Rambling

Well, November sure did fly by and now here we are two weeks from Christmas!! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving week. Had Sarah and her family at our house the first part of the week and then Bill and I spent Thanksgiving at Syd's with their family and headed to Destin Thanksgiving afternoon. This was the first time EVER I have been to Destin and not had my toes in the sand at least once. I spent all of the time either shopping or sleeping, plus it was really cold! Edith, Carolyn and I started shopping Thanksgiving night at 10pm!! I lasted til 6am and had to crash.. they stayed up for over 36 straight hours! It was lots of fun and we did get some great deals.

This week has been the week of Christmas parties at my house. We had the choir party Sunday night after our musical and then the Sunday School department party on Tuesday night. Both went very well... I love having a houseful of people! The musical Sunday afternoon was a wonderful worship experience. I, once again, was feeling that we were not prepared and nowhere near ready to present this program. But man, God showed out and showed up big time!! He really blessed our efforts and it turned out to be one of the best that we have ever done, according to many people who were there. There will be a dvd available at Parkway if any of you would like to see it. This Sunday we will leave after church and go to Mendenhall to be at Sydney's musical. She has a solo and Skyler and Mylie will also be participating. I LOVE that my children are involved at their churches and are serving the Lord! It's the best feeling in the world!!

Sarah called this morning and they had a terrible night. All three of the kids are sick. Wesley was up all night, very congested and coughing. Will woke up at 5am throwing up and hasn't stopped yet. Macy is better today, but threw up yesterday. I know that they love Tupelo and are supposed to be there.. but gosh I hate that they are so far away and I can't help her! She and I were both spoiled the 3 years they lived here and had both sets of grandparents in town to help! She is taking all 3 to the doctor this afternoon.

Today would have been my sweet cousin, Ava Carlisle Roach's 62nd birthday. Ava had breast cancer and died at the young age of 43 in 1992. I can't begin to tell you what a kind, caring, loving, wonderful person she was. Becky and I were blessed to grow up knowing and loving our cousins, aunts and uncles. We got together at my grandparents every chance we had and we were all very close. Ava was 7 years old when I was born and she became "my Ava." She carried me around all the time and made me feel very special! I was devastated when she announced that she was getting married at age 17!! I did not like Corbie at all and it had nothing to do with what kind of guy he was ... he was taking "my Ava" away...or so I thought at 10 years old. Of course, she made it all better when she told me that I was going to be the Junior Bridesmaid in her wedding! Corbie turned out to be a nice guy and he fit right into our family and we all grew to love him. We lost him to cancer also several years after Ava. They left a beautiful legacy in their three daughters! I know both of them are very proud of Shainna, Alainna, and Jessica. I am thankful again, for memories!

Mama's 82nd birthday was last Saturday. I went to see her and love on her although she had no idea it was her birthday, or who I was. It is getting more and more difficult to see her in the condition she is in. She MAY weigh 90 lbs and she is mostly drawn up in a fetal position. She is totally unable to communicate and the only sounds she can make are garbled mumbling. I am praying for God to release her beautiful spirit that I know is still in there and to take her on home to heaven to be with Him and my daddy! I miss daddy everyday but am very thankful he did not suffer long nor go through what my mama has been through and is still enduring. And, yet again... I am thankful for memories!




Bill and I are excited once again that we will have all of our children under our roof on Christmas Day and a few days after that! Sarah, Jeremy and their three will actually be here a week from tomorrow and stay through Christmas, so Santa Claus will visit Will, Macy and Wesley at our house.. what fun!!! Sunny and Bud will arrive a day or two before Christmas and Syd, Tony, Skyler and Mylie will be here Christmas morning! How very blessed we are!!! We are also blessed to have Becky and Kevin and their brood with us on Christmas Day! It will be wild and crazy and wonderful!!

Remember to take the time to thank God for all the blessings that you have and even if you are having problems, trials, sickness, loneliness..thank Him for loving us so very much that He sent His Son to take our place on the cross, to pay the debt for ALL our sin, so that we may have abundant life now and forever...just BELIEVE!!!!

Readers, I am sorry for this very rambling post! My family and I want to wish you and yours a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a wonderful 2010!!!

With love,
Martha