Happy Easter...a day late

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. My Dad is home after 4 weeks in the hospital (see my last post for details). We had a welcome home celebration/family dinner with him on Saturday. It was such a blessing to spend the day with him. He sat in a chair and fed himself for the first time in a month, and had an appetite!

On Sunday, we spent the day with Church activities! Morning worship followed by an afternoon egg hunt and cookout! The weather was perfect and my heart was ripe for worship! What a day. I even tried a little side walk chalk art with the kiddos. (my joints were the only ones popping when I stood up, though...LOL)



I have been back in the scraproom...hope to share a bit later. Hope that your day is wonderfully blessed!

Heaven....It Is For Real!

An 81 year old, dying man recently came "back" to his family after being unresponsive for 2 hours. He told those present where he had been. Here is his description of his journey as told by him: "I was in the most beautiful place you could ever imagine! It was so peaceful and bright. I was running through fields of flowers that went on as far as the eye could see and they were EVERY color in the world. I was running and waving my arms, like a little boy and I felt so light. All of the flowers were just nodding in the wind and I didn't break any of them as I ran through. It was so beautiful! I didn't want to come back and I begged Jesus to let me stay. But he said 'son, it's not quite time yet.' When he called me 'son' I knew that I had to obey him. I didn't even get my feet wet because Jesus carried me across a wide river. On the other side of the river, were the flowers."
This man had been struggling for every breath for several hours, but when he awoke from this journey, he said so sweetly, "I feel so rested. I'm not even tired." HIs vital signs quickly became stable, those present in the room could hardly believe what they had witnessed! Truly, it was a miracle....and those present were MY family! The man telling of the "beautiful place" was my Dad. He has been in the hospital for the past 26 days and when this took place, he was in ICU, having just told all of his children, in-laws and grandchildren goodbye. This amazing morning began when I arrived at 6:30 am and he asked me in a weak and frail voice, "do you see the angels? They are gathered all around the room." Some skeptics will doubt that this really happened, but to those of us, nurses and hospital staff included, it was undeniable! SOMETHING BIG had just happened here! Not only did Dad share his story with us, but many other staff members, friends and neighbors came by and would say, "tell us about it...what did it look like? Did you see anyone else." He told and retold of his fantastic journey for the next several days. He kept saying, "I will never forget his as long as I live!" I daresay, neither will we. Having served the Lord gladly for the past 47 years, we had not doubts about Dad's salvation, but getting a glimpse of HOME through his eyes was such a gift. We are forever changed! And I really appreciated his physician's words: "Medically, I can't explain it. Spiritually, it needs no explanation."

As a nurse for more than a decade, I have been at the bedside of many dying patients. I know the signs, I know the end results. I have had many of them talk of what they were seeing as life left their disease riddled bodies. I have always believed...and now, I BELIEVE even more!

Dad is still in the hospital but today the doctors are talking about letting him come home later this week! He has had a battle, with good days mixed with bad days. Through it all, we talk often of his journey and know that when he breathes his last breath, he will, again, be running freely through that glorious field of flowers, talking with Jesus and feeling so rested! Whether he comes home this week or ever....or just goes on HOME forever, we have been given a precious gift...a peek, if you will, of the place our souls long for, that Jesus has gone to prepare. On this Holy Easter Week, I just wanted to share this: It is real and by His supreme sacrifice, we all can go!

My son, a young minister, who witnessed Dad's travel brought me a book to read the other day. A story of a four year old child's near death experience. It is called "Heaven is for Real." If you want a more detailed glimpse of what my Dad saw, read this book! It's an awesome account!

Puppy Love

Just thought I would share the newest additions to our family.....Bearlee (because he "barely" looks like a dog ;)


and Bobber....

Although we were not in the market for more pets, my son and his wife adopted a beautiful shephard mix last October and viola! during the coldest week of January, she presented them with 6 puppies! They have REALLY worked hard to keep these puppies alive during the frigid winter and have spent countless $$ on food, a kennel, house, toys etc...so when they could find no one to take them, hubby and I took TWO! Okay, we are suckers for a pooch in need and have been MANY times! Let me say, that rescue dogs make the greatest pets...and in this instance....we have rescued the whole family...my son and his wife are keep two as well. One has already been adopted and we are hoping for a forever home for one more! Gracie, the momma, has a vet visit in her immediate future and so do all of the puppies we are keeping!

But on the first day of Spring what could be more enjoyable than the beautiful sunshine and warm weather? The love of a sweet puppy or two ;)

Thinking of .....Spring

I can remember as a child, getting Spring Fever so badly, I couldn't concentrate on anything. Sitting in class as the sun smiled through the open window, hearing the drone of the lawnmower cutting the grass along the sidewalks, smelling the wonderful smell of freshly cut lawn...my mind would wander....to things that little girls dream of...to playing tag until dark...or taking my favorite doll out in the backyard on a quilt and having a picnic, just me and "Debbie"....or riding my shetland pony...ahhh, in Springtime, the ideas were endless. As an adult, I still get a touch of Spring Fever....not today because it was snowing this morning when I went to work, but last week, we had a glimpse of Spring. The sun was shining, frogs were croaking, the lawn was covered with robins, the crabapple trees are budding...and I loved every bit of it! I am a warm weather...sun shining.....bees buzzing...flowers blooming kind of girl...and SPRING...I AM THINKING OF YOU!!!!! Please get here soon ;)

I Will Rejoice....

I have been away from my blog for awhile due to my Dad being seriously ill. He has been in the hospital for the past two weeks, and after a very close call with death, is resting comfortably at home now. He is 81 years old and had always been in perfect health until about 3 years ago. It is very difficult to see someone that you always felt was ten feet tall and bulletproof, suddenly become very mortal! When I see my Dad suffering, I am suddenly ten years old again and very scared! My mom passed over 11 years ago, and in the years since, Dad has been both Mom and Dad to my sister, brother and I. I have decided that no matter how old we get, we still need that anchor that our parents provide. And although Dad has been a devout Christian with an unshakable faith for over 46 years, and he is 81 years old...I am still not ready to let him go. He brings something to my life that no one else on earth can bring! I love his heart, his laughter, his sense of humor, his strength of spirit, his hugs, his hearty appetite, his devotion to his children and grandchildren, his outgoing personality, his willingness to help others, his simple way of accepting life as it comes and believing that the Lord has it all under control. He told me the other day, "I have trusted the Lord in life, I will trust him death." That is solid faith....and I only hope that when I am where he is...I can say that just as strongly!

My card today, even though you can't really see the sentiment, simply says, "REJOICE"...and tonight I am rejoicing for the Dad that I have been blessed with...for the fact that he is home from the hospital and although he is frail in body, he is strong in spirit! And in the end...I will know without a doubt that he is safely in the arms of the God he has served joyfully for so many years, and that he will finally be reunited with my Mom! So again, I will REJOICE!

Spring Fever..

Wow....today I have Spring Fever! After weeks of cold and snow....this morning's SUNSHINE was so bright, I needed sunglasses driving to work! Ahhhh, temps in the high 50's and sunshine....my soul just did a cartwheel ;)

Just thought that I would share this "springy" little card. I love the clean white, soft blue and yellow! C'mon Spring Time....this girl is ready!




Have a great Valentine's Day Blog Friends! Hope that your day is overflowing with love!

Spread the Love....

Good Thursday morning bloggie friends. I am taking a few moments this morning to share a bit of Valentine Love with y'all. (We have about 3 inches of snow and icy roads, so I am not leaving at my usual time for work today, which gives me a few stolen moments to update the ol' blog ;) I have been working on some sweet and simple cards this week for the girls in my office:




I just love the blue, cream and red color combination on these cards! And the simplicity....so easy, so cute! Last year I gave the girls cello bags filled with valentine Hershey's Kisses with a topper that read, "We love because He first loved us." Just a bit of spiritual encouragement for the day. They loved them because they were so unexpected and simply sweet, they have also dubbed me the "martha stewart" of the office (small letters because I sure can't match the real Martha...LOL). This year I am doing clear Martha ;) bags filled with heart shaped chocolates and valentine M&M's to go along with the cards! Who doesn't enjoy a sweet treat on Valentine's Day? I sure do and I have hinted to DH that he can NEVER go wrong with a box of Ghiradelli Chocolates...yummmmmmmmy!

Hope that you all have wonderful day, and a quick HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet niece and friend AMBER GOBLE over @ thecountryscrapper. See ya Saturday Amber with a gift FULL of scrappy goodies!