Happy Birthday to Me,

Happy Birthday to Me,

Happy Birthday to Me...................................

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!  AND MANY MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love my birthday. I don't love it for the gifts, or the cake, or..oh wait, I don't get cake on my birthday unless I make it for myself! LOL  No, really, I love my birthday BECAUSE it's a gift.  One of the traditions in my family is that my siblings and my mom all call each other on our birthday. We don't get gifts for each other for Christmas or our birthdays (we are each one of 6), but we call each other, because we know each of us is special, and we want each other to know that. We all wait for the calls as they come in, and when one calls, they want to know which # call they are. My little brother (who thinks he's my big brother only because he's taller than me *g*) is always the first call, as he was this morning. He doesn't want to forget by later in the day, so he calls right away in the morning. I don't often talk to my brothers (I have 4 of them), so it's truly a TREAT and a blessing to get to talk to them on my birthday, all 4 in one day!!! 

I have one sister. She and I are closer than close can be. Today is the celebrated day for Veteran's Day so we have off from school. We're going to watch Christmas Movies  (The Polar Express and Christmas with the Kranks), drink hot chocolate, and eat popcorn, and have homemade chicken noodle soup for lunch (courtesy of my mommy). :-)  It's a girl's day with her grandaughters (my great nieces), my Sarah, my mommy, and my sissy. I can't think of a better way to spend my birthday to be honest!  It's the simple joys of my life that are the biggest blessings of all!

I was thinking about my birthday today. I'm 43 years old! My brother said, you're Richard Petty's # today, and I said, so that means that *I'm KING!*  LOL  So many people get upset as they get older. I don't. Oh yes, there are the pangs of, where  has the time gone, and my goodness I'm really getting older, but I don't look at my birthday as a drudgery or with dread. I am SO HAPPY that the Lord has given me yet another birthday to celebrate my life here on earth!!!  But most of all to me, years are just a fleeting measure of time.  GOD'S time is infinite, and my measly years in number here in earth are such a short blink of an eye in the grand scheme of His plan.  So I don't want to waste them with a worldly attitude toward my life. My life is a GIFT.  If God hadn't formed me, and made me with love as He did, I wouldn't have the GIFT OF LIFE so that I can be a member and part of HIS glorious Kingdom forever.  Now THAT is a gift that can NEVER be matched!!! THAT is my gift...day after day...year after year, and the only gift that matters to me.  All the others are a blessing, but my  TRUE GIFT is the GIFT of my life.....the TRUE GIFT is GOD Himself!!!  

Isaiah 43:7:
^"And every one that calleth upon my name, I have created him for my glory, I have formed him, and made him."

Psalm 139

O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 
      You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
         You understand my thought from afar. 
      You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
         And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 
      Even before there is a word on my tongue,
         Behold, O LORD, You know it all. 
      You have enclosed me behind and before,
         And laid Your hand upon me. 
      Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
         It is too high, I cannot attain to it. 
      Where can I go from Your Spirit?
         Or where can I flee from Your presence? 
      If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
         If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 
      If I take the wings of the dawn,
         If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 
      Even there Your hand will lead me,
         And Your right hand will lay hold of me. 
      If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
         And the light around me will be night," 
      Even the darkness is not dark to You,
         And the night is as bright as the day
         Darkness and light are alike to You. 
      For You formed my inward parts;
         You wove me in my mother's womb. 
      I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
         Wonderful are Your works,
         And my soul knows it very well. 
      My frame was not hidden from You,
         When I was made in secret,
         And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 
      Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
         And in Your book were all written
         The days that were ordained for me,
         When as yet there was not one of them. 
      How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
         How vast is the sum of them! 
      If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand
         When I awake, I am still with You. 
      O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
         Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. 
      For they speak against You wickedly,
         And Your enemies take Your name in vain. 
      Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD?
         And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 
      I hate them with the utmost hatred;
         They have become my enemies. 
      Search me, O God, and know my heart;
         Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 
      And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
         And lead me in the everlasting way.

Scripture Verse of the Day:

"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him."  Nahum 1:7

Today's scripture is the first reading for Mass. It has me pondering just how often I worry about the good or bad that others are doing, when I need to be thinking much more about what I am doing! As I read this scripture, a song keeps going through my mind; scripture often does this to me.

At the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow,

Every tongue confess Him, King of Glory now.

Jesus is LORD!!! King of Glory now!

Rom 14:7-12

Brothers and sisters:
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.
For if we live, we live for the Lord,
and if we die, we die for the Lord;
so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
For this is why Christ died and came to life,
that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Why then do you judge your brother or sister?
Or you, why do you look down on your brother or sister?
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;
for it is written:

As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.

So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.

May the Lord bless you today, may He make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. May He look upon you kindly, and give you His peace. Amen!

Wow! It's true what they say about time flying by faster the older you get!!! I'm about to turn 43 years old, and I can barely catch my breath with the busyness and chaos of this year, I'll tell ya!  It seems a day's gone in a blink of an eye, and some days seem a complete blur to me!  That's a shame, because I really want to slow down and enjoy my life more, and appreciate all of its' blessings. I DO appreciate all of its' blessings, but I want to ENJOY them as well!

Well, this fall was at least more fallish than last. Last year was the menacing October Surprise Storm that fell on us literally, with tree limbs cracking and swishing to the ground, causing chaos, sadness, some devastation, and having to dig down deep for patience to endure it!  But we've endured, and another Autumn season is upon us, with the tree leaves that are from the remaining limbs beginning to turn color and fall to the ground in a pretty display of God's awesome creation! It's my very favorite season of the year!

Yes, Sarah and I have begun watching Christmas movies, and listening to Christmas songs. I have begun my Christmas shopping, and crafting, and looking forward to the hope and joy that comes with remembering the Christ Child, come to earth to teach us about His Father.  Now He teaches me daily in my quest to know Him more and more each day, and reminds me of how much He loves me to give me the grace to live in a world so filled with ungodliness and evil. I am grateful for the hope that is Jesus.

I'm planning to write more on my blog, because I enjoy writing so much. I enjoy reading others' blogs, and learning about and from other people too. I hope and pray for each of you that you too will slow down, and ENJOY the blessings that God gives you every single day!

       What a bittersweet year this is!  I remember the day our oldest began preschool, and the day he ended preschool. I remember having to make the most difficult decision ever....where he'd go to school for Kindergarten!  I remember the Lord's call to homeschool very clearly, and the deer in the headlights feeling I had when I answered yes! The years have passed by so fast my head is spinning, and I find myself feeling like a deer caught in the headlights once again as we enter our oldest's last year of homeschooling, with the whole wide world ahead of him at the end of this year. What a bittersweet year this will be for me.

         This year, I have a 12th grader, a 10th grader, and a 7th grader. My elementary years are now officially over, and Jr. High and High school 'R Us! This is the scariest, most difficult thing I've ever done in my life, but I'm thankful every day for His mercy, and His never leaving me ill equipped to run the race to which He's called me.  So, here is what our final year together, all three kids and mom will look like:

Jake- 12th grade-History- 1/2 year Govt.- Government 101 Packet from CBD, Ben's Guide to Govt. website, plus many other resources, 1/2 year Economics- Understanding Economics by Walch as guide, Walter Williams articles (he fills in sometimes for Rush Limbaugh and is an economics professor), plus other resources, Science- Physics- Apologia Physics, Creative Writing, Literature, and Composition- Write with the Best (www.edups.com), reading list of literature, Spanish II- Prentice Hall Paso a Paso, Computer- Java for Dummies, learning powerpoint and other computer programs, Music Performance- sing with adult choir at church in tenor section, guitar lessons and practice, some Beautiful Feet History of Music, Religion- Compendium of the Catechism, Beginning Apologetics series

Zach- 10th grade- History- Trisms, Expansion of Civilizations (www.trisms.com), English- Trisms, Hands on English,IEW or Write with the Best, Math- Saxon Algebra 2, Science- Apologia Chemistry, Trisms, Health- 1/2 year-  MODG, Religion (see Jake above), SpanishII- Prentice Hall, Paso a Paso, Music Performance- harmonica and daily practice, participation in homeschool ensemble, sing with adult choir at church in tenor section Computer Science- Computer Science Pure and Simple by Phyllis Wheeler (www.motherboardbooks.com)

Sarah- 7th grade- History/Geography- American History (1850-present) using many resources and literature, Trisms History Makers, Math- Life of Fred books, English- Hands on English, Drawn Into the Heart of Reading Science- Rainbow, God's Design Science, literature, Health- Seton, Art- Homeschool Art Guy videos, plus many other resources, Music- adult choir at church in soprano section, guitar lessons, participation in homeschool ensemble, some Beautiful Feet History of Music, Religion (see above)

My BEST find this year: the Mead Five Star Flex Hybrid Notebinder...*acts like a notebook, works like a binder*.  I am using these to make our own planners this year, one for each child for their daily lesson sheets, reading records, etc., and one for me divided in three, one section for each with attendence records, planning for the year, etc. I love these, and have been wanting something like this for YEARS!  I made my own planners using all of the best planning sheets I've found on the web for free, or bought, and I'm THRILLED with the result! FINALLY, something that I think I'll finally USE!

I am praying for a wonderful, happy, and blessed school year for all of you and your families this year! May the Lord bless you with ABUNDANT JOY this year in your homeschool!!!

Wow!  It's incredible how fast time flies! I wish I could write more right now, but I can't.  This summer is rolling along SO fast with baseball, extended family obligations, and things just popping up almost every day! I can't get anything done that I need to get done! Ah well, such is life............. will come back soon to post more.

    What a beautiful day in sunny Buffalo, NY!  It's a heatwave where the high today is supposed to be 39 degrees!!! It feels WARM here today after a long spell of frigid temperatures in the single digits, and double digit below zero wind chills.  It's a welcome change, and brings the hope of Spring with it.

    It's all in the perception. In Florida the other day, I saw that it was in the thirties for temperatures. There, that was frigid! Here, it's a heat wave! It's all in the perception, and where you're coming from. And that's true of many people these days as well.

    What we perceive someone to be, may not truly be what we see, and often, it depends on where they're coming from. It's so easy to judge someone quickly, harshly, and sometimes unfairly. I for one need to work on that daily, because I know it's an easy thing for me to do, and something I know that God does not want me to do.  I need to try to do better to see others with the eyes of Jesus, and love them with His love. I'll do my very best to leave the judging to Him, and know that He indeed is in control!

    May the Lord bless and keep you in His love today, and as you feel the hope of Spring coming, may you feel the hope of the Lord envelop you and bring you joy.

        There have been so many people these days saying so many things. It's almost like we have information overload. Everybody has an opinion, and we're surrounded with *experts* telling us we have no choice but to be tolerant, telling us how to raise our children, how to vote, how to drive, what to drive, what we're allowed to believe, what we're not allowed to believe, and how to live. We're at the point where even breathing causes some disease or another!

       Not too long ago, you could trust the news you watched to be accurate, and not judgmental. You could trust doctors to give good advice and listen to your concerns without judging the type of parent you are. You could trust teachers to teach, and inspire to learn. You could trust religious leaders to study hard, and give you good, solid information that you could understand and rely on to make your faith stronger, and you could trust their counsel. And you could trust most of our country's leaders to lead with conviction, honor, and dignity, with only concern for the people for which they served.

        What's happened? What's happened to our country? The world has always had it's problems, and our country is not perfect. But what's happened to the country which I have always known and loved?  It saddens me to now live in a country where SO many of the people to whom we looked up to while growing up, and who cared so much about the people they selflessly served, now, instead of holding the respect and honor they earned and deserved, instead hold HUGE selfish agendas in its' place.

       These people in important positions of service to God and to others, are now instead serving only themselves, making themselves their own god-like figures. They are the examples that our children are watching, who instead of being able to point to as a good example, we now must point to instead as a sad, selfish example of one we would never want to emulate. We see them, and instead of smiling, we become deeply sad with pity at the state if their soul. Instead of offering prayers of gratitude for the people and example they are to us, we now pray fervently for the state of their soul instead.

         Today, it's OUR responsibility, and takes countless hours for us to delve into the information overload to research the truth, because the truth is so skewed by selfish opinion, judgment, and by not so hidden agendas that trample it constantly. It takes much effort, and causes us to become weary and faint of heart sometimes. Instead of trusting doctors, we have to research for the truth about our own medical situation. Instead of trusting those that are supposed to deliver the news, we have to research many resources to try to find a balanced truth in every story. Instead of trusting teachers, we have to research the facts which have been replaced and hijacked by one's opinion instead. And sadly, sometimes, instead of trusting preachers, we often have to research many resources to find the truth of what God truly teaches us.

        Not long ago, what people SAID mattered. Selfless action, along with trustworthy words made up someone we could look up to and aspire to be. Today, those persons in places of important positions of serving others are becoming an extinct species.  What we say DOES matter! What we say has an incredible impact on society, on our country, and on the world. God will ask not only for an accounting of our actions, but also an accounting of our words.  I want what I say to have meaning. I want others to be able to listen to what I say and trust it.  Because it's ONLY then that God is able to speak through us...................................

Life has been interesting. It always is when the entire family is sick!   Sarah was sick on Christmas Eve, and was sick for three weeks! The boys were all sick, in fact, Jake is still coughing, and it's lingering. I have been sick for weeks now as well, but am feeling worse instead of better, so I decided that because I've been pushing myself way too hard, I'm going to stand up for my health, and cancel my day's plans to stay home, and get myself better. I need to make my health a priority, and so today begins that.

We had a wonderful Christmas. It was great to spend time with both families, and of course, our favorite Christmas Eve Mass. And we'd much rather miss New Year's Eve than Christmas, so all in all, we are very blessed. We had fun playing games on New Year's Eve, snug at home, even while sick, and it was a blessing.

We're back to school now, back to the schedule. Zach and Sarah began ensemble again, and Sarah, her guitar lessons. Onward and Upward is my cry, and so here we go, bracing for the second half of our year on this wonderful journey.

Having just celebrated Epiphany, I'm thinking about their journey as we journey as a family, trying to do our best to get to Jesus as well!

I just want to thank my friend Tamara for making my blog SO beautiful!!!!  It really reflects me so well!  I love SO many things.... dolphins, music, snowmen, nature, reading, and birds. It's really hard to choose how you want your blog to capture YOU. It's so difficult to capture someone perfectly, but Tamara has an amazing way of making one's blog fit them so amazingly well, and I'm SO grateful for her talent, and her friendship.  Thank you, Tamara, from the bottom to the tippy top of my heart for your gift to me, and for your friendship.  

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!!! What a wonderful Christian man he was....a beautiful example of the giving love of Jesus! You can read about St. Nicholas, and the wonderful example to us he should be here:

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=38

Holy Bishop St. Nicholas lived faraway
Near the Aegean Sea is where Turkey did lay.
Travel back with us now to a time long ago.
We will visit his country, his life we will know.

 We remember this saint, such a holy, good man.
Be like him in charity, do all that you can.
Many miracles Nicholas hastened to do,
Helping people in need with gifts that were new.

Bishop Nicholas traveled to Nicea town,
Where the Creed would be written, to us handed down.
During church every Sunday, we stand for the Creed.
Thank you Bishop St. Nicholas, for doing this deed.

Sailors tossed in the wind and the storms of the sea,
Saw a vision of Nicholas who guided them free.
Now patron of sailing, they remember him yet.
Many icons and pictures with fisherman's net.

Giving money to poor girls, so marry could they,
Made our Nicholas famous, remembered today.
With dowry in hand, soon they were wed.
"God bless you and keep you," St. Nicholas said.

Kid's patron in Germany, Netherlands, too.
Asks that presents be given to children like you.
Their customs are different: they put out their shoes—
Filling them with toys, his coming's good news!

Here stockings are hung by the chimney with care,
In hope that St. Nicholas soon will come there.
Dressed as bishop or Santa, he's one and the same—
Jolly, friendly, good man, we're glad that he came.

Call him "Santa" or "saint," they both mean the same,
For his nickname is Claus, short for Nicholas' name.
Giving gifts was his custom—we still do today.
Deeds done in Jesus' name forever will stay.

Bishop Nicholas still is a hero to all.
Christmas Day, and all others we follow his call,
Bringing gifts and some joy to children in need.
Follow Nicholas today—do a good deed.

—Author Unknown

Blessed Feast of Saint Nicholas to all of you!!!

Monday, Monday.....so good to me.........

Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down...........

Ok, which is it?  I guess Mondays are known to be downer days, but today is sunny here, and that should bring joy to my day.  We're already starting with a daughter who's not a happy camper (can we say TWEEN?)?   We have the first ensemble concert tonight,  and a FOOT of snow looming on the horizon (or somewhere near Cleveland)!

But life is GOOD, and I am full of the joy of the Lord!  Praise God!

               Wow!  How HAPPY the sun can make us! It's been days that seems like weeks since the sun has shown in our area, and it's a welcome site today! With it, it brings smiles, hope, and joy when it shines! I love the sun!

                I'm reminded how the SUN and the SON have much in common. The SON of God is our Lord and Savior. With Him, He brings smiles, hope, and joy whenever we allow Him to shine!  Praise God for the Sun!  Praise God for HIS Son!!! 

      Today, I thank the Lord for my life. I thank Him for my mom, who gave me life.  Today, I have turned 42! Unlike many, aging to me is a blessing, because it means the Lord has given me the gift of another year of life, which is a precious and beautiful! And it brings me another year closer to His ultimate gift, being at His feet, loving Him. Thank you, Lord for my life.

       I am so blessed, and having the day to reflect, I'm thankful for a husband who loves me so much, and talented, beautiful-hearted children who care about and love me, for a mom who's given me so much, and who I admire greatly,  a mom in law who I love and respect, for my sister who not only gives me, but shows me how to love unconditionally every day, for the hugest, most wonderful extended family which I'm thankful for each and every one of, and for some of the most precious and loving friends that I could ever ask for, both here where I live and across the country.

       Presents? Oh, I like presents, and am appreciative for every thoughtful, wonderful present given to me this birthday. But my greatest of all are the PRECIOUS gifts God has given to me......Himself, my wonderful husband, my precious children, my beautiful family, and my incredible friends!  Thank you, Lord, for my gifts.......and for my life! I am very blessed indeed!!!

What a sad day it is indeed!   I thank God that He is ultimately in control, because this country is in a sad state that has just gotten much sadder. Thankfully, my ONLY hope and victory is in Him.

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word."

2 Timothy 2:15

All we can do is do our best to present ourself to God as *one approved*, as we long to hear one day as we stand before Him, *Well done, my good and faithful servant!*

Our hope is in God, not in man. Our devotion is to God, not to man. Man lets us down, and becomes corrupt. We've seen it time and time again. But GOD is the same yesterday, today, and forever............. Alleluia!

I’ve been praying for the entire country, and that the Lord would watch over us all in these elections. I’m just praying that His will be done, and that if/when it’s not, that I’ve done my very best to make His will happen nonetheless.

I’m quite literally SICKENED by this country, and the fact that it’s not only acceptable to kill an innocent, precious life who has no chance to live, with no choice of his/her own, but that SO many unbelievably immoral, despicable people WISH for it to happen!  That just is unfathomable to me, and honestly, I fear for every one of their souls. 

Election Day serves a very important purpose for me. When I vote tomorrow, . I’m voting for those precious angels who will never have the chance to vote themselves, because they’ll never have the chance to live. And I’m voting in honor of the brave men and women who literally put their lives at risk every single day, and the sacrifice that they and their families make,  so that I can walk out of my house, drive to my polling place, and without incident, and very securely vote for whomever *I CHOOSE.*  Praise God for the babies. And Praise God for those who protect my right to vote on behalf the babies.

Though I know Billary, and many like her will win this election, and will relish every vote they cast to allow people to kill precious, innocent lives, it gives me GREAT hope to konw that in the end, it is not her or people with the same moral-less values as she has that will win. GOD will be victorious! Alleluia!

This day always gives me pause to reflect on the state of the country, the state of the world, and to wonder what God is thinking about all of it.  I can’t even fathom not voting. And it makes my heart leap to vote when I think of the brave Iraqi citizens who risked their lives to go vote in their countries. I keep thinking of the purple fingers and smiles that I saw that day. :o) What an privilege we have here in this country to have our voices heard.   

    After writing my last entry about how much I love Autumn, and how it's my favorite season of the year, the *October Surprise Storm* as it's been called here in Amherst, NY hit, and hit HARD on October 12th-13th, obliterating my beautiful, cozy Autumn, and leaving us in a bundle of downed limbs, branches, electric and wires of every kind, and the biggest damage to clean up ever seen in this area!

     Over 400,000 homes were left without power, some for up to 10 days! The death toll was about 13 the last I  heard, thankfully not higher, but still sad for our community nonetheless.  

      Amherst, where we live was the hardest hit area, which was seen by the literally 8 foot average piles of debris piled in front of home after home after home, some of which are still there, waiting to be picked up and hauled away, including our house!

       Our beautiful tree in our backyard is not the same, with about a third of it falling on the roofs and to the ground. It's sad to look around our area, and see the trees have lost the beauty of their form. I'm sure there's a future blog entry all about that to come in the near future.

        But Sarah and I decided to make lemonade out of lemons after the storm!   Because our favorite season was taken away, we're not going to let them get us down! We're looking to our favorite HOLIDAY instead!  So in our home, the CHRISTMAS SEASON has officially already begun!!!! We've already watched three of our favorite Christmas movies, have started listening to Christmas music, and have started our Christmas shopping! We're going ALL OUT for Christmas this year.....more decorating.....more baking and cooking.......more Christmas music......more Christmas shows and movies.....and more Christmas cheer all around!!!!   We are in the Christmas spirit here (well, the girls are, the boys are always bah humbugs).  We're full of the JOY of the Lord, and full in preparation for His Special Day.....His Glorious Birth!!!!    Praise God and Pass the Christmas Cookies!!!!! 

 Autumn is here, and I'm in my happy place!  The trees, the colors, the crisp, cool air, football, Christmas looming on the horizon...it's all a season that makes my heart leap for joy!   I've already started my Christmas planning and shopping, and our homeschool year has gotten off to a pretty good start, which I'm very thankful for.  Marty and I just celebrated our 18th Anniversary yesterday , and I'm so thankful for him as well, and our family. I love times when the peace and joy fill my heart and home. NOT that it's constant, but I'll take what I can get!  May the Lord bless you with a wonderful new season filled with His joy and peace, and precious gifts.

       We're off to a great start this year, and I'm very thankful!  It's such a wonderful time of year with a fresh start, and where old bad habits don't seem to matter as much as they used to.

        Our new year is bringing new habits.....habits I've wanted to instill for a long, long time, but often fail miserably at doing.  This year will be different, I always say!  WHY then, do I think this year really will be different?

        I think this year will be different because of me. My expectations of ME are not as unrealistic as they have been every other year. And my expectations of my children, and of our family are not unrealistic either. I'm using our strengths and talents, gifts from the Lord to make this year the best ever!

       We are off to a great start! And because each day is given to the Lord in prayer before we begin, He's able to lead us to what HE expects, and things are going SO much better than they ever have before! Praise God! :o)

Happy and Blessed Easter to Everyone! :o)

What a glorious day indeed!  We are celebrating the Resurrection and Victory of our Lord today over the grave.  He had the FINAL word, and will have the final word at the end of our days as well.

I am always so surprised with this world, and how it's changed. :o(  There are good changes, but there are so many sad changes as I mature with age. My sister told me she got a coupon while at a store this week, touting a $5.00 off on an order only bought today, Easter Sunday.  It made me sad to even hear that. :o( There was a day when nobody would be expected to work on Easter Sunday!

People used to dress up, and greet the Lord with songs of praise on Easter, with their Easter finest........women dressed in their Easter bonnets!  I still sing the song over and over every Easter as I go about my business getting ready to visit family, or getting brunch ready for our celebration.

More and more every day looks just like any other mundane normal day, it seems. When will people wake up and see what's happening in our world? Just another mundane normal day, pushing the Lord aside, trying to push Him completely out of our world, in hopes He will no longer exist in anyone's mind or heart anymore. Do you remember when Sundays used to be special, different, with a completely different feel than any other during the week?

The Lord is so much merciful than am I. He teaches me mercy daily as I am so often having to seek His for myself. :o\  But I often wonder just how much pain He will take?  How much humility will He allow to come upon Him? How much slapping and spitting in His face will He endure? 

Then I think of the cross. How much pain He DID take. How much humility He DID allow to come upon Him, and How much slapping and spitting in His face He DID endure..........all because of His mercy and love for each and every one of us.

Today, this Easter Sunday, I am reminded once again that the victory was, and continues to be His every day. And I think about how contrary to what so many thought then, and how so many still think today, that JESUS was and continues to be in control and own the victory over the grave. And when we walk the journey with Him, we share the victory with Him, and will continue to share the victory as we enter into His Kingdom at the end of time.

Happy Easter Everyone!  May the love and joy of our Lord, and the promise of His redemption given to each of us by the sacrifice of His life be yours today, this very special and precious Holy Day! :o)