Our 11 year old son is named Walsh. He is such an incredible child. SO loving, so neat, so amazing that he makes everyone his friend and everyone wants to be HIS friend. Walsh is a teddy bear.  He was sitting around one day and came up with this:

W    Will

A     Always

L      Love

S      Share

H      Help

Isn't he amazing???? I really hope to find someone to help me get my pictures small enough to post. I don't know how and I'd love for you all to see these boys!!!!!!

~~~~

He baseball team is the Beaverdam Mudcats. They look just like their name sounds!!!!! They haven't won a whole ton of games but it's small-town ball; they play each other, on the same field, and just rotate the 3 teams. I love this! There is no pressure to win or to be the best; the just play ball.

I am filled with so much admiration for our sons!!!

     There attitudes are so great and uplifting to our own household and to others outside the home. They are the same away from home as they are at home. They love to serve and live to serve. They make each other brothers for life. They not only say the scout motto, but live it every day, behind closed doors when no other, except God, can see them. They treat me well, respect me, honor me, and think of me first.  They are hard workers and although at times they slack a little, generally they are the hardest working boys that I know. They pray at night without me telling them too. They read their Bibles at night, in their own rooms, with a flashlight, right before they fall asleep. They run for their Bibles when they get ready for Sunday School and are sad when they cannot find them. They wrestle with each other but not to harm one another. They speak well of their Father, instead of resenting him for being gone 5 days a week and having not been home yet for a single on of those ball games because he has to work away from home. They teach their younger brothers the value of each other's company by reading to them (4 and 15 mos), playing blocks, sword fighting and taking them for "slow" rides on various outdoor riding bikes.

Am I boasting? Well, the Bible tells us not to do that...... Am I proud? Well, I don't want to be that either...... Am I trying to make you feel less than me because I have great kids? Of course not!

But, I will say this much. Every day that they live their lives, as well as they do and as excellent as they do, just makes me want to be a better person myself.  I will continue to raise these boys and not see them as good boys, but great boys, because that is just the truth. I'm grateful for our sons who, I believe, live their lives well. They bring me so much joy that I want to burst with laughter.

HOWDY!

Let's see........

     Our oldest son, Dean (15) is working on a farm this summer. I drop him off at 7 a.m. or a little earlier and I pick him up around 3:45 in the afternoon. He is milking cows, moving hay, painting outbuildings, feeding chickens, collecting eggs, and a whole ton of other stuff. It's the best thing for him and he LOVES it. He works M-F, so it's a full-time job.

His arms are really getting strong, so he likes that part.

He opened up his checking account and he is saving nearly 80%, giving his 10% and spending 10%.  This week he wants to go see a movie with his brother. He said that he'll cover the tickets and popcorn. Walsh, the 11 year old is so excited about getting to do that. He misses Dean during the day.

In addition, Dean has to keep up with his chores at home and his summer school studies. It's a great load but it's nothing that he cannot handle, nor any boy his age should complain about. I'm SO proud of him!!!!!!!!! He is also in charge of the farm when the family goes away. Pretty neat.

This week my husband and the two older boys were to be at Boy Scout camp. They didn't get to go, but it turns out that was for the better. I know at first they were sad about it because they go every year. Also, my husband had taken off this week for his vacation to spend it at scout camp with the boys,

Well, God's hand is always better than ours, isn't it??

I woke up on the Fourth of July, vomitting and very ill. After two days in bed with a very high fever, body aches, UGH, it hurts to think about it. I am feeling about 25% better. I am so thankful that my husband, who is always gone m-f every week, was here to take care of the little children because I couldn't. This is the worst flu that I have ever had. After I write this, I am going back to sleep. My wonderful husband set up the computer laptop so that I could check my email in bed. I don't know what I would have done had he not been home.

At first, we didn't understand why things worked out the way they did. But, we get it now. It's just my God's sensitive hand of caring for me, he caused my husband to be home. And, eventhough it really stinks to be this sick, I can barely turn my head or my body without intense body ache, I am grateful. I am full of joy for the praises I sang in that very cold bath to bring down my fever. I am thankful for, eventhough it takes me longer to get well without a spleen, that I have my life!!!!!!

Yesterday, my husband told me that there was something that I HAD to see. He said that I MUST get out of bed to see this. I was so weak that I felt like I had aged to be 100.  I couldn't stand on my own, but he held me all the way, down the hall and out the back door, still not telling me what he was going to show me. Well, that precious little fig tree, that meant so much to me as a gift, that had died, was, to my suprise, budding new leaves. It revived my heart so much that I can hardly express it.

I had taken advantage of my time in bed by reading my Bible, praying and just pondering God's faithfulness and goodness. He is SO good.

My heart if full of JOY today because I have so much in my life that it's bursting with new growth!!!!!!

I had to share it.

Love and JOY, as always,

Shannon

I was reading this morning in John 21 about Simon-Peter.

       Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?"

I imagined in my head what it would have been like for Peter. The wild pain of his emotions, the words of Jesus penetrating his heart, and the deafening quiet

of the others who were watching Peter's lips; waiting for his response to the Lord's question. 

{Jesus was making him breakfast and suddenly.....the question!!! Peter might have had a mouth full of fish!! Aren't we caught off-guard sometimes by people or by God??}

      Three times Peter responded, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

Jesus was searching for more than a simple answer. He was waiting for Peter to say with his heart, 'Yes, Lord, I am committed to you for life.'

Love is so generalized today, in our age, that we miss the point that Christ was bringing forth. As wives, mothers, teachers, sisters, and friends we wake up daily with that same commitment glaring us in the face, asking    'Will you do it again today?'

Incredibly, the translation of that particular 'love' of which Jesus was speaking is translated agapao, sygnifying love of commitment, a love of the will.   How awesome!!!! (verses 15-19 in John 21)

Peter may have been a man, but we, as women can testify that we get this one! We know that type of love because it's what Jesus asks of us every day. It's required of us in our daily callings.

In addition, Christ said.. that if we love Him this way that we will show it by tending and feeding His sheep.  That is the epitomy of what we do every single day. I don't know about you, but there are days when I am so weary in "well doing" that I don't do very well. LOL! Good thing God has such a sense of laughter about Him.

     Jesus said in the end, "Follow Me."

I desire to love in this way. To be a follower. To look Jesus in the eye, and say with confidence that I will love Him this way, no matter what, no matter how trialsome.

*******

Have a great day. Accept the freedom!!!!!!!! Embrace His Joy, it's another NEW DAY!!!!!!!!!!

Shannon

A late night thought...

 ~~~~~Over the last few whiles, ( been a "while"...)   The Good Lord has been teaching me about selflessness. Less of ME, more of HIM.  I praise Him for His goodness, not mine.

I praise Him for His mercy, not mine. I thank Him for His grace and favor, not mine.

I so desperately want to be able to answer that telephone, see that face of a friend, hug that difficult family member, or whomever, and think of them first. I want to be self-less. That is my prayer for today.

```````Oh that I may be less, and that HE may be more.

This is a much-needed redirection for the day, that God is revealing to me. It's a renewing of the mind, and, funny enough, seems to take place late, in the wee hours.

Perhaps because I have conviction about my behavior. The fact that times are hard and I had times of plenty in my life. Perhaps this conviction is Jesus sitting down with me, looking me in the face and saying to me.. "It's ALL about ME." Yes, I know this is true in my heart.

Am I making any sense at all, or is this, once again a rambling lesson in progress.

Thanks for listening.

Shannon

Thank you God for the rain on our garden today.

It's gorgeous here in sweet Virginia.

I want to thank all of my incredible e-friends for sending me comments to boost my spirits! I love ya'll!

My hubby is home, has been since Friday night, but he will be leaving again at 3:30 a.m., and off for another long week.  I am so grateful that he is such a hard worker and that we are so blessed to have such an incredible man, who loves The Lord, to lead the family.

I saw the coolest thing on AOL today. Now, I don't normally think that AOL has great stories, BUT....  I was so shocked, and thrilled, to hear that Stephen Baldwin, the actor, has come to Christ in the last few years.

~This guy is ON FIRE for The Lord, it's incredible. Check out his site and his new book @ stephenbaldwin.com

It's amazing how God is using this celebrity!

 Anyway, I found joy in reading that his housekeeper brought his wife to The Lord and then later, Stephen's wife, by her Godly conduct, just as it states in 1Peter 3, won him over by her quiet spirit.

I love it!

~~~~~

Well, again, I just appreciate you all so much and love you dearly.

JOY, and more joy,

Pressing on for THE PRIZE,

Shannon