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Today I was looking on the computer and stumbled upon a "blogger" living on Okinawa. It is a 21 (soon to be 22) year old young woman that has only been on Okinawa about 6 months. I knew when I read her blog that we had a bond. Her birthday is near mine..........(I'll let you figure that one out-but you have to read my other blog entries.)
My husband and I were on Okinawa from June 1968 until Dec. 1969. Our son was born there. Okinawa holds a very dear place in my heart for several reasons. First and foremost, It was where I first felt the power of God, and my growth as a Christian. I was saved at 15, but didn't realize how God was working in my life. When you go 14,000 miles away from your family, and you are pregnant for the first time, at 20 years of age you only have one way to go with God and that is "up". I had never felt so alone and homesick in my entire life. So all I had (besides my wonderful husband) was God. And I learned really fast what total dependance on God meant.
Our son was born 3 months after I arrived. At which time we had gotten plugged in to the chapel at Torii Station. The chaplain there at the time, Col. Warren Stewart, was a wonderful Christian man and preached just what God layed on his heart,and it was what I needed to hear.
May each of you have a blessed Thanksgiving this year. Remember the good times in your life, especially the times that you were closest to God. Miss Martha
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Today my little girl turns 35. Her Dad had to be in the town where she lives today so he took her and her two wee ones to lunch. As I sat eating alone in a wonderful local diner my cell phone rang and my husband anounced that there were small ones that wanted to talk to me. The 3 year old granddaughter was so excited about the day's festivities and the fact of eating lunch with "Grandpa" (who pays by the way) that when she got on the phone her little voice was just going 90 miles per hour. I could only make out a word here and there, "Grandpa", "lunch", "waiting", "fun", "Mommy's birthday". You get the picture. Finally, I was able to convince her to let someone else have a turn at talking. Her 5 year old brother was next. I asked if they had sung Happy Birthday to their Mother and he said no. So I asked did he know it was his Mommy's birthday. And of course he did, but the more important question was, "Miss Martha how did you know it's my Mommy's birthday?" So I tried to explain that his Mommy was my little girl, just like he was his Mommy's little boy. I guess that satisfied him, because he said, "Bye Miss Martha, I love you.".
This afternoon after my husband's meetings he will venture out to the Fire Station where our son is a firefighter. His 38th birthday will be next week and again I will be at work in another state so his Dad, my husband will deliver his birthday present to him today. This is a man that is extremely hard to buy for, for any occasion. He's very much like his grandfather, my Dad (God rest his soul). He doesn't need anything, if he does, he'll buy it himself, so why spend unnecessary money on him when we could spend it on his children. He does have a point, but Mom's like buying gifts for their children. I've already started trying to determine what I'm going to get him for Christmas next month. I have so far been able to come up with items that he seems genuinely pleased to get. Wish me luck!!!
Then there's my birthday. You may remember reading a previous blog on this website that my daughter was convinced as a small child that my birthday was on Thanksgiving every year. Well, just to keep her happy, my twin sister and I will celebrate our 59th birthday on Thanksgiving this year. Yea!!!
In addition to the three birthday's in my immediate family we also are blessed with the following: An aunt on 1st. and her brother on 3rd. a nephew 5th a sister on the 13th an aunt on the 14th a cousin on the 17th a niece on the 20th another cousin on the 29th
I guess February is a cold month............
Blessings to you on your birthday whenever it is.... Miss Martha
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Have you ever set a goal, only to keep putting it off.........when we set a goal there needs to be a definate time table for reaching that goal.....
Take cleaning out the garage. My husband and I have lived in our current house for 6 1/2 years and we have only been able to put one car in the garage at a time. The half with all the "stuff" is mainly that..."stuff".
Our next door neighbors moved in just over a year ago and had boxes upon boxes of "stuff' to go through and clean out from a house they had lived in for over 17 years. Now they had "stuff". I remember when they moved in, Janie (not her real name) worked diligently everyday to get all those boxes cleaned out. She announced with great pride when she would finish a room. I admire her so much for her ability to continue until every box was emptied.
Now back to our garage.......anyway, we have mentioned and I use the word loosely, about setting aside a Saturday or a day off to clean out the garage only to have the day come and we would have many more things which we felt were much more important or more fun than cleaning out the garage.
A couple of weeks ago my husband was teaching our Sunday School class on a series by Dr. Charles Stanley about "Wealth and Success". Our success in God's eyes is not measured by the amount of money we have, nor the number of material possessions we have, but on our relationship with Him. This particular lesson was on setting goals and sticking with them. My husband was reminded about the many times we had "set the goal" to clean out the garage...and told the class about it.
When you promise God you are going to do something whether it is for the secular world or something directly related to Him then you really should follow through with it. And if you ask Him, He will surely give you the strength and the desire to do it. Of course, sometimes our own free will gets in the way. If you are going to set a goal, ask God for the courage to follow through no matter what the project.
This past Thursday our wonderful neighbors called to remind us about a fall festival we had looked so forward to attending. But we remembered the promise we had made to God about cleaning out the garage. Not going with them to the festival was one of the hardest things we have done but we stayed home so we could clean out the "stuff".
God is so good, because we were able to accomplish many more things than just clean out the garage. We did get a great start, (we knew after beginning that it will take at least 3 weekends to complete the job). We have at least 1/3 of the "stuff' out of the way and well on the way to having enough room to get our second vehicle into the garage before freezing weather.
Have you set a goal?
Blessings, Miss Martha |
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Weather.........one of those gifts God has given us to show His humor.
As I've mentioned several times in this effort to "blog", I just love the Fall of the year...you may read other blog entries to get my position on Fall, I won't bore you with details now.
Fall like spring simply begins as one season (the end of summer) then developes into the most wonderful time of the year. In the past week Fall has shown it's splendor at various levels of temperature. Take yesterday for example, rained most of the day, we even turned the heat on at work. I do believe the temperature got up to 60. One of those day's you would rather be curled up in a nice comfy chair with a good book and a fire. But now, consider this past weekend. Sunday was a picture perfect day.............Sunny all day, light wind, about 70 ish...........just a perfect day for a stroll through a meadow (see the picture on this blog page), or sitting on the porch with a nice cup of tea or glass if that is your preference.
Today is one of those days that makes you want to stay in bed for awhile. Although it's already 63 degrees here at 8:30 AM the fog would make you think you were in London in February. Not that I've ever been in London in February, but I do watch TV.
But now tomorrow is expected to be 80 degrees here in the sunny south. Well, that is the temperature expected in Atlanta where all of the tall buildings are that retain the heat. Out in the outer edges of the Metro area we are expected to get to maybe 80, as well, but I'll wait for the report on the 6:00 PM news.
Weather, it's one of those things that you have to just accept. You can't do anything about it...........
If we all would accept God in His mercy in the same way, then many of our problems would not seem so grand. Just remember that your life with God would be so much better. You may be asking "How is that?"..... God gives us someone to lean on, someone to share our troubles with, someone to turn to to share our sorrows, someone to rejoice with us in our accomplishments. When you become a Christian, God gives you a peace of mind that we can share everything with Him. And when you share with God, you aren't carring the full load.
Twenty-one years ago, my Dad was killed in an auto accident. I can tell you, had I not had God to lean on, then I could have gone crazy with grief. But God bears our burdens and shares our joys.....So the next time you think about the weather and realize that there is absolutely nothing we can do about it but accept it.........think about God and know that you can have that same assurance from accepting God and letting Him share your life.
Please email me with any questions you may have on how to receive this peace from God. Or you my go to the link on my website (over on the right) for River's Edge Baptist Church. Just click on the link and it will take you there and you can use the pull down menus to get the plan for your life.
Blessings to all, Miss Martha |
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I found out over the weekend that my daughter Mrs. W. has curtailed her blogging efforts. She is a wonderful mother to 2 small children and she stays busy all the time. I really think blogging was a good idea for her.......it gave her an avenue to express herself, which she does quite well I might add.
When she was in high school she made all A's in her English classes. The only problem, she had to write all these papers on subjects that she really didn't care for..... so she would put it off until the very last minute and then just sit down and begin writing. Well, nearly everytime, most of the time, she would make an A on the paper. But she didn't enjoy writing the paper, she just wrote it "on the fly" just to put something on the paper. Boy, what a gift............. Mrs. W. I really enjoyed reading your wisdom.........so whenever you have time, keep us informed.
For those interested I made an extra point on my mid-term (now I made 85)... Yea!!!!
Blessings, Miss Martha
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Today has been a really great day!! Last night I took a mid-term exam in my "Analyzing Financial Statements" class. You will notice in my last blog that I described it as "boring". It's still boring, but with the help of God and several friends praying for me I made an 84 on the mid-term exam. Our instructor was so happy that he gave me a smiley face. Now is that sweet or what?
I mentioned that several people were praying for me about this exam and I really knew and felt their prayers. Especially one friend. She is a new friend and not a Christian, but she prayed for me about this test. My new friend is a miracle of God. She was in a near fatal car accident three years ago and is wondering why she is still here. She nearly died 4 times during the time she spent in the hospital. But I told her God isn't finished with you yet!!!!!
My new friend fixed dinner for me tonight, one of my favorite meals, liver and onions, yum, yum. Now I know that you may not like liver and onions, but that was one meal that my Dad would cook and I dearly loved the way he cooked the meat. It was so tender, it would melt in your mouth. Well, let me tell you, my new friend must have taken lessons from the same person, because she did a really great job.
For anyone reading this blog, I'd like to ask for your prayers for my new friend. She is struggling with her life and what it's purpose is here on earth. Tonight as a gift, I took her a copy of Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life. I have coveted with her to read it for the next 40 days. Please pray for me as well, because sometimes I get distracted and may not read for a day or two or three.......but I want to be the kind of friend that God will use to help my new friend. Her name is Connie...
May God continue to richly bless any and all who happen to read this blog. Miss Martha
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I mentioned in the beginning that Fall was my most favorite time of the year..."New Beginnings", new school year, new friends, a crispness in the air............ Well, new for me this Fall is a class I'm taking...."Analyzing Financial Statements". Yes, I chose this class to take on my own, it's not required by my job, but I thought it would help me understand some of the new things I'm learning on my job.
I've attended three classes already and I really believe I understand the concept, but some of the termonology!!!!!! Remember when you were in math class and you could work the problem and get the right answer but the teacher marked it wrong because it wasn't done according to the "formula"? Well, that is how this is for me.........I can practically do the math in my head and get the right answer, but that's not the way I'm supposed to do the problems. Now let me ask you this question, once I'm finished with this class, who is going to care how I got the answer? I have to use "their" formula's and mark them accordingly........blah!!!
My idea is this, why not use the book? If you know where to get the correct answer, that is 90% of the battle. You have purchased the book, you will always have it, so why not let us use it in the classroom? How many doctor's do you know (and let me tell you they all use their books or the internet) that can tell you every time you go to the doctor exactly, right off the bat, what medications to use for every illness. There are just too many new meds coming out all the time. So, if a doctor is able to use their resources, then surely a banker can do the same thing.
To me that's not cheating it's being resourceful.....I can't spell either, that's why I have a dictionary on my desk....
Does anyone else feel the same way? Let me hear from you.
Thanks for listening.......... Miss Martha |
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Saturday Morning, September 23, 2006
Today is my middle granddaughter's 10th birthday. Wow, she has entered into the "double digits" club. I guess we're all there now until we turn 100.
Birthday's are usually a very fun time for most people. My birthday is in the latter part of November (my twin sister's too). Which makes Thanksgiving fall on our birthday from time to time. My daughter, (see the link from my Blog Mrs. W. , she's wonderful) for years thought my birthday was actually on Thanksgiving. When she was in elementary school the teacher asked all the students one day if they knew what day either of their parents birthday fell. Well, Mrs. W being in 1st or 3rd grade (I can't remember, don't worry, it happens to the best of us, that memory thingy), anyway, told the teacher that her mother's birthday was on Thanksgiving. To which the teacher replied, "No it isn't actually on Thanksgiving every year because the date changes every year." Well, Mrs. W insisted that my birthday was on Thanksgiving and after a fruitless try to convince the teacher began crying, insisting that her mother's birthday was indeed on Thanksgiving. Well, I have to admit our family is to blame for the misunderstanding because ever since I can remember, even as a child my family has always celebrated my birthday on Thanksgiving.
So just to make Mrs. W. happy, my birthday this year will be on Thanksgiving, again.....................
May the Lord richly bless each of you today, especially if it's your birthday. Miss Martha
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Well, I tried to add a message yesterday, but to no avail. I'll get the hang of this blogging sooner or later. I had told all about my "Tiring Day" on Saturday. It was a good tired.
I spent the majority of the day at an Awana Conference. I am the Secretary for our Awana Club (soon to begin 9/27) at our church. The conference was great!!!! One of the best things that I learned was a method of teaching children the plan of Salvation. Simple, yet profound.....
Did you know that if a child has not made a decision for Christ by the age of 18 that there is an 85% chance that they never will in their lifetime. Scary thought!!
I am fortunate that both of my children learned at an early age the importance of knowing that they were sinners but had the assurance that Jesus Christ paid the price for their salvation if only they would: It's as simple as ABC. This is not the method I learned, but one that I've used for children before. A: Admit they were sinners - Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of the Lord...(paraphrased). B: Believe in their heart that Jesus died, was buried and rose again on the 3rd day. : John 3:16 "For God so loved the world (or you may insert your name - i.e. Miss Martha) that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but would have eternal life." also, paraphrased. C. Confess to the world that you are going to live for Jesus. Romans 10:9 " If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
May God Richly Bless You Today, Miss Martha
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I'm sure that the entries will deminish as this blogging become second nature. But first, let me say how much I am going to enjoy putting my thoughts in writing. I've been told that a daily effort to express your thoughts is good. Not only to remember (and at my age it's beginning to be a noticed), but to keep track of events that have shaped our lives.
One such event was the birth of my children. I have a son, 37 soon to be 38 years old and a daughter, 34 soon to be 35. Thirty-five, is she really that old???? I remember when I was 35, I felt so mature. Now that is a laugh.... I'm still not mature in some areas of my life. And as Martha Stewart says, "That's a Good Thing".
Back to the birth of my children. Little did I know when I became a mother that it was an on the job training exercise. Why don't parents tell you these things. If I may pass along any bits of wisdom to someone it would be this--- Listen to your parents, they have "been there-done that" on most issues of childrearing. Now don't get me wrong. I know plenty of older folks that would have you believe they are the experts on anything to do with children, that don't know when to be the parent and when to be the friend of their child. You have to use the brain God gave you to discern what you are hearing. Wait a minute.... did I just say that? I think my mother did give me advise a couple of times and of course I was much smarter than her and dismissed it as "old fashion". That's what I'm talking about here.... give the information some thought, real thought..........then ask God to give you the wisdom to discern for yourself what He would have you do for your family. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Now that I'm a grandmother I can see where my mother was coming from when she offered advise. Most of the time it was unsolicited, so my suggestion would be to ask first before you get that unsolicited opinion. Even if you don't heed to the advise that you have asked for, the person being asked will feel like you are pretty smart for even asking.
OK enough of advise for new parents. This is definately going to be an adventure for me, come along for the ride, it may prove to get interesting.
May God Richly Bless You Today and Alway, Miss Martha |
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This is my first time to ever participate in writing a "blog". I'm not sure how it's going to go, but here goes....................
One of the things I enjoy about life is that it is always changing. It has it's good points and a few challenges. As a child my life was changing all the time. My father was in the Air Force and we moved quite often. As an adult I've not moved so much until the last 10 years. Since 1996 my husband and I have moved 4 times. That doesn't seem like so many in the grand scheme of things, but the first 3 were within 4 years and the last move , God put us in Georgia for a purpose. We have been here for 6-1/2 years.
The main purpose was to be part of a new church start. Stay tuned to the next chapter in "This Grandmother's thoughts". Miss Martha |