A thought on our prayers.........

I was watching TV last night, listening to a woman give her testimony about being raped and trying to live life afterwards. She said that someone told her, "God doesn't come down to get us out of our situations, God comes down to live inside of us as we go through our situations." I know that I've been guilty of praying, "God, just get me out of this mess!". However, maybe I should have been saying, "God, please don't leave me while I'm in this mess, I need you!". It just made me stop and think about some things, and I wanted to share that with you.

Another saying that caught my attention lately was, "Remember, our blessings don't always come from where we are giving them." How many times do we expect instant gratification for what we do for others? Or so often we live in a "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" world. I wonder just how much bigger our blessings might be if we gave more and truly didn't expect anything in return.

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Jim will be taking Eli and I to Alabama this weekend to prepare for Aubrey and Lainey's arrival. Krisha is currently in the middle of Week 33, and the doctor thinks she could deliver by Week 36-37. The doctor has restricted her to cutting her work week in half now. Please keep her in your prayers as she has entered into those last miserable weeks of pregnancy!

Also, please keep our cousin, Blake Bobbitt in your prayers. She was the young lady who sustained a broken jaw by the debris of Carl Edward's car during the race at Talladega on Sunday. http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090429/ARTICLES/904295015

Eli and I will do an update after getting to Alabama and settling in. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy Birthday to my brother..........

Happy Birthday, Wayne!!!

April 22nd is my brother's birthday! Some might think, "She made a mistake, Wayne is her brother-in-law." NO, Wayne is my brother!

Wayne has been in my life since I was a pre-teenager. He has been with me through some of the greatest, and most definitely the hardest times of my life.

One of the first Christmas gifts I received from him was a beautiful, white Bible with my name on the front. On the inside he had written me a note saying, "This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book." On Jim's last birthday I gave him a new Bible. On the inside I wrote the same note to him. I must admit, through the years I have had several Bibles, but I've never forgotten what Wayne told me in that first one.

Other than my Daddy and Granddaddy Barrett, Wayne is one of the greatest men in my family. (And I don't think he minds taking a backseat to either of them.) When Daddy died in 1989, he stepped up to the plate and became the male role model our family needed. I know, without a doubt, that Daddy is very, very proud of the way Wayne helped Mother, Anita, Krisha, and me through those dark days and how he continues today to always be there for all of us.

I am so very thankful that Anita, Paige and Stefan have Wayne. I am also very thankful that Chloe has such a caring and loving Grandfather.

And, anyone who knows Wayne, knows he loves to have a great time....................

I love you, brother! Jim and Eli say HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOO!!!

(Did I mention he cooks the BEST steaks ever? Makes the BEST sweet pickles you will ever taste? Cooks the only fried fish that I will eat!)

April Happenings..........

Happenings in April that I haven't blogged about (but should have!):


April 12th was Dan and Krisha's one year anniversary! We still thank God daily for sending us such a wonderful son-in-law.

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April 12th was also Easter. We hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday with family and friends. Jim and I missed not getting to be with family, but had a nice three-day holiday together.

Below is a picture of Krisha and my Daddy on her first Easter! (If Aubrey and Lainey can wrap Jim around their little fingers just half as much as Daddy was Krisha's, they will never want for much!)

Our church sponors a wonderful program that is presented each Easter, "The Last Days of Christ," and this was our first year to attend and it was a true blessing! It takes you back in time as you enter through the city gates of Jerusalem. The area comes alive with more than 500 actors portraying some of the most dramatic scenes of the last days of Christ. There were Roman soldiers on horseback, as we walked down the city streets through the market place and viewed drama players reenacting the Last Supper, Christ before Pilate, Roman Centerions flogging Christ, Jesus carrying the Cross, the Crucifixion, and the Glorious Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. We saw Jesus ride in town on a donkey, a carpenter hueing the cross from a tree, Roman soldiers doing marching drills and practicing sword fighting in the streets, Jesus telling stories to children on a rock formation, a cave signifying the empty tomb, and a petting zoo for children. There were also scenes including a potter, chariot, brick making, water well, threshing floor, straw cart, olive oil press, and the judgment throne of God.

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April 13th was Dan's birthday. After the storms came through Bankston and left everyone without power for days, he is finally getting to enjoy one of his presents now, his Wii. He keeps saying that he can't wait for Jim to come back to Alabama so that they can play golf, bowling, and other "competitive" games on it! (I wonder if it has a game to see how fast you can change a diaper or get a bottle ready for a midnight feeding?)

I have been getting things ready for Alabama. I think that I have all of my stuff organized enough so that when Krisha calls saying "It's time for you to come on!" that I will be able to throw everything in the car and go!

Please continue to keep Aubrey, Lainey and Krisha in your prayers.