Beauty for Ashes

So what does a young widow do on her wedding anniversary?

Celebrate her family......
That is the idea God gave me several years ago.
So we turned my wedding anniversary into JWS Family Days!!!
Because our family did begin on that day.
So now the days surrounding our wedding date we have fun,
celebrating our family kind of fun.

This year we did devotions on family verses,
ate meals with special homemade food,
biscuits, bread, dinner rolls, and more,
Did grave and leaf rubbings,
looked over baby books,
and photo albums,
shot BB guns,
went for a walk in the wood,
ended up busting up a dam of leaves at the creek,
returned home wet and pleased with ourselves,
had very fancy dining,
used the fine china from the china hutch,
elegant tablecloth and many candles,
had tea,
did devotions using ones grandpa had drawn for the boys in 2009,
and played board games.

I will admit the night before I was hit by a paralyzing grief wave.
I asked some praying sisters to pray.  The Lord was so gracious.
First the boys gave extra hugs and encouragement,
then God reminded me to write, so I journaled a couple pages.
I let the tears flow and received the comfort and peace only God can give.
Then God gave me ideas for the next day. 

Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

God truly does give beauty for ashes.

Little Cup of Grace

Oh, sweet little cup of grace,
How we prayed for you,
to be conceived,
to grow healthly,
to be safe,
to be born without complications
without any trouble

Last week, in God's wisdom,
you finally came,
by C-section as God knew,
what was best for you,
and for your momma.

Cute as a button,
and healthy as a horse,
our little cup of grace,
is here!

Oh, the fun of being an aunt.

Word of Thanks

I wanted to use this post to say thank you to a sweet elderly lady who was used of God.  I don't know her name.  Only saw her twice briefly at a restaurant. Her husband was next to my youngest son at the buffet line.  She came over to our corner booth much later and asked if I was the boys' mother.  "Yes, I am!" I stated, unsure of what she was going to say. "You are doing such a good job of raising them," she sweetly said and turned to leave almost before I could say thank you.  We watched out the window as they went to their car. Her husband must of been in his late 80's or more. And she was a very graceful and elegant lady at least his age or slightly younger. 

 

Only God knew how at the store earlier how awful some of the boys' behaviour was and how discouraged I was as a mom. Being a mom of three rambuncious boys is not for wimps.  Being a single mom is even tougher.  Some days are just hard. Grocery shopping and eating out can be daring adventures on those days.  This sweet woman was used of God to give me hope, to remind me to look at the positives in my boys, and to prompt me to look for another mom to give encouragement to.  It just might be exactly what she needs to hear.   

 

Proverbs 16:24

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

 Proverbs 25:11

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Proverbs 15:23

A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

 Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.