A Heart of Understanding

"Mom! It is Christmas morning "is the delighted sound I awoke to.  "Yes, my child, it is." 


We do not jump right into the gifts.  The attempt being to establish with our children the truth that is Christmas.  We arise, eat our breakfast together, enjoy the smiles around the table then snuggle together on the couch to immerse our hearts in the story of a Father's great love.  Then in the stillness of a moment it hit me.  Not a child is eagerly asking to open their presents.  They are fully in the present, fully attentive to each other, fully listening to the story of the greatest gift ever given.  My heart swells within me.

With my husbands final Amen fading away I asked with quiet humor.  Who would like to give back those presents I see under the tree.  Andrew looks at me so directly. " I will, Mommy." he said.  "If it can make one child warmer, fuller, or happier.  If it could help someone else have a better Christmas."  I looked at him.  At his earnest little face, the eyes burning bright with love and kindness peering from their depths. And I see the truth shining forth from the heart of a child.
Oh Lord, you have showed him what I could never have. You have given him a heart of understanding.  Shown him that if he does for the least of these he does for you.  That the true gift of Christmas is not the receiving it is the giving.  And I thank you.  I thank you with tears on my cheeks and gladness in my heart.

And as they opened their presents I watched them enjoy the happiness of each other as much as the receiving of their own desires.  They pause with presents still under the tree to put Adam's gift together. Other winning out over self.   Love and laughter fill the air.  I cannot stop smiling.  And I thank Thee.

 Yet were it all to be taken away today I ask Thee to still have me remember your gift.  And what I truly have to be thankful for.  You are infinite yet my Father. Omnipotent yet sent your Son to die for me.  I am nothing and you are ALL. 


Matthew 25:31-40

 ³¹When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
 ³²And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
 ³³And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
 ³⁴Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
 ³⁵For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
 ³⁶Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
 ³⁷Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
 ³⁸When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
 ³⁹Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
 ⁴⁰And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Sisters! Sisters! There were never such devoted sisters.

The time of curling up with a warm blanket, drinking hot chocolate, and watching Christmas movies is here.  And "a most wonderful time of the year" it is.  One of my favorites is OF COURSE White Christmas. So what better time to reminisce about the treasured trip I recently had with my sisters than now. 

Sisters, sisters

There were never such devoted sisters,

Never had to have a chaperon, no sir,

I'm there to keep my eye on her

Caring, sharing

Every little thing that we are wearing

When a certain gentleman arrived from Rome

She wore the dress, and I stayed home

All kinds of weather, we stick together

The same in the rain and sun

Two different faces, but in tight places

We think and we act as one

Those who've seen us

Know that not a thing could come between us

Many men have tried to split us up, but no one can

Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister

And Lord help the sister, who comes between me and my man

We are tight my sisters and I.  Always have been.  Always will be.  The age range between us is small and large with my sis, Tam, and I only 14 months apart while Hannah and I are 13 years.  But we learn from each other.  We grow with each other.   Not to say there are not disagreements because the Cornelison girls can argue with the best of them as those who have known us through the years can testify!

We needed a little time away.  Needed to reconnect.  And thanks is due to my Mom and her sisters who started the most excellent tradition of the sister's trip. Their example of sisterly love and loyalty led us.  My Mom and Aunts  have been going on their annual sister's trip for a while now.  They don't speak about them in detail.   Thank goodness.  We DON'T want to know the antics they get up to together.  Besides that it is what is all about.  The time to cast off the joyful burden of wife and mother for a few days and act silly and carefree.

We went to a cabin in the mountains of Gatlinburg, TN.  My sis, Tam, the vacation research fiend found it for us.  It was PERFECT.  Tiny, cozy, complete.  Surrounded by the red and gold of fall with the noise of nature soothing the soul. There we caught up, laughed, watched a lot of Jane Austin movies, soaked in the hot tub while teasing the baby sis who is the still unmarried one (such fun. well at least for Tam and I. ;-), attempted to plan our next big whole family vacation to Yellowstone next year (we kept getting sidetracked) and generally just relaxed without any pressing items to attend to.  I washed my hair every day!!! I know, RIGHT!

As usual for a Cornelison vacation of any type we came armed in advance with a list of shopping excursions and "a must eat here" list.   This week was all about the outlets.  Oh yes!  The outlets they make my eyes go dreamy even as I write this, and my husband starts to shudder.   It is ok, sweetheart, it is just a daydream.

This years "Must Eat Here List"

1) Flapjacks- otherwise known as the place with the best chocolate chip pancakes in the world

2) The BullFish Grill- Ahi Tuna and the soup I will not talk about because they DO NOT FIX IT ANYMORE!!!

3) The Melting Pot-  I have an addiction, Folks. Cheese and chocolate.Amen.

4) Krispie Kreme- Is there a better way to start an early morning shopping trip than HOT ONES!!

Now that you can see how extremely concerned we were to maintain a healthy and moderate diet on this trip you can rest assured.  And we even took our vitamins.

This years "Must Shop Here" list

1) The Christian Book Discount Warehouse-  I hit the first of many jackpots. No I will not list them.  Many were Christmas gifts.

2) The Christmas Store- Oh the ribbon, glorious ribbon.  I imagined it on so many things and in so many rooms in my house.  Some of it did I confess make it into my bag.  Alas the ornament for the year was not found there.  I was not too disappointed though there was THAT RIBBON.  You can now see it on my newly decorated for Christmas dining room chandelier.  Soon you will see it in the dining room table runner I am planning in my head to be put on paper, to be then sewn, then to grace my dining room table with such elegance that I will smile with delight every time I pass by.

3) The Scrapbook Outlet-  YES! You heard right- outlet.  A heavenly place filled with paper, metal, chipboard, stickers and all such delights all automatically 50% off just because you walked into the store.  Truth time.  No I did not need all that paper I got.  But convincing my mind of that while little creative ideas soared in spirals of delight was just impossible.   You don't think so.  I dare you.  Double dare you. You go.  You'll see.

4) Tanger Outlets- my goal to hit all the children's stores- esp. to my utter delight the new outlet they have there- Naartji!  Yes I danced on the sidewalk when I discovered this treat before my eyes.  The kiddos desperately needed some winter clothes.  Here was a wonderland full of them. Tam's shopping goal here was to get some great jewelry with her bday money.  And Hannah's was to hit all the trendy skinny  people stores like Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger.  Just to look she says as she is a poor college student.  We all know she was pointing out possible Christmas gifts.   Tam and I being understanding sisters of course made notes for the parents. ;-) 

All in all we had such a delightful time.  This post can not even sum up the half of it.  We know each other.  They have been in my life through it all.  We are different people in many ways.  I am way more dramatic and sappy than my sisters.  Tam is funny.  Really funny. And always looks perfectly put together.  Why was I not born with that gene?  Thanks, Mom.   Hannah has a sweetness about her that just draw people in.  Not that one either!  Thanks, Dad! But  the same in all the ways that count.  And we are bound by ties tied tight.  I treasure them beyond words.   They hold my utmost loyalty and respect.  Until next year, dear sis's.  I love you more than words can say.

No there are no pictures with the sisters.  Because I value my life. 

A bird-themed baby shower

Psalm 127:3
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.


Babies make my heart melt.  They fill my arms and make the wonder of life rise up anew.  And new Mommies make me smile wistfully as I think of the new experiences and adventures that await them.


I have a good friend, Laura.  You can meet her here.  I had the honor of hosting her baby shower for our church ladies group.  I wanted to do it justice- her justice.  One should feel special at their first baby shower.  They should be surrounded by love, companionship, and support.

She has a unique nursery.  Completely her. Simply beautiful in the colors of autumn leaves and forest trees.  Warm colors.  Fitting colors for a little girl that will be surrounded by warmth and laughter. 
.
 Somehow between her, yard sales, and good friends (another story for her to tell) her nursery has developed a theme- birds.  I ADORE themes.  They make me giddy.


So a shower developed with paper birds, wooden eggs made elegant with Hodge podge and origami paper, and pleated circle garlands to make it look festive and unique to Laura. . (Another post will give details on how-to's. Bear with me ;-)

Pleated circle garlands adorned with flowers and buttons

The smell of harvest filled the air.

And paper birds adorned mantles and chandeliers

 We played games both old and new.  We of course played the guess the candy bar in the diaper game.  It is a baby shower classic.  Props to all the adventurous souls who dared the "Pregnancy Dash" game.  They crammed down crackers, posed for a pic with a balloon under a maternity shirt, tried to tie their shoes with said balloon, then "delivered" the baby by popping the balloon without using their hands.  It was fun.  It allowed Laura to laugh.  It allowed all of us to giggle together.  Shared laughter makes for great memories.  Another friend brought a yummy cake and others bites of deliciousness from their kitchen's.  Our tummies were happy. 


 We all watched as Laura became a little more prepared for the arrival of her blessing with each gift, with each word of advice,  and with each smile, nod, or hug of encouragement from those who love her.

And each placed love upon some simple fabric by use of color, art, and words.   Each one to be appliqued with care on bibs sewn over the next few weeks.  And just maybe when the tears start to fall, the exhaustion creeps in, or the joy is overwhelming a bib will remind her that she is not alone.  She is surrounded by women who have gone before her- who KNOW!  And we are praying for her, thinking of her, and are always there.

And I give special thanks to Lindie, Sabrina, Eden, Julia, Margie, and Donna who came early and helped me get it just right.  And I could  not have done it without Keziah who was silly with me late into the night as we got it all ready.  I am blessed to call you all friend. 

Give Thanks!

Where has Thanksgiving gone?  Somehow anymore we go straight from Halloween to Christmas.  And in the process do not give a beautiful holiday the ABSOLUTE attention it deserves.   And it is  one of the few holidays that started out God-centered.  It's purpose a necessary thing.

According to the dictionary.reference.com here is what Thanksgiving means-

thanks·giv·ing

–noun

1.

the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, esp. to god.

2.

an expression of thanks, esp. to God.

3.

a public celebration in acknowledgment of divine favor or kindness.

4.

a day set apart for giving thanks to God.

And what does our source of truth, the Bible,  say about thanksgiving.

Psalm 95:1-6"O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker."

Psalm 100 "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."

This season  is a especially a time for me to stop and think about all the Lord has done my life.  It is a time to DWELL in Him. To teach my kids to stop the busyness of our day to day life and just be thankful in Him.

1 Chronicles 16:8

Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

1 Chronicles 29:13

Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. 

 1 Chronicles 16:34

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

Jonah 2:9

But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.

Here at the Woodpile, Thanksgiving celebrations have already begun.  As the weeks pass I will most likely blog about the poems we learn, songs we sing, books we read.  Or what we are creating to celebrate and decorate for this years Thanksgiving.   But tonight I want to make sure I start off this Thanksgiving season the only way-  giving thanks to God who has given me all.  Who gave His SON!  My Father who blessed me with life both earthly and eternal has gifted me with so much: a childhood full of love and laughter, a man who is my better half, the ability to appreciate the beauty of a maple leaf in the Fall, the sight of my older son laughing delightedly as he sees his baby brother's face lighting up as he reaches for him, the ability to twirl around with my girls and join in with the laughter that fills the air.  So many things to be thankful for.  So many PEOPLE to be thankful for.  And all these blessings are all because of Him. 

The earthly things I am thankful for seem so precious.  They make my heart sing and weep at the same time.  And yet they pale to insignificance compared to His glory.   If only I could be thankful enough.  Never to take it for granted.  Never to lessen the gift He blesses me with.  What I can do is give thanks with all that is within me and then give thanks for His forgiveness, His grace for when I fail.  And is there anything else I could be more thankful for than the freedom of His grace. The freedom to know that in this sinful body I could never be enough or do enough. BUT I don't have to be He has done it all for me.  He LOVES me despite me!  And I give thanks.

A little girl dreams of

Being Jasmine with all the beautiful turquoise, shimmering fabric, and sparkly trim.  The reality- shoddy costumes and bare midriffs.  Another little girl's eyes shining as she says, "Belle!   Her dress is beautiful!!"   The reality- shoddy costumes and low necklines.   What is a mother to do? So started my latest sewing project.  And without further ado I present you-

                                                         My modest Jasmine! ;-)

Suitably shimmery and sparkly

You could hear her coming!

My version of Belle.

And no I did not teach either of my girls to pose like this.  I have no clue where they got it. 

A change of mind the day of by Cupcake meant a lot of thinking outside the Disney box to make the materials on hand work!

I was all trimmed out by the last stitch.

These pics are not the best, but the pictures I took pre and post where on my hubby's I-touch.  Which of course I can not get to hook up to the laptop.  Oh well.  These will do.

 All in all it was a lengthy but truly enjoyable sewing project.  While the results were quickly thrown together and not as finished as I would have preferred they made two little girls very, very happy.  What better reward for a mother's efforts than two bright smiles and bubbly laughter. 

Next up- an Arabian Extravaganza!!!

Trick or Treat or Not? Preparing for October the 31st!!!!

There are two times during the year when I sometimes cringe when out in public- Halloween and Christmas.  Questions involving those holidays can invariably lead to hurt feelings or defenses rising among people.  So this month has been a long month of trying to gently turn down invites to spooky parties, haunted mansions, and meeting up to trick or treat.  The funny thing is I like a good spooky party and a haunted mansion as much as anyone just not in conjunction with Halloween.  :-) 

It is hard because truth is that this is a Woodpile decision.  I truly have no opinion on what another's personal decision regarding Halloween is.  It is one of those grey areas where one searches their hearts and prays for the answer for their family.    One man's enjoyment may be another man's sin.  We do enjoy taking the opportunity to meet new people and hand out candy if you grace us at our door. And I love to see the pics of your sweet littles in their costumes.   And hear the excitement as they tell Mrs. Becca about their fun.   Please do not take our non-participation as judgement on yours.  I would really appreciate that.  I HATE awkward silences and evasive looks.   I trust that you care and seek to make the right choice for your family.  And I trust that you have.  It's all good. ;-)

I am not going to debate right or wrong because it is all subjective really.  For us it not about ghosts, goblins, and mummy's.  We have two reasons mainly that we abstain from the Halloween fun.

1) Its origins- The Samhain.  While most of the holidays we celebrate are pagan in origin.  This is really the only one still pagan.  Not reason enough alone for us however with the second one it was marks a turning point for the Woodpile.

2) It is one of the most sacred days in the Wiccan religion.  All over the world there are people who do still celebrate the evils of darkness on this day. I Cor. 10:20 says this. "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils."

Those are our reasons in a nutshell.  So what do we do.  Well lots of fun things actually!!!   We do attend Fall Festivals if they are not on the day of Halloween.  We love Fall Masquerades.  Best time of the year for it as it is cooler plus afterward lots of costumes are on sale.  And finally we celebrate something really worth celebrating - Reformation day: a day for us to remember that by grace we are saved, to remember we need to stand up for our God, and a day to remember that the Word of God is His voice to us. What does Oct. 31st look like for the Woodpile?  Here ya go! (Although this year it being on Sunday we will celebrate on Nov. the 1st)


1)Luther transcribed the Bible and so do we! Each child has their own passage and special materials- quills, beautiful handmade parchment scrolls, etc.(you can make this by tearing the edges of  a plain white sheet of paper then crumbling.  Smooth it out and place on a window screen. Pour black tea or  coffee over.  Let dry.)

2) We refresh our minds by reciting Ephesians. 2:8,9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast" and singing A Mighty Fortress.

3) We reenact the story with wooden hammers and copies of the  95  thesis.  Yes they get to knock on a door. :-)

4) Starting next year we will be back to full blown Bible or reformation costumes.  Events/day changed my plans a little this year, and we are going basic.

5). Read Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed The World by Paul L. Maier (We do also talk a little bit about denominations after reading this.)

6). Medieval line dancing like the Official Branle. (See this site for simple intro-http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-do-renaissance-branle-charlotte-dance-247365/ )

7) Participating in the Diet of Worms (gummy worm eating contest), a throw the indulgence into the trash relay, and bobbing for apples are some games we may play.

8) This year we are creating a stained glass window in our school room ( using tissue paper)  in honor of Luther's work in restoring churches.


A website with great ideas for taking this much farther than we do at this time (littles are too little) is http://www.lovetolearnplace.com/SpecialDays/Reformation/activities.html

So there you are! Enjoy whatever your plans are for October the 31st.  Have a FABULOUS time.

A Happy Transfer of Germs

What a strange title one may say to which I would have to agree.  But then as those who have known me longest can attest I tend toward strange thoughts at times.  Especially when I have a lot of time for thinking.  The last few nights have given me lots of time to go off on winding mental paths.  I am writing this begging no one to call me a Pollyanna.  I really dislike that.  Maybe because I tended to be called Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm a lot growing up.  I mean how unoriginal is that. 

The Woodpile has been ill.  The yucky kind of virus that has one up all night (7 nights to be exact) cooling feverish brows and calming croupy coughs.  This virus was denounced repeatedly in many forms and many ways.  Now denounce does mean public reprimand, and most certainly my family and friends would have probably preferred me to be less public about it.  Remember I said repeatedly.  Some got to hear it more than others- thanks Hubby, Mom, and sisters!!!  (Side note- isn't it great to have family that has to listen to your whining because well... they're family!!!)  Amongst all this whining and bemoaning a still small voice was persistent in being heard.  One at times has to be VERY persistent with me.  And in the middle of one of those long nights I started thinking of the others who also where going through this with their families.  Namely many of our church family were also struggling with it.  Shame slowly arose as I realized yet again I was being selfish- an affliction I tend to struggle with.   This virus was not attacking just ME- making only my life difficult. I was not its personal vendetta as much as it might feel like it.  We shared the germs around.  Lots of love in our church, but it is not the only thing that sometimes gets around.

Remember I said I go off on strange paths.  Well I went from boohoo me to sympathy for all fellow church family viral warfare-rs   to thinking about how blessed I really was.  Because you see as I said above we share a lot of love in our church.  I saw this daily while sick. I saw it from texts, facebook messages, voicemail (because I couldn't talk to answer the phone I wasn't dissing you I promise.  Well maybe you, Han.  But hey, you are my little sister.  You have to be dissed at times.  It keeps you humble) from the offers to help, the heart and body nourishing soup brought by a friend who had her own sick blessings etc etc.   I saw it in the FB message from my friend Tina that left me feeling hugged and assured me I am not the only one who gos off on strange paths. ;-)  I don't think she will mind if I share parts of it.  Just remember while reading it that Tina sees in others one of her greatest strengths.  Magnifying them in those around her- especially me.

So sorry to hear you're sick, Mama.
I read this and thought of you: "Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart...." 1 Peter 1:22. As I observed you this past weekend, it occurred to me how fervently you love people............Your love is contagious. God bless you! Get some rest, friend. Love you......

First I smiled through tears because it came at a low point that day.  But of course she was listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. He sent it at the perfect time through a willing vessel.   Then I laughed because I was thinking the same thing... that love can be contagious.  Tina will not be surprised.  We tend to do that.

Germs are not the only contagious thing.   My kids and I might have caught a few germs from our wonderful church family. (and er, maybe given more than a few).  But they give us oh so much more.  I think of one little boy who models a gentle spirit.  Another little girl who gives the gift of laughter to others so easily.  The young lady who lets our Cupcake hang all over her and listens with a gleam in her eye to Brownie's non-stop talking.  Four boys who share their joy of being in our oldest son's presence without shame but freely show their love. The young lady who uses her talents for the enjoyment of others and the edification of  young friends.  The little one who sees my Brownie look longingly at her beautiful pink leotard and says, "you can borrow it if you like even though it is my favorite".  A friend who shares her weaknesses making us all feel better about our own.   Another friend who listens so well.  The friend who is going thru difficult times right now but her smile speaks of Christ's love and her words speak of His comfort. I cannot speak of them all.  The joy they bring, the way they show our family what true Christian love should be.They give and give and give.  And we are better for it.  That transfers to us every time we are in their presence.  What are a few germs compared to all that.  

Yes, Tina.  Love was truly contagious in the last few weeks.  Living Faith Baptist Church I will happily share your germs any day!!!  

But what about Christ's love- it is not just contagious. It saves us all.   John 3:16  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  Do you know this love?  The love behind all love!  Because without His love all we would be sharing would be germs.

The beginning and the end!

The beginning of what you may say?  And what exactly would be ending?  Well I am hopeful that this is a beginning of an outlet for the never ending cycle of thoughts that take place with every second.  Alas in an effort to displace them allowing room for common sense to arise I often make these posts on FB that break the allowed word barrier.  Then begins another whole process of turning "and" into &'s, abbreviating every word possible, toning down the numerous adjectives.  Updates I am told (most of the time with a good natured smirk) are supposed to be one MAYBE two liners.  I however have refined the art of the fb status update paragraph.

Ahh! But yes I mentioned ending.  What I am hoping will end is this question-  Becca, do you have a blog?  Why not?  And the immediate feeling of total uncoolness that promptly follows.  

What should one expect from this blog, dear indulgent family member or friend?  Lots of rambling because that is what I am really adept at second only to laughing....... so expect long posts!  Poor writing with comma splices, run-ons, fragments, strange punctuations, capital letters where none should be and so on and so on.  I used to be embarrassed about this fact. Now I am just embarrassed that I am know longer embarrassed.   Especially when it comes to one's attention that I am a homeschool mom.  But lets clear up a misconception here (rabbit trail time I know, I know.)!  Just because one is a homeschool mom does not make it follow that she is excellent in grammar, could write a best seller, thinks calculus is a cinch, can fill the periodic table without a cheat sheet, and knows every history date you throw at her.  We just do our best, research constantly, and PRAY like there is no tomorrow.   This wisdom comes not from me rather stems from the many sighs I have heard and have made myself during homeschool discussions.   There that rabbit trial followed all the way to its conclusion.  Back to what you should expect.   I truly would like to assure you that this blog will give you wonderful words of wisdom,  words that speak like poetry, helpful little tips on being a wife, mother, homeschooler, decorater, a frugal woman.  Beautiful pictures of mantels, homemade crafts, yummy new recipes, and God's nature to enhance the words.  There is a big however here though!  I so admire those bloggers.  This sadly is not a blog of such caliber.   I will talk a LOT about my children and husband.  I am quite certain that I have the absolute best husband and children that ever were created!  Here it is, reader of one or two, my little tidbit of the day. ;-)  if you do not think your hubby and children are the best ones in this world I encourage you to take another look.  Notice I said think not that they are.  And not that you should be blind to imperfections.  Just that focusing on their amazing greatness will help you get through those days when it gets tough.   Focus on the bad the world turns dark quickly.  Focus on the good and things are so much better.   God gave us that hubby.  He allowed those children to grow in our bodies and hearts.  Sometimes in some blessed cases just the mothers heart.   So I shall talk often of  my Love and my Blessings. They are my best fit, and I am theirs.  How reassuring is that!!! There is such joy in this.  Do you feel it?  Does it not just lighten your heart?

And most certainly,   I will talk of a God who lives within me. He who is my everything.   He directs my steps.  He sent His only Son.  Can you fathom it?  Exodus 15:2 says "The Lord is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation: He is my God and I will prepare Him an habitation:my father's God, and I will exalt Him.