what I am meditating on. Every year when my children have asked me what I want for Christmas, my answer is always, Peace. They usually roll their eyes and say, "Oh mom, come on just tell me what you want for Christmas". The truth is, I do just want peace. Peace in this world, peace in my family, peace in my job, peace in my church, just good ol' fashion peace. And this year my yearning for peace is magnified with the reality that my 21 year old nephew is in Afghanistan fighting a war in a country that is so mysterious to me. Everyday I put my faith and trust in God that Ben will come home safely when his tour is done.

Peace. It is that calming, meditative state that only can be obtained after the chaos, struggles, challenges and war is over. What we have to go through to obtain peace can put most of us over the edge. But it is that calmness and serenity that makes us persevere through it all to be able to be in a place of peace.

In the months, weeks and days leading up to the birth of Christ, Joseph and Mary's lives were anything but peaceful. To be a young unmarried girl facing the realization of being with child must have been overwhelming and frightening at times. For Joseph the impending time of the birth of Mary's child was most likely a time of preparing, questioning and searching. There was so much for both of them to try and understand that their minds must have been going non stop. Questions of "What will people say?", "How will people react?" and "Why me?" must have been spoken between the two of them in the weeks before Mary's body would show the growing roundness of her belly. Peace was not around them as the time came for Mary to give birth and there was no where for her to lie down. The sounds of the animals around them in the stable and the cries of a newborn baby as he took his first breath would have broken any peaceful silence on that night so long ago.

But peace is what was brought into the world that night as Christ was born. The peace of knowing that God's greatest gift had come to save us all. Where there was chaos, anger, struggles and war, peace would surpass it all. As Christ lay in the arms of Mary, and as Joseph, the shepherds and animals gathered around, peace rang out through all the land as the voices of angels were heard singing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men".

Blessings,
Jill

First Week of Advent - Hope

Today is the first day of the last month of 2010 and we are in the midst of the first week of Advent. The air is cold and the Christmas holiday is upon us. This first week of Advent always gives me Hope for what Christmas and the New Year will bring. Hope is found throughout the entire Bible. The Israelites had hope when they left Egypt and traveled for forty years and then found themselves standing on the edge of the promised land. Noah had hope when he built the ark and watched it rain for forty days and forty nights and then was greeted by an amazing rainbow in the sky. Job had hope as he endured loss, pain, discomfort and then was blessed by God. Sarah had hope that she would give birth to a child and then watched as her stomach grew and her child was born. Hope is what gives us the will to go on. Hope is what gives us the endurance to survive. Hope is what is given to us as we await the coming of Christ. Hope for peace, joy and love in our families, our lives and in our world. Hope is what I have as I pray for my nephew to return safely home from serving in Afghanistan. Hope is what I have as I watch a world torn apart by war, disease and natural disasters, that one day we will live in peace, cures will be found for diseases and no one will go hungry. Hope is what I have as I pray for those who do not have Christ in their lives that they to will find peace in the love of Jesus. During this Advent I pray that you too will find Hope in your lives. May the anticipation of Christmas fill your life with the Hope of a new tomorrow, the Hope of a better world and the Hope that one day all will rejoice in the love of God.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit - Romans 15:13

Blessings,
Jill

Being Thankful

It is the night before Thanksgiving, the cinnamon rolls are rising, the breakfast casserole is setting up in the refrigerator and the vegetables are cleaned and prepped for their trip to my brothers home for Thanksgiving dinner and I am having a moment of feeling thankful for all of the blessings that God has blessed me with this past year.
This past year has brought struggles, challenges, triumphs, joy and sadness and thankfully God has been right there with me; holding, pushing, comforting, rejoicing, guiding and protecting me. For that I am eternally grateful

I have watched one daughter graduate from college and my other daughter begin the journey of taking college classes online. And for that I am grateful for the determination and initiative of both of my daughters.

I have witnessed my son decide to leave high school to be home schooled, pass drivers ed and receive his license, have his self-confidence soar and earn second place in his first mountain bike race in Rapid City SD. And for that I am grateful for his courage and perseverance.

I was blessed to help plan my daughters wedding, place her veil over her face, watch her dad lift it off, watch her marry the love of her life and welcome that young man into our family. And for that I am truly grateful.

I have felt my love for my husband grow deeper and stronger. He has supported me through my weight loss and through all of the time and commitment that being in ministry involves. I am grateful for his love, patience, strength and commitment to our family, our marriage and to me.

I have worked so hard on losing weight and have achieved a 33 pound weight loss since May. I feel healthy and more self-confident than I have in a very long time. And I am grateful for the ability to reach my goals and to continue on this journey of weight loss.

I am thankful for my parents who still encourage, support and love me for who I am. For my extended family who love and support me and help to make life fun and a little crazy at times.

I am thankful for my friends who surround me with their love, support, comfort and laughter when I need it.

I am thankful for the women who attend my Bible studies and retreats. They have taught me so much and they have helped me to have an even closer relationship with God.

I am thankful that I was invited to preach at my childhood church over the past 6 months as they searched for a new pastor for their church. They will always be considered part of my family.

This past year I have had to say goodbye to friends and family who have moved away but have also welcomed new friends into my life.

I was blessed to be surrounded by all of my family and cousins as we said goodbye to our grandma.

There have been so many blessings this past year and I know that none of it would have been possible without my faith in God and his love, mercy, grace and guidance in my life.

I pray that each of you have a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving.

Blessings,
Jill

Having to say goodbye

I'm not even sure how to start this blog today. It has been a hard journey over the past few weeks. On Saturday, October 30th I received a call from my mom telling me that my grandmother had only a few moments left of her life. Dave took be directly to the nursing home so that I could be with my mom and grandma. Within 15 minutes of arriving my grandma took her last breath and her spirit left her body. It was the most incredible moment I have ever witnessed other than the birth of each of my children. It was a blessing to be there in that moment. Life is a miracle coming in and a miracle going out.

My grandmother was 90 years old and had lived in a care facility over the last 5 years. Arthritis had consumed her beautiful body and dementia had crept into her mind. She was an incredible lady. At the funeral I was able to deliver the eulogy and I was honored to do it. My grandma was Irish/English. She was a woman that could be fun loving one moment and completely controlling the next. Everything she did was out of love for her husband and family. My grandfather passed away 10 years ago and my grandma had missed him everyday. When she breathed her last breath here on earth I knew that she was being embraced by my grandpa and they were dancing on heaven's floor.

The day before she died I had been visiting with her and when it was time for me to leave she held my hand and told me I was precious. Those were the last words my grandma spoke to me and I will treasure them forever. My grandma was precious to me. She loved to dress her best, have her nails and hair done, kept her house nice and neat and was a marvelous cook. She was a very classy lady and I miss her so much. She was a woman of faith who read her bible daily and knew how important it was to go to church and be a part of a community of faith. She reached out to her neighbors and friends and taught all of us how important that was. At her funeral there were many of her former neighbors, co-workers, church friends and family that gathered to say goodbye and to honor her with their loving words and memories.

It is hard to believe as the days pass that I am not able to talk to her, to hear her words of wisdom or see her beautiful smile. But when I look at my hands I see her hands and when I look in the mirror I see her smile. I thank God everyday for the time that I had with her and I pray that I can be as strong as she was in her faith and her life.

Goodbye grandma. I miss you and love you,
Jill

A Beautiful Bride

Hello friends,

For the past 10 months we have been planning a wedding. It has taken quite a bit of my time but so worth every minute of it. On Saturday, October 9th my daughter Kayla married the love of her life, Jerod. It was one of the most special days in my life and in the life of our family. The day was absolutely beautiful and Kayla was a vision of beauty. Jerod's mom is one of my dearest friends. When the kids were younger we would joke around about the two of them getting married. Little did we know at that time that it was in our future and we are so thrilled it became a reality. Jerod and Kayla are the cutest couple and complete each other perfectly.

When they started dating 3 1/2 years ago I had prayed that if God wanted them to be together that nothing would stand in there way. On Saturday when they stood in our church in front of God, family and friends I knew that God had played a mighty hand in all of it. Our families are so blessed by these two young people. Jerod is the nicest young man and you can see the love he has for Kayla in everything he does. We are so blessed that God brought them together.

Kayla's sister Ashley sang "Love Never Fails" by Brandon Heath at the wedding and she sounded like an angel. As my husband walked Kayla down the aisle all of these pictures started playing in my mind; Kayla as a baby, learning to walk, riding a bike, playing with her doll house, dance recitals, first day of school, cheerleading, and so many more. It was as if the past 22 years had flown by and the moment became surreal. How could my baby girl be standing in front of me having her father lift her veil over her face and setting her hand into Jerods? Where did the time go? Now don't get me wrong, I am so happy and excited for them. It's just that it seems like yesterday that she was wanting me to help her put a wedding dress on her barbie doll. But on Saturday I was helping her get into her wedding dress.

I can't wait to get back the pictures from the photographer but here are a few that family were able to capture.

I will post more about it later, but wanted to share with you a little part of the day.

Blessings,

Jill