Thanksgiving Week

Here we are into the week of Thanksgiving with Christmas not far behind! Gosh, this year has just flown by. Years seem to go faster and faster the older you become. Of course this is going to be a busy week, so this will probably be my only blog entry of the week. Jeremy and the kids got to town last night. They are at his parents, but I will get the kids this afternoon..YAY! Sarah had to stay and work through Wednesday, bless her heart. She will drive down after work Wed. Bill and I will miss seeing her because we will head to Jackson Wed morning to help Sunny and Bud move and then go to Sydney's. We will have Thanksgiving dinner at Syd's and then head to DESTIN for a long weekend!! I am praying the weather forecast is wrong.. calling for rain on Friday and Saturday. I need some beach time!! I love to sit on the beach in the fall and winter and just read or sit and listen to the waves and take in the beauty of the world God created.

Christmas has probably always been my favorite holiday, but Thanksgiving would be a close second. When I was a little girl growing up we would go to my grandparents house in Mccomb with all of my aunts, uncles and cousins... and TONS of food. We would usually go on Thanksgiving Day and then get together again the Sunday before Christmas. Wonderful memories! After Bill and I married we usually spent Thanksgiving in Mendenhall with his family. Then at Christmas, his family would come to Natchez and we would all celebrate together at my parents. My girls were blessed to spend every Christmas growing up with both sets of grandparents. We never had to do the "this year is your year, next year will be your year" thing. I'm not sure I ever told my in-laws how much that meant to me, but I think they knew. We lost Bill's mom in 1993 and his dad in 1998, we miss them all the time, but especially at Christmas.

But.. back to Thanksgiving! My life is so very blessed! There are many,many things that I am thankful for. Among them are: Jesus and that thru Him I have eternal salvation, God's love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, provision, protection, His word and so much more, my wonderful husband of 34 years, our 3 beautiful daughters, our 3 wonderful son-in-laws, our 4,with another 1 one the way, amazing grandchildren, our health, my daddy, the wonderful memories of my mama the way she was, my sister and her family, my sister-in-law and her husband, and all of our extended family, all of the wonderful friends that God has brought into our lives who are now both near and far, and that no matter who the President of the USA is, we still live in a free country and God is the one in control!

I hope and pray that each of you have a Happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends! Take some time to say out loud something that you are thankful to God for or do what we will, let each person write a note saying something they are thankful for and then read them all out! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Been a week since my last update.. a busy week. I went back to Sunny's last Thursday afternoon and helped she and Bud move into the temporary house. Thank God for good friends, they had 3 guys come help and we could have never made it without them. We got the last load unloaded at close to 11pm. During all this moving, Sunny's realtor had learned of a house going on the market that she thought Sunny and Bud would like. So on the day they moved to the temp house... they found their new home!! God does have a sense of humor! Anyway, the house is actually not far from their old house. It's not in a subdivision, it's on a street with large lots and not many houses. Their house is on 1.3 acres. It has woods in back and on one side.. Bud is thrilled. It's a great house for them and the best thing is they will close and get to move next week! Which,since Sunny called yesterday and informed me that the temp house has NO HEAT,is a really good thing. They do have a fireplace, thank the Lord! She said they were moving their bed into the den in front of the fire tonight.

Back to my busy week..Friday morning I got up and went back to the house they moved out of and completely cleaned it. Got done about 11, went back to the temp house, showered and got dressed just in time to meet Sarah, Will and Macy at Backyard Burgers. Tupelo played NW Rankin Friday night. Bill rode up later with Jeremy's parents. Turned out it poured down rain and with Macy's bad ears(she is getting tubes Dec. 1st) we didn't dare take her, so Sarah, Macy and I went to Newk's to eat and then back to the hotel. Poppa, NaeNae and Papaw took Will, but he was ready to leave at halftime so they brought him back to us. Unfortunately, Tupelo got beat and they are done for the year. We got up Saturday morning and headed to MackyDonalds for breakfast. Bill and I headed home and so did Sarah and the kids, Jeremy had to drive the bus back after the game.

Washed clothes and did house stuff Sat. afternoon and then watched Alabama beat MSU and then watched LSU's amazing comeback win on my computer. It was awesome!! GEAUX TIGERS!!

Sunday was a great day of worship at church. We have an amazing interim pastor, Jason Meyer. There is no doubt that God sent him to PBC at the right time! We are also blessed to have a wonderful interim Minister of Music, Lonnie Stewart!

To end the day yesterday on a great note, Skyler called to report he killed his first buck. He had killed a doe last year, but this was the real deal! He said it was an 8 point that weighed 175 lbs! Hopefully I will soon have a picture of it to put on here.

Well, I think that is about all of my news. I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. I have GOT to get my house decorated for Christmas before we leave next Wednesday. We will go to Sydney's Wed night and then Thursday after lunch head to DESTIN for a long weekend!! I have the choir party here on Dec 7th... so house has to be done before I leave next week! I think I need to quit work... again!! Y'all have a great week!

Sunny JoAnn Salters McGehee

27 years ago today God brought our beautiful third baby girl into the world. We were already blessed with Sydney who was not quite 4 and Sarah who was 19 months old. When Sunny was born we had no idea what her name would be. We really were not considering another "S" name... but then my mother said, " you have to name her something that starts with S or she will have a complex her whole life. So, for about 3 days, baby # 3 had no name. We discussed, Stephanie, Summer(Bill said No, I am not naming a child born in November, Summer) and finally agreed on Sunny. Of course God was in control and orchestrating our choice! Her name fits her perfectly! I cannot begin to tell you the joy and laughter "Sunny" has brought to us. She has had all of us in stitches laughing more times than I can possibly tell you. Her sense of humor was very evident when she was still very young. One night we were sending the girls to bed, Sunny was about 3 or 4, Syd and Sarah had already left the room and Sunny was going very slowly toward the door of our bedroom. Bill said," Sunny, go on to bed." She looked up at him and said "You see my feet walkin, don't ya?" We just about died laughing! There are so many quotes like that I could share!

The years have flown by and now our funny Sunny bunny is a grown married woman. It is such a blessing to see her married to a wonderful Christian man, teaching children at a great school, and being involved in her church. God has given her so many gifts and she uses them to glorify Him. It is a privilege to be her mother and I thank God that He chose me for that honor!!!

Sunny...you are very loved!!!

Tired

Got home from Sunny's this afternoon. We managed to get her house packed up and actually moved some stuff to the temporary house. Yes, they are going to have to move twice! Since their house sold they have looked at LOTS of houses, but have not found THE right one to fit their needs, budget and wants! Thank the Good Lord, Bud's boss has an empty house they can move into until they find their house. Now, do not get me wrong.... we are very thankful for this house and Bud's bosses generosity...but this is a house that has been sitting empty for over a year. We were supposed to get in Friday afternoon to clean and then start moving things Saturday. Well, the key to the house was lost. So, it was Saturday afternoon before we could get in. Okay.. so we go in knowing that some cleaning will have to be done....but.. just let me say when we got in I looked at Sunny and Bud and said," I think we should find y'all an apartment to move into for a few months!"......that didn't go over well, so we(me, Bill, Bud and Sunny) began the task of getting a least a few rooms livable. Let me remind you this is all happening Saturday afternoon when I had PLANNED to be on my couch watching the LSU -Bama game. I did manage to find a radio in the house to listen to the game on....back to the cleaning. The family who moved out of this house left TONS of their STUFF all over the house...so first we had to move all of their stuff to two of the rooms that won't be used....then Bill started cleaning the kitchen... I began sweeping the cobwebs, spiders, and roaches from the floors and walls. I will spare you the rest of the details, but when we left there about 9 last night we had the kitchen, dining room, living room, den, master bed and bath ready to move into and I was WORN OUT! I had spent Thursday afternoon, night and all day Friday packing up Sunny's house. On top of all that I have acquired a cold and almost lost my voice. I have spent the afternoon in my bed and am now on the couch. Sunny and Bud were very thankful for our help and that make's it all worthwhile!! I thank God that we are able to help our children even now that they are grown..it is nice to be needed.

Mothers

I am taking off work tomorrow afternoon and going to Sunny's to pack up her kitchen and probably the rest of her house to move. She doesn't seem to think she can do it without me. Didn't help that Sarah told her what a good job I did packing her house up when she moved in July. I also helped Syd move into her new house 4 years ago. I guess it's a mother thing. My mother helped me move every time we moved except the last time. I would give anything if she could help me now. For those that don't know, my mama has been in a nursing home for 6 1/2 years. She has Alzheimer's and does not know anybody anymore. It is an awful, awful disease. Her body is still here but my mama has been gone for a long time. It is hard on all of us, but especially my daddy. He misses her SO much! Another word of advice to you young women...appreciate your parents and tell them how much you love them! Time goes by so fast and before you know you are the age they were when you thought they were old!
I thank God that I am able to help my girls and pray for many more years to do that!!

Day after Election...

Here is a post from Beth Moore on her blog this morning. I totally agree with her. We must be obedient to God's word!

"A United House

To my beloved Sisters who I esteem so highly and consistently find to be part of the solution to our problems in the Church rather than the cause,

Please join me in praying for our President-elect Barack Obama, his wife Michelle, and his precious daughters, Sasha and Malia. Go with me before the Throne of our sovereign God and ask Him to grant wisdom from above to President-elect Obama and the indwelling presence and power of Jesus Christ. In the words of the Apostle Paul, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior..."

Please also join me in the active and deliberate pursuit of unity and purity in the Body of Christ at this historical time in our country. I implore you in Jesus Name to have zero tolerance for prejudice whether it is regarding party-affiliation, color (whether you are Black, White, or Brown), economics or the like. Disagreement is not sin. Prejudice is. Satan has plotted events and planted attitudes that, should he be successful, will result in havoc. We must not stand for his schemes or cooperate in a single way. We would severely displease God and invite untold chastisement upon Christ's Church in our nation. Speak clearly to your children and graciously but emphatically draw a line in your work places and social circles regarding your stand against prejudice of any kind.

"Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.'" (Matthew 12:25) A united house stands. A divided house falls. The devil has much to gain. But he also has much to lose.

We are the Body of Jesus Christ and we have an opportunity to show His character. This is our watch. We stand for what is right not from our feet but from our knees.

I humble myself before you and make these pleas under such bold direction of God that I could not resist it nor disobey it. He made it a fire in my bones.

I love and esteem you so much. Shoulder to shoulder, Dear Siestas. Let's leave not one inch for the enemy to come between us.

"Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve Him shoulder to shoulder." Zephaniah 3:9 "
Posted by Beth at 6:42 AM

Have a great day! :)

Election Day

We have an awesome responsibility today as Americans but even more important, as Christians. However, whatever the outcome of the election, we must remember that God is still in control! I read a post from Beth Moore on her blog this morning that I am sharing with everybody. Here it is:


"A few things I'm so thankful for on this election day, regardless of the outcome:

*We live in a democracy where we have the right to a vote and a voice. We have the God-given responsibility to use both wisely and in the way that best reflects what God conveys through Scripture.

*God "works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will" and "according to the plan." Ephesians 1:11

*Not only does God work out everything in conformity with His will, He has promised to work out everything for the GOOD of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

*God sets up kings and deposes them and gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. Daniel 2:21

*We, the beautifully diverse family of God, are never - not at any time - powerless. Nor are we ever victims of a system. Believing prayer takes us through doors we'll never be invited to enter and into judges chambers we'll never grace. Take a look back at Genesis 18 once again with astonishment over the dialogue between God and His servant and friend, Abraham. Rejoice that God is ever mindful of a faithful remnant. The Judge of the Earth will always do right.

*Even if persecution should await believers in Christ or harrowing circumstances hound us, God will use hardship to bring unity and purity to a people who need it desperately. The best of circumstances do not always produce the best in the Bride of Christ.

*The living God is firmly established upon His Throne and there at His holy feet we can always find grace and mercy in our time of need.

*No matter what happens today, we are GOD'S elect. He has elected us to show His heart and to walk in His ways in the culture that surrounds us. We are called to walk in the challenging balance of grace and truth.

May we be filled with Christ's Spirit today and our mouths given to praise and to believing, receiving prayer. God IS faithful and He has us firmly in His hand. We will not fear. We will not doubt. We will not hate.

"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders." Deuteronomy 33:12

I remain your servant,
Beth"

Have a great day!! :)

Weekend fun

We have had a great weekend with everybody home. Everybody was here except for Tony who is in Wyoming on a big hunting trip with his dad, brothers and uncles.

Enjoyed watching the kids go trick or treating last night. After seeing some of the scary aspects of Halloween, Will has decided he does not like Halloween! Macy has grown so much in the last two months. She is saying so many more words and knows everything you say to her. She is still having ear infections and will see an E.N.T. next week. Skyler and Mylie had lots to tell everybody about our trip to Disney World. They were Mickey and Minnie last night. We celebrated November birthdays tonight, Sunny's is the 10th, Jessie's is the 15th and Will will be 4 on the 17th. I hit the jackpot with Will's gift... found him a Fisher Price pirate ship, he loves it!

Really looking forward to all of us being at church tomorrow. I love looking out from the choir and seeing all of them sitting there together! Bill is singing a solo tomorrow so it will be extra special. I am sure that I will be sad when they all head home tomorrow. My nest that has been so very full this weekend will go back to being empty. But, that is as it should be. It still just seems like they grew up and left the nest way too quickly! You young mothers and daddys enjoy every minute!!!