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Five Months and Growing: Nana’s Corner

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Since my last blog post, we have moved from PA to VA and are expecting to have closing on our PA home in the middle of April. God was faithful in bringing the right family along at the right time (His timing) to make an offer on our house without listing it with a realtor. There were a couple of bumps along the way but nothing that wasn’t workable for all concerned.

My husband has been tying up loose ends–both at the house and the church in PA, as well as traveling back and forth with a trailer load of tools, etc. for his workshop and our home in VA.

It is hard to imagine that five months have passed and my grandson, Gryphon, is growing and developing at a very fast pace. It seems like only yesterday that he was born and I, along with Grammy Cindy, were there at the hospital to hear the blessed news from her son and my son-in-law that “it’s a boy!”

Gryphon is now turning over from his back to his stomach, etc., reaching for and pulling on various objects (which seems to be his favorite past time), blowing bubbles that sound like consonants, pulling himself up, and taking a few steps while we hold his hands. He has a lot of strength for a five-month old baby. He is also cutting two teeth that haven’t quite pushed their way through yet. Every day his giggles and smiles make my heart sing.

Since I moved to VA at the end of January, I have been babysitting five days a week for Gryphon and once a month for the kids when they go on a “date night.” Each day as I travel back and forth from my house to my daughter’s, I thank the Lord that we didn’t purchase a home an hour away. My trip is only 7 miles one way and is an easy 15-minute drive. Now that is what I call God’s provision and grace. He knew the plans He had for us even before we did, and He has worked “all things out for our good” to which we are so thankful.

Sometimes I wish I could still see the world through the eyes of a child. Everything is bright and new, and every activity that they accomplish is exciting. There is no right or wrong way to be a baby–you develop and grow at the pace God intended. Their laughter and smiles are spontaneous which are quite infectious to grownups.

I pray that as I babysit and make memories with my grandson and have a small part in helping him grow and develop that I can see things through the eyes of love in his life–through the love of God.

Recently, I was reminded of a song written a number of years ago by Gloria Gaither entitled, “We Have These Moments Today.” Her words reiterated that time is short and it passes by so quickly. It caused me to reflect on and to cherish every special moment that I have with not only my grandson but with my daughter and her husband, my spouse, and other family, friends, and loved ones as often as we are given the opportunity to do so.

Have any of you babysat for any or all of your own grandchildren? I am sure you have a number of memorable stories that you could share. I would love to hear some of them from you.

Blessings,
Yvonne

Reading: “Grace”–quotes and passages for the heart, mind, and soul by B.C. Aronson.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY: “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”–Marcel Provust, writer

Christmas 2014: The Birthday of a King

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ISAIAH 9:6 (NIV): “For to us a child is born, to us a child is given, and the government shall be on His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

For the past couple of years instead of exclusively shopping in the stores for Christmas gifts, I have been purchasing almost everything on line. I find it less stressful for me, and I usually find what I want more quickly on line instead of in the department stores. However, there are certain things that I do miss about the “only” store-shopping experience:

The shopping (and of course the waiting in line)….
The Lights….
The Stockings….
The Sights….
And Sounds (Music) of Christmas…

The department stores are filled with all of the above. However, for those of you who enjoy these things, I don’t want to lessen that experience for you. Actually, I went to Walmart the other day to pick up a shipment and had to wait quite a while in line to pick up the two items I ordered on line. I also enjoy getting together with friends for lunch and listening to the beautiful Christmas music coming over the speakers and looking at the beautiful decorations. During the Christmas season, Isaiah 9:6 reminds us of Christ’s coming as a little babe and that He would be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” and so much more. As we remember His birth, let us also rejoice that He died, rose again, and is coming back for each of us.

My heart is saddened by those who would try to take “Christ” out of Christmas because without Christ there would be no Christmas. May He fill your hearts and lives with His wondrous love this Christmas season as you celebrate the “birthday of a King” with family and friends.

Blessings,
Yvonne

Reading for December: “Becoming A Woman of Grace” by Cynthia Heald.

The Attitude of the Beatitudes: Living a Life That’s Full

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Matthew: 5:3-12: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’

In 1975, I read a book entitled, “A New Joy” by Colleen Townsend Evans, an up-and-coming movie actress at the time who turned author and pastor’s wife. I was immediately drawn to her perspective and definitions as she explained each of the Beatitudes in her own words, and the book left an impression on my life for years to come.

From time to time I re-visit the chapters she outlined in which she defined the meaning of the humble woman, the sorrowing woman, the gentle woman, the fulfilled woman, the generous woman, the sincere woman, the peacemaking woman, the suffering woman, and the salty Christians. Humility, sorrow, gentleness, fulfillment, generosity, sincerity, and peace took on a new meaning in my own life; and as I studied the Beatitudes in more detail, I also became more aware of my own shortcomings in a number of these areas.

However, each day the Lord gently reminds me how I have grown and changed since I accepted Him into my life at the age of 15 and that it is only through His grace that I am saved.

The Lord has truly blessed me and my family throughout the years and recently blessed us with our first grandson who is five weeks old.

His love and mercy endures forever and His love never fails us.

As we celebrate the Christmas season, let us rejoice at the miraculous birth of His Son, our Savior and King. Jesus definitely is the “reason for the season” and He lives within each and every one of us. May He help us to “live the life to which He has called us.”

Blessings and Merry Christmas,
Yvonne

Just Luck or The Hand of God?

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Yesterday, as I was returning from a trip to VA, I was reminded of the scripture found in Psalm 91:11-16:

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.'”

Since November 1st, I have been traveling back and forth from Pennsylvania to Virginia to be with my daughter and her newborn son. What a blessing that has been. I spent the first two weeks just getting to know our first grandson, plus helping my daughter out with things around the house that she was unable to do in the first two weeks. On my way home from my third week of being in VA, I took the same route that I normally travel but something unexpectedly happened along the way.

As I was passing a truck on Interstate 81, I noticed two workers with cutting machinery on the median. It was an especially windy day, and I was anxious to get off this section of the Interstate and onto VA37. All of a sudden I noticed a huge rock coming towards my car from the median. It literally bounced across the median, and I thought it was going to go through my windshield.

My first reaction was to ask God to help me. The rock hit the front of my car and literally bounced back towards the median from where it came. Some people would call this “luck”, but I call it “the hand of God” who was my protector in that very instant that the rock rolled toward me. I did not pull over and assess the damage until I got to Altoona where I met my husband for lunch, and we looked at the front of my car. The headlight on the driver’s side was smashed in, and there was an aftermath of broken glass inside the headlight.

I left the restaurant and went directly to my insurance company and was given a toll-free number to call to make a claim so that an adjuster could look at and assess the damage. Fortunately, we have comprehensive coverage which will pay for the repairs.

Since this incident, my mind has thought about all the scenarios that “could have happened but didn’t”, and I am eternally grateful to my Lord for “commanding his angels to guard and protect me.” He truly is “my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Have you been close to an accident or unforeseen circumstance where you knew undoubtedly that God protected you? I’d love to hear your story.

Blessings,
Yvonne

The Arrival of Our Grandson: Nana’s Corner

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On Saturday, November 1st, we welcomed our first grand baby, Gryphon Sawyer, into this world. He was 6 lbs., 9 oz. and was 19-1/4″ long. After several hours in the Labor and Delivery area of the hospital, my daughter and her husband were able to hold Gryphon for the first time. However, due to an unforeseen elevated temperature and white blood count during a complicated delivery, they placed him in the NICU.

We called on several friends and family members to pray. After undergoing several tests, which came back negative, he was able to be discharged on Tuesday, three days after he was born. We were all so thankful to God, relieved, and happy that he was able to come home sooner instead of staying in the NICU for a longer period of time.

Since that time I have enjoyed staying in Virginia and getting to hold Gryphon every day. I know that all children are a gift from God and even Jesus allowed all the children to come unto Him. He is so precious and my husband and I are actually looking into buying a house in this area when my husband retires sometime in the not too distant future.

When my daughter was born almost 27 years ago and I held her in my arms for the very first time, I sang “This Little Light of Mine” and “You Are My Sunshine” to her. It brought tears of joy to my eyes back then and then again when I sang these two songs to Gryphon. My prayer for Gryphon is that he would grow in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and that he would have a heart for God.

Psalm 9:1-3 says,

“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonders;
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”

May this be our prayer as we rejoice in all that God has blessed us with in our lives, and that we continually give Him thanks and praise for all that He has done.

Blessings,
Yvonne