Grateful Prayer | Thankful Heart

The Kindest Thing

By Lorraine

What is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you? Was it a gift, an action, an encouraging word at just the right time? What was your response and how did it help you? Plus a collection of 20 quotes and verses that speak on KINDNESS.February. It is the month of love. The month we celebrate all things “love”. Not that we don’t show love all year through but February contains Valentine’s Day with its love focus.

We send Valentines, go to fancy restaurants for a fancy dinner, buy flowers and jewelry and give candy in heart-shaped boxes. All gestures to tell someone about our love and concern for them.

But love isn’t always best expressed with these sweet and thoughtful intentions. Sometimes people feel most loved when an act touches them in a deep, personal way. That brings me to this question… Continue Reading

Pumpkin Scones

By Lorraine

 
Easy recipe for spice glazed pumpkin scones with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Delicious autumn breakfast or snack treat.What do you love best about October? The brisk mornings? The colorful foliage? How about the flavors of the season? We love all of these things and picked the month of October for our wedding day. Soon John and I will be celebrating another anniversary. Coffee and delicious Pumpkin Scones is how we like to start the day.Continue Reading

My Soul Finds Rest

By Lorraine

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:26-28
We’ve faced much sadness these past weeks yet we take hold of the hope set before us and we are greatly encouraged.

 

Our longtime friend and the mother of our son-in-law lost her battle with cancer. A precious lady who loved the Lord with all of her heart and left a beautiful legacy not only with her family but with all that knew her.
Those who went to the cemetery were given a small envelope containing a butterfly. They were released after pastor spoke. Someone placed a butterfly on the flower headband worn by baby Joelle. Jamie posted this on fb:
This little sweetheart is the niece of our other son-in-law.  This 14-month beautiful girl was recently diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer and has begun chemo to shrink the mass before surgery to remove it. Prayers for Emma and her Mommy and Daddy are greatly appreciated!
The only sibling of  Abbey’s best friend lost his life in a car accident. Just 20 years old, Dan was to be Abbey’s escort at his sister Vicki’s wedding next year. I can’t imaging the difficult journey this family now must walk.
Friday night we made a hard decision. As Raider’s Sick Sinus Syndrome had progressed, he began having labored, rapid breathing and became tuckered out even with little exertion. On Thursday, he laid on me and I rocked him, silently thinking in my heart that he would just stop breathing and his heart would cease beating and he would die peacefully. We talked with the veterinarian and learned that his breathing difficulties would not be peaceful and left it that we would contact her Sunday morning.  As we were getting ready for bed Friday night, it was apparent he was in distress and prolonging his life made no sense so we left for a final car ride just as we did 14 years ago with our dog, Scotty. 
We returned home with an empty collar and a sweet paw print that was made for us by the veterinarian staff and a heart full of memories of my sweet boy.
Even amid all of the heartache, the Lord never leaves us and pours out his mercy and grace.
Here are some happy moments from the past few weeks.
Jill, Brad and family visited for a week. They returned home and then Jill and two of the kids came back for the funeral.
Cambrie lost her two front teeth
Silas celebrated his 10th birthday
Keri received an Excellence in Character award
Braden loved hand feeding Raider
Keri went to Take your child to work day with her PopPop
My  daughter, Jill (one of the twins) took me to dinner for Mother’s Day Monday evening. It was super special to spend time just with her! 
 
 And Abbey and I enjoyed a great lunch after church on Mother’s Day.
May 15th is the 10th anniversary of my dad’s passing.  I am so thankful for his sincere response to the call of the Lord to be his savior.
Finally, in my near future, I will be having a total hip replacement. Not scheduled yet because I have had too much on my plate. It takes 6-8 weeks to prepare for surgery and you can be sure I will be requesting prayer for this!
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.
Psalm 62:5

we still do

By Lorraine

celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary today
♥
I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine
Song of Solomon 6:3

(click play at bottom of post to listen to this song)
I remember well the day we wed
I can see that picture in my head
I still believe the words we said
Forever will ring true 
Love is certain, love is kind
Love is yours and love is mine
But it isn’t something that we find
It’s something that we do
It’s holding tight, lettin’ go
It’s flying high and laying low
Let your strongest feelings show
And your weakness, too
It’s a little and a lot to ask
An endless and a welcome task
 Love isn’t something that we have
It’s something that we do
We help to make each other all that we can be
Though we can find our strength and inspiration independently
The way we work together is what sets our love apart
So closely that we can’t tell where I end and where you start
 It gives me heart remembering how
We started with a simple vow
There’s so much to look back on now
Still it feels brand-new
We’re on a road that has no end
And each day we begin again
Love’s not just something that we’re in
It’s something that we do

We help to make each other all that we can be
We can find our strength and inspiration independently
The way we work together is what sets our love apart
So closely that we can’t tell where I end and where you start

 Love is wide, love is long
Love is deep and love is strong
Love is why I love this song
And I hope you love it too
 I remember well the day we wed
I can see that picture in my head
 Love isn’t just those words we said
It’s something that we do
 There’s no request too big or small
We give ourselves, we give our all
 Love isn’t someplace that we fall
It’s something that we do
Something that we do
Songwriters  Donald Ewing II / Clint Black
Photo Credits for all anniversary photos to very sweet, very talented Karis @ AriRaePhotography
who captured so much more than I hoped for of our 40th wedding anniversary.
Thank you dear, Karis


Above all, giving thanks to God, who brought us to faith in Christ, is forever faithful to us, forgives us when we sin, loves us when we aren’t so lovable, encourages us when it’s hard, remembers us when we forget him, leads when we’re lost and guides us through the sunshine and storms.

always a beautiful song

By Lorraine

Here is a glimpse of some of the music playing at our house…

I peeked into Abbey’s room while she was working on an assignment for her digital animation class and found it very interesting to watch her progress.  Yes, she has two black lights and a blackboard bolted to the wall, black-out coverings on her windows and only about 3-feet of empty floor space in her bedroom with way too much stuff bursting out everywhere.  
 but, she loves what she’s doing!
Jared enthusiastically shows John each step completed as he creates a computer game.
 My favorite $3.00 bench purchased from a garage sale 25 years ago and painted and repaired dozens of times got to the point that John just couldn’t fix it and keep it fixed. Mostly it was the arms that took the brunt of the abuse but even the legs were not staying together any longer.
{ha, that sounds like my body recently}
 We considered making a porch swing from the bench but I really wanted it back in the kitchen to hold all of those little grandchildren. So we sent it off to a furniture maker for a complete overhaul .
Please, please, little bench, stay strong!
We have been moving furniture, boxes and rearranging rooms as Erin and Jared return home. The nursery has become Jared’s room and the guest room is now Erin’s room. Making them feel loved and comfortable, and though sad about the circumstances, we love having them home.
The painting above Jared’s bed was something my sister gave me when she moved out of her house last fall.  I wish I had taken a photo of the before when it was in shades of bright green.  I knew when I saw it I would paint over the canvas. Wanting something masculine for this room, I went to work. Nothing artistic but it works to fill a big blank wall.
We’ve done lots of yard work and home repairs.
Weeding, planting, painting, edging, raking, digging, dividing, potting, sweeping, blowing, washing and, well, you know.  You are probably doing the same things at your house.
 Who would had thought removing 20-year old, dead boxwood bushes would be so hard! Eighteen in all.
 The last five with some much appreciated help from Jared.
Always the sentry, Raider keeps watch while we work.
Now, it hasn’t been all work.
My streptocarpus is blooming profusely in our bathroom.
Jared, the oldest grandson, and Keri, our oldest granddaughter, had a great time together. Last weekend we went to his high school spring musical, Mary Poppins. The following day, after getting those bushes out, Jared tried his best to hit Keri’s wild wiffle ball pitches (one that had to be rescued from the roof) and they had some impressive exercise challenges. As if push-ups aren’t hard enough, imagine doing hand clap push-ups! {The thought takes me back to the old broken bench feeling}
Our favorite time to visit Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery is Memorial Day weekend when all of the graves are decorated with an American flag. Both my parents are interred here. A perfect place to find a bench, remember loved ones and the Veterans that gave their service for our freedom.
Haven’t had much time with the littles through all of these changes but John snapped this pic of Chloe sleeping soundly the last time she was over. Playing it tiring work!
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Psalm 40:3

Amish Peanut Butter Spread

By Lorraine

Easy to make recipe for Amish Peanut Butter Spread. Sweet, creamy and great on bread, toast, crackers and apple slices.  This delicious Amish Peanut Butter Spread was just a small part of a delightful day celebrating John’s birthday.  The day included a trip to Lancaster to see a play with precious friends and dinner in a lovely Amish home.  On the table was Amish Peanut Butter Spread.  What a delicious treat!Continue Reading

Our Anniversaries

By Lorraine

Celebrating anniversaries together is lots of fun. These two couples took a cooking class together and not only learned something new but had a blast.
Celebrating anniversaries. What do you do when celebrating your anniversary?  Maybe something different every year. A quiet dinner together? A vacation? Exchange extravagant gifts. Take a walk along your favorite trail? John and I celebrated out 39th wedding anniversary and my cousin, Karen and her husband John will be celebrating their 33rd anniversary early November. So, we decided to spend a day together. We picked Atlantic City because John and I haven’t been there since we were children.

Continue Reading

Little Pigtails

By Lorraine

“Little girls are the nicest things that happen to people. They are born with a little bit of angelshine about them, and though it wears thin sometimes there is always enough left to lasso your heart.”
Alan Beck
{snatched this photo from my daughter’s fb because it totally melts my heart}

Love each other deeply

By Lorraine

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.
Matthew 19:5-6

Our sweet niece, Courtney married her beloved, Steve this weekend
 the ceremony (above photos from my sister-in-law’s facebook page)
(above photos from my sister-in-law’s facebook page)
 dancing with her dad
(Wes is my husband’s brother)
 Courtney and Wes
(Top) three of our four daughters: Jamie, (who is expecting her seventh baby next month), me, our oldest, Erin and our youngest, Abbey.  Jamie’s twin sister, Jill was not able to travel down for the wedding.

Having fun in the photo booth!
Josh and Jamie, Abbey, John and I. Just couldn’t coax Erin and AJ to join us for this silliness!

do you suppose it was John’s glasses and sombrero that scared them away 😉 

Surprise!

By Lorraine

Jamie had her sonogram yesterday.
But, even she didn’t know the gender of the precious baby soon to join their family.

But I knew!
As planned, the technician kept it secret. She handed me the photo revealing the special news as we left.  
For a fun way to announce the news to her family, I made a cake for them with the answer inside.
Since Jamie and her family are spending a week down the shore (she came back up just for the appointment), I had to prepare two cakes and give her the right cake to take with her.

She sent me these photos of the reveal…

my adorable Jamie… just a little… hesitant… to tell us… she is… expecting… again… baby number… seven… and this time she isn’t having twin sister, Jill share the news for her…  so, she… casually… mentions it… during a text conversation about nothing in particular…

love my girl!
Star Sugar Cookies following this recipe
Piped Frosting in white, pink and blue 
Frosting used for cake:
FROSTING
1 cup shortening
1 cup butter, softened
1 pkg confectioners’ sugar (2 pounds)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 to 5 tablespoons water
In large bowl, cream shortening and butter until light and
fluffy. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla; beat until
smooth. Add enough water to achieve a spreadable consistency.

Time with Daughter No 3.

By Lorraine

Jamie picked me up and took me to dinner Mother’s Day night
With her six children and one on the way, we seldom have uninterrupted conversations 

we ate too much
she told me I have an addiction to sugar/sweets (I think she’s right)
she gave me a chocolate candy bar that I ate on the spot
we talked till the restaurant was nearly empty
i loved every minute spending time with her
thank you, jamie!
for all of my children…
“I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always, 
As long as I’m living, 
my baby you’ll be.”
Robert N. Munsch, Love You Forever

they call me mom

By Lorraine

my blessings…
Erin Lee ~ Jill Arlene ~ Jamie Lorraine ~ Abbey Diane
~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ 
The Lord bless you

and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26


If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been.
Robert Brault

PopPop, will you teach me…

By Lorraine

how to shave…

Noticing facial hair on his face, our 15 year old grandson turned to his PopPop for instruction.
 Realizing the honor and blessing that Jared wants to share a milestone in his life with him, John gathered together a new razor, shave cream and after shave and the two of them headed to the bathroom
where they lathered up and began
 instructions included stern advice about sliding the razor sideways and how (in guy talk) it would make hamburger of his face. If that should happen, he showed him his handy-dandy styptic pencil

men stuff continued
then the inevitable… a nick
some repair and an inspection
rinsing…drying
finishing with good smelling stuff
then it was off to home depot
their relationship is a gift
Oh, that we would continually use our gifts to influence our grandchildren on things eternal

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
Deuteronomy 4:9 

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