My Life — Janets Journal

It is Not Death to Die

6 Dec posted by Janet

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Revelation 21:4

I had intended on posting something every day, or at least every other day, but since my last post, we have had 2 deaths in our church family, both on the same day. Mrs. M, who I mentioned in the last post, went to be with the Lord with her dear husband holding her in the early morning hours. In the late evening, we got word that Mr. M (no relation to Mrs. M above) had suddenly passed. The news left us all pretty shaken in our small church. As our pastor said, we are shaken, but we are not moved. We have been so busy ministering to these families as best we can. We are tired and are trying to rest.

Mr. M was a loving, kind, and gentle man. Like the other couple, he had a close, beautiful relationship with his wife, and often teased back and forth with her. He was so faithful and true as a Christian, and he chose to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ during his funeral, rather than having someone talk about himself. His wife was a close friend of my mom as teenagers, and Mr. M was a close friend to my dad. It is a great loss to their family and to our church.

Our pastor’s wife testified that both of the couples were what God intended marriage to be. They loved each other, depended on each other, and were proud to have the other as their spouse. Their hearts are indeed broken, as the other half of their heart is now gone.

At our Ladies Conference a few months ago, I heard this beautiful song, “It is Not Death to Die” by Sovereign Grace Music. It’s a favorite, and I’d like it to be sung at my funeral.

It is not death to hear
The key unlock the door
That sets us free from mortal years
To praise You evermore

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Filed Under: Christian Life, Encouraging Quotes, My Life, Recommended Music

A Beautiful Autumn

26 Nov posted by Janet

“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter . . . to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring—these are some of the rewards of the simple life.”
—John Burroughs

It has been a quiet, but productive day here. My girls have been with their father and his family all afternoon and evening. I’ve relished the quiet and have gotten a lot done. I do miss my girls and am looking forward to hearing about their adventures. They should be very chatty, especially since they’ve gone to the mall.:)

I’ve spent much time on video chat with my man, so that we can keep each other company. It is very enjoyable to go about our routines and visit with each other. We used to call through Skype, but have found that Google Video through Gmail is more reliable for us.

I wanted to share some pictures of Fall around Hidden Pines. Although not nearly as vibrant as that in other parts of our country, I still love the beauty that God has given us right here.

Very soon, my friend Autumn will kiss us goodbye and Winter will take its place. I’m going to think Autumn thoughts for a few more days.:)

“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.”
—William Cullen Bryant

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Filed Under: Autumn, Life at Hidden Pines, My Life

A Wonderful Fall

25 Nov posted by Janet

It is good to be up in the quiet this morning, after such a busy Thanksgiving Day yesterday. I have been longing to get up before my family to have some time to think and just be. Although my children are not young and as needy as they once were, I find that I still do better as a mother when I get a head start on the day alone. I’m an introvert and need a lot of time to myself.

It’s cool this morning, and the sun has come up beautifully to greet the blue sky. I’m so glad to be home today. I’ve made a list of things I need to get done. I’ve not been getting much done lately, and I’m hoping getting up before everyone else will help remedy that. There will be no Black Friday shopping for me. I’d much rather pay a bit more for something, and get it in peace, than to have to fight crowds and traffic.:)

I’m excited for all the goodness my Lord has bestowed on us in the last few months. It looks like I will not be a single woman for much longer. I’ve been on my own for 11 years now. I’m so weary. (Sometimes I wonder if that may be why I don’t feel as motivated as I used to.) The man I have loved for many years now is preparing for our future. He lives in another state, and it’s been very hard not to see each other often like “normal” couples. We will not know how to act, to be able to see each other every day. It can’t happen soon enough. Holidays have been the worst. I cannot wait to spend a normal holiday season with him. My girls are so excited. They love him dearly. He’s done so much for them in so many ways. He is a wise man that they respect and can seek advice from and Christian counsel. The rest of my family, along with my friends, is very excited, too.

I recently visited my Tim for my birthday. Even though it was late in the season, I was just mesmerized by the beauty of the foliage there. We have some autumn beauty here, but nothing like what I saw there. What a gift God has given us in the different seasons! All of the pictures on this entry are from my trip there. Click on them for a larger view.:)

For my birthday, Tim took me to see the Titanic Artifact Exhibition. I’ve been very interested in the story of Titanic for many years, so it was so fascinating to see actual artifacts brought up from so deep in the ocean. Tim and I were given tickets with actual passenger names and information. I was a Miss Jean in first class, while Tim was a Mr. Richard in second class. After the tour, you could check the passenger list to see if you survived or not. I survived, while Tim did not. After the tour, we got to visit a zoo. I loved seeing the animals, but enjoyed the leaves so much more. I took so many pictures and am awaiting my printed photos to be delivered so I can work on my scrapbook.

What did you have on your Thanksgiving menu? My parents made a ham, butter beans, stuffing, and sweet tea. My sister-in-law made her wonderful mashed potatoes (My youngest daughter and I can make a meal off them!), and some ready-made key lime pie and cheesecake and lemonade. My middle daughter made homemade yeast rolls with honey butter and a Honey Bun Cake (We use a recipe similar to this one.). My youngest daughter made 2 Hershey Bar Pies. I roasted the turkey and made Sweet Potato Soufflé, and bought a ready-made pecan pie. We ate so much that many of us could not eat supper! We had a blessed time with our dear family. My girls will be having another Thanksgiving feast with their father and his family tomorrow. I will take the advice of my friend, Mary Jo Tate at Single Parents At Home, and will not be sad, but make the most of it and enjoy myself.

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Filed Under: Life at Hidden Pines, My Life, Recipes, Single Mothers, Thanksgiving

A Month of Thanksgiving – The Desires of Our Hearts

22 Nov posted by Janet

“Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4).

I am so thankful for God granting the desires of our hearts, even when they are not prayed for. For instance, I’ve always wanted curly hair, but was not born with it. I’d never heard of anyone growing curly hair that was not born with it, and never prayed for my hair to be curly. After I met my girls’ father, I found that his hair had been totally straight as a child—we have pictures to prove this—but completely kinked up as he went through puberty. This was the first and only instance that I had heard of this happening. As an adult, I got perms about once a year to get the curls I wanted. I stopped getting permanents several years ago, because I was concerned about the health risks of the chemicals involved. To my utter surprise, over a year ago, my hair started getting curly. Most of my hair has soft curls now. I can comb it out straight, or dampen it and let it dry into curls on its own. Perhaps it has been a change of my hormones; I just don’t know, but I keep thanking God for giving me the desire of my heart, even when I did not pray for it! Sometimes I still can’t believe it—after all those years of getting perms!

I’d always wanted a little girl with curls, but none of my girls had curls. I was disappointed, but did not pray about it; I just accepted it. Lo, and behold, my middle daughter has hair just like her father’s. It was straight until she got to be about 13, but then has curled up into beautiful tight ringlets. God again gave me the desire of my heart, even though I’d already given up on it, and it was years down the road.

When I was expecting my second child, I wanted my oldest daughter to have a little sister, because I had not had the joy of having a sister. I did pray for her to get a sister, but was totally surprised when God did answer this voiced desire of my heart. I couldn’t believe that I could be so blessed! During the third pregnancy, I again wanted another daughter, so that my children could enjoy being sisters. I was so shocked to find out during an ultrasound that I was having another girl! I was thrilled and over the moon! If I had remained married, I would have loved to have had some boys, because I think boys need brothers, but that was not to pass. It looks like I’ll get my boys when my daughters marry someday.:)

Would you like to join me for A Month of Thanksgiving?

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Filed Under: A Month of Thanksgiving, Christian Life, Encouraging Quotes, My Life