The Proverbs 31 Woman

I started a new 90 day study with a friend called "Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be" Living the Proverbs 31 Life. I really love it-I wanted to share part of today lesson that hit home with me.

The Proverbs 31 woman was noble and dignified. But there is nothing noble or dignified about woman that complains. Capable women don't complain. They take action to change the situation or have enough faith to accept the things they cannot change.

 

 The best gift you can give yourself and those around you is an optimistic, can do attitude. People treat us by the way we treat them. There is good in everyone if we choose to see it. By believing the best, we bring out the best. The same is true for circumstance, even if that good is merely the opportunity to become a more patient, more compassionate, or wiser person. Look for the lesson; look for the positive. Seek and surely you will find.

 

Of course if you look for the negative, you can always find that as well. But why would you want to? You can look at all that is right with the world and the people in it and be happy or you can look at all the is wrong with everyone and everything and be miserable, which will rob you of joy and peace and make you and those around you unhappy.

 "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:1)

 

I feel like I have been struggling with a "why me" or "why this" attitude for a few months.  I needed to get my attitude adjusted and this study so far has certaintly done that.  I am excited to read more and study more about the Proverbs 31 women.  I have always loved this scripture but to be honest (like many women I  have talked with) wondered if that was possible.  I have so enjoyed just the first week and look forward to the next 83 days-praying I will become more like the Proverbs 31 mom, wife, daughter, friend and most of all Christian woman, that God has called me to be.

 

On this Pathway-

Jill

Please Pray Rex

I have been gone from here for quite a few weeks and I have missed you all.  We have had so much going on with Brandon's surgery and Alyssa being diagnosed with a certain type of dermatitis (not life threatening but trying to get it under control has been not fun) and just all that summer does to change our schedule-all full of blessings just different from our normal routine.
All that being sad I have so many thanks and praises from Brandon's surgery-it was two weeks ago today and he is up and walking, the rash that he broke out in from the tape on his bandages is finally gone and he is doing really well.  They removed the rods and screws.  They was a small piece of cyst in the top of his hip that they would have had to break bone to reach so they injected it with steroids to hopefully just finish killing it off if there was any activity left in it and thunen they packed his bone with marrow where the rods were to try and grow new bone.  Please keep him in your prayers-that the bone would grow healthy and strong and that no new cysts would come back.  Thank you.

The real reason I am here though today is to ask that you would please pray for Rex and his family.  He is the little boy that 20 months ago was told he had a brain tumor and would need surgery and chemo and radiation to try and heal him.  I ask for pray on here for him at that time.  He has been doing well until about 6 months ago they found something on a scan that they weren't sure if it was another tumor or scar tissue.  They have been watching it to see if there was growth before doing anything again to his brain.  Yesterday the family went for a scan and today his father posted this message-Please lift this family up in prayer-I know God is in contol, but very heart is very heavy for them today.

Family and friends, the news we received late yesterday from Rex's MRI on Monday was not good. The tumor is growing and spreading toward his brain stem, which makes operating on it unlikely. Rex will be starting on another clinical chemotherapy trial in the next couple of weeks that will run a 3-month course. At the end of that 3 months we'll re-scan and see if the tumors have shrunk. If not, we'll seek out other options, but those are quite limited as well.

Rex doesn't know anything other than he is starting the trial in a couple of weeks, and he is fine with that. That's the way we would prefer to keep it until we (Jill and I) choose to tell him. The bottom line is that we might not have much more time with our son whom we love so much.

He will celebrate his 10th birthday on October 17, and without a miracle it will be his last here on earth. We have prayed since November 2010 that Rex would be healed, knowing all the while that it might not be here on earth that he's healed but in heaven.

Please keep our family in your prayers as you all have done since this journey began 20 months ago. Pray for Rex as he begins his journey towards his eternal life that it would be graceful and full of peace and love. Thank you all.

Thank you all for praying!
Jill

Oh  it feels like forever since I have posted.  We have finally finished school, dance, VBS and my mom and dad went back home to NY.   We have so much going on I felt like I haven't had any time to get to my blog.  I miss you all when I am not able to get on here and read your blogs and post on my own blog.  So I was happy to have a little time to get on here and catch up today.

We are finally settling into a summer routine and are taking swimming lessons.  God is so good-4 years ago June 5th we almost lost our Alyssa to a drowning and this summer in swim lessons she is in the highest level before Life Guard.  It is amazing to me to see her swim and I was humbled and very emotional this last session when she took her test and made it into level 4/5-to think of what happened and God's amazing grace and mercy over her life and ours brings me to tears.  It also reminds me of the many miracles I have personally witnessed in the last few years in the lives of my family members.

We are awaiting Brandon's surgery coming up in about 3 weeks.  July 10th is the day-we won't know till closer to the time when it will be that day but I would so appreciate your prayers for not only him and his body and the pain he will be in, but the Dr.'s and nurses, we are not sure all what will happen that day until they get in there, we know they have to remove the rods and screws because they are now too close to his growth plates but we won't know what they are going to have to do until they are in there and can actually see how much bone and has grown.

Two years ago his recovery was very hard, I have to be honest and say I am a little anxious about going through this all again-and if they remove the rod and just pack bone marrow in there-the rate of it breaking again especially if the cysts return once again, is very high.  He is pretty nervous about it all.  We have been able to kind of "do life as normal" this last year and now we will go back to being restricted from all physical activity again and that is hard for an 8 year old boy.

My heart is a little heavy over it all.  But, God is so good, they showed a video in church on Sunday about Scott Hamilton, and I don't know if you knew it or not but he is a Christian now.  He gave his testimony and talked about having cancer and then finding out he had a brain tumor that had been in his brain since he was a baby and that they now know caused him to only grow to be 5'4" and how they removed it and it has come back and they are treating it and how it rocked his faith and how strong his wife was and that they gave it all over to the Lord and he now is trusting Him completely to heal him.  He talked about how he knows had he not had the first tumor that he probably would have not had the wonderful life he had as a skater because he might have grown to be too tall and not been able to skate like he had.  It was amazing to watch and to hear.  I sat there thinking I wonder what God is doing in my Brandon's life, one day we may understand this side of Heaven and then again maybe not, but I do know He is in control and that makes it so much easier to face the next few months again.

I will get on my laptop and post again soon-that is where I have all my recent photos of the girls dance recital.  They had such a wonderful time and it was so neat to have my parents here to see them dance for the first time.  God is so good.

I hope and pray that you all are doing well.  Happy Summer!!!  I am so glad to be back in a schedule to check back here more often to see how you all are.

On this Pathway-
Jill

A Grand Day in Grandbury!

I have been blogging for about two years now and in that time I have been blessed to meet some of the most wonderful people through my blog.  Many have encouraged me and prayed for me -laughed with me and cried with me through many things.  I have had sweet cards and presents, wonderful
e-mails with encouraging words and prayers that have gotten me through times here those prayers and love and words of encouragement reminded me of the love of our Savior for me.

So about a year now one of my fellow blogger friends and I have been trying to find a time to meet since we only live about 3 hours away from each other. :)
She has been such a blessing to me from barely even knowing me but finding out I was pulling our oldest daughter from public school to home school because she was struggling so much.  She was my cheerleader and even though I was scared to death encouraged me through her wonderful comments on my blog, prayers and e-mails and when her husband was coming to Abilene on business sent him to my house with a box full of books and homeschooling goodies to get us started.  I was overwhelmed by her kindness and sweet words of encouragement.  And although meeting her husband was a wonderful experience I so wanted for us to be able to meet one day too -so I could hug the neck a wonderful friend I had come to love and appreciate so much over our blogs.

Yes, she is beautiful both inside and out!

Well, I know you are all wondering who I am talking about-I know that if you haven't already been to her blog you will want to go and be blessed-because I can tell you she is even more wonderful in person.  God blessed me with the opportunity this Saturday to finally meet my dear friend Janette from Janette's Sage.

We had e-mailed back and forth the last few weeks trying to set up a time when she could be free and I could be free at the same time to meet some where for the first time.  She told me about a quaint little town called Grandbury, TX it was about 2 hours for both of us to drive there so we decided to meet there. It was my first time there (since I am not a native Texan) and I loved it.  Lots of cute stores to shop in and a great little old town to walk around and get to talk and know each other better.

Main street across from the courthouse-it is a wonderful place.

The ClockTower on the top of the Courthouse in the center of town.  We met here.

A statue of Mr. Grandbury

Parts of downtown built in a square around the courthouse.

More of downtown-just looks like a horse and cowboy should come riding down the side walk any moment now. :)

Inside one of the stores from the second floor.

My first Janette sighting. :)

I got there just a few minutes before we were supposed to meet because I had left early since I didn't know where I was going and didn't want to be late it case I got lost. :)  I sent her a text and she was just a few minutes behind me.  When she got there she text me and said she was there and in jeans and a pink shirt.  Well the funny thing is she parked around one side of the courthouse and I had parked on another and so when we got out to walk around we were missing each other. ha!  I finally told her that I was near where they were acting out some scene for years gone by and shooting off guns and I text her and said I am by the gun fire-at the same time she was on her way to her car to get her camera to take photos of them shooting.  So I spotted her before she saw me and I got this photo.


I had such a wonderful time.  It was such a blessing to finally meet one of my blogging friends from these last two years.  I told my husband I was a little nervous.  Kind of like a blind date ha!   You never really know what the other person may be like in person-people can be so different in person than on paper (or computer) but I can tell you she is just as sweet, kind, loving, genuine and such a lovely godly women in person-all that I thought she would be from getting to know her through her blog and comments and e-mails the last two years.  She even loves to laugh just like me.  I love to laugh-I laugh a lot and cry a lot too which Janette caused me to do both on Saturday;)  God knew I so needed to have a day that I could let loose and do both.  She made me laugh till I cried and cry because she encouraged me not to be discouraged about having to but Alyssa in a special school in the fall and that HS didn't work for us and the guilt I was carrying around I needed to get rid of.   We had so much in common even down to something as simple as the same little cell phone  charger in the same color pink for both our Toyotas(we both had Toyotas too:) )

I will share these last few photos because I refused to have a first meeting and not have a photo from our meeting together (especially when you will blog about it and need photos for the post. ) So not knowing anyone to take our photo we found a spot to set up my camera and put on the timer.  Since poor Janette doesn't know what a crazed picture taker I am I set the timer for 4 photos cause surely 1 out of 4 would turn out- right?! :0  Well, I didn't tell Janette I had set the timer for 4 pictures so this is what happened- I will treasure these always-they make me smile just looking at them.

First shot not bad-Janette thought we were done. :)

Second shot-opps she didn't know I was still taking photos. ha!

Third shot-I am trying to tell her to keep looking put we are laughing too hard to get that across.

Still cracking up.  Some poor couple came by and felt sorry for us and offered to take a picture for us.  But he took two and the first one was fuzzy and the second one he caught Janette in mid-blink.  So this set was better and much more fun.!! :0

Thank you Janette for such a special day.  Thank you for blessing my heart so much that day.  It was so great to finely meet you in person.  We must do it again soon!!  Love you sweet friend.  God amazes me daily at how much He cares about even the friends He places in our lives to touch our hearts.

You are a blessing that I am truly thankful for.

Such a blessed day before Mother's Day-which I now need to blog about but I have been fighting a sore throat since last night and so I am getting ready to hit the hay soon.  So that will be tomorrow's post.  

On this Pathway-

Jill

Signs of Spring

We had so much rain last week I was beginning to think about building an ark but it finally stopped and after the rain starting coming beautiful signs of spring-one of my favorite times of the year.  A time of the year that I think most represents our walk as a Christian-God takes the old, dead, ugly, sinful part of us (like our grass, and trees right now) and make them new and beautiful, just like He does our lives.  When Christ enters our life He take the old, ulgy, sinful nature and turns us into something new-something beautiful, full of His glory!

A bush outside of our house that is starting to get it's leaves.

Another bush in our front yard-starting to show signs of new life.

Little white flowers that started blooming in our grass that was way over grown till I got to mow on Tuesday.

Some kind of little flower (I think it is a weed actually) but purple is my favorite color and even God made weeds pretty. :)

My sweet baby girl out enjoying the sun and warmer temps (little did we know that she would wake up throwing up that night as we all started with the stomach bug this week for spring break.)

Looking at bugs

Look these rocks will squish these bugs-ha!  Sorry to any bug lovers-she was discovering the circle of life. :)

Time to slide -

Yay!  I made it down and on my feet!! (yes that is our grass that is ankle high-I told you it rained a lot)

Not so lucky this time-miss my feet

Pure sweetness-love this blessing God gave us after great loss and much heartache.

Trampoline fun!

A little static on the trampoline you think?!

  

More fun with the static-great hair raising experince. ha!

I just loved this shot because she was so deep in thought-watching the bugs she hadn't smashed with the rocks-crawl on the rock in her hand.  She was amazed by it all.  I love the sun hitting her hair and her sweet thoughtful face.

Thanks for letting me share a bit of our spring with you so far-loving the warmer temperatures and the flowers and trees and grass growing and most of all that we are all finally getting over this stomach bug-praise the Lord.

On This Pathway-

Jill

Simple and Delicious

What is a girl to do when she goes for a root canal, on a tooth, that out of the blue makes her wake up with a swollen face? Then gets to the dentist only to find all of the infection is not gone (even though she was on antibiotics and was already numbed up with so many shots that she couldn't eat for 8 hours?) I'll tell you what I did-feel sorry for myself and make an awesome recipe(since I could finally eat) that I found on Pineterest the other day.

Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownies-yummy-no calories here (wink)

Really easy-starts with this

First layer-chocolate chip cookie mix

Second layer-Oreo Cookies

Third layer the brownie mix

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes-this is what the inside looks like in all of it's yumminess.

Scoop it in a bowl with some yummy ice cream on top and enjoy!



So simple and absolutely delicious.  I don't think it really made my tooth feel any better but it was so yummy to eat after going all day with nothing that I enjoyed this bowl of sweetness throughly. :)

On this Pathway

Jill

"She is worth far more than rubies."

I was asked to be a part of a project supporting Women's History Month at McMurry University here in Abilene. "100 Women 100 Words" women of all different walks of life were asked to create something on a 6X6 canvas-"What is your perspective on being a women-the women around you.  I turned mine in today-this was my description and my work-Photo-black/white with color (my 4 kids hands-holding rubies)   The works are going to be photographed and complied into a book and they are holding a reception in the gallery on March 20th for all the participants involved. It was so much fun to be a part of this.  I wanted to share what I did.


               “She is worth far more than rubies” Proverbs 31:10b

The Proverbs 31 Woman is a woman of strength, kindness, generosity, goodness, righteousness, and purity.  All of these words describe her-“for her price is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10b  
She is made strong by wisdom, grace and her fear of God.
The Virtuous Woman that God describes in Proverbs 31 illustrates the importance of allowing everything we do daily to flow out of our inner life with God.  Doing everything each day as if it is unto our Lord. 
I believe she is so valuable because she strives to be a woman of Christ and serves others before herself.  I am none of these things outside of Christ, but in Christ I pray that I might be a virtuous woman whose soul is filled with the “fruits of the spirit”, one whose worth to her family and friends, is far above that of rubies.

On This Pathway-
Jill

Analeigh is 4

Analeigh (grace or favor) Kate (pure) Jones 1 day old

Minutes after you were born

Our sweet baby girl-I can't believe you turned 4 this week on the 21st.  It just seems like yesterday that we were bringing you home from the hospital-so thankful and so blessed after the loss of one of our precious babies before you.

You are such a sweet, funny, precious, happy girl and we are so blessed to be you mom and dad.  Our whole family is blessed by you being in it.

My prayer for you is that you will come to know Jesus one day as your personal Lord and Savior (you tell me every night when we pray that you love God and Jesus more than anything in life and I believe for as must as you can understand that at your age you do) and I pray that you will ask Him to come into your heart one day and that your will dedicate you whole life to Him.

You are my favorite brown eyed baby girl (we have one with blue eyes and one with brown so we can say that :) )

We love you are with all our heart our sweet Analeigh Kate Jones.
You are our joy-I pray this year being 4 will be one full of blessings for you.  (If you read our lego post from today-we are off to a crazy start to being 4-ha!)

The Daddy Daughter Dan 2-14-2012-your first year to go with daddy

Our beautiful baby girl

Leaving for the dance with daddy

On your birthday-you and me celebrating your 4th  b-day with our family

Love you pumpkin

Love Your Mom

Our most expensive lego ever!

Well today was an eventful day-we haven't had many or those days lately-ha! I was getting ready to go to PT today when Analeigh came running into my bathroom and said she had a bug up her nose.  I said "a bug-up your nose-did it fly up your nose?"  Not thinking anything about the lego set she got this week for her forth b-day and the fact it had cute tiny little flowers, bugs and butterflies on it.   Then it hit me and I went running out to the lego set and sure enough-one of the two little lego ladybugs was missing and she was still crying.  So I rush her back into the bathroom and with a flashlight look up her nose.  Sure enough the other lady bug was up her nose!
We tried blowing it spray nose spray up it and even tweezers-but nothing made it come out.  A quick call to the Dr. Office-drove there like a crazy women and ran in only to be told to have a seat and wait because she was breathing ok.  We waited a hour and half to be seen, by this time it had swollen some and they could not remove the ladybug without pushing it in further, so a call to a ENT in town, who could not see us until 3:30.  Mind you she hadn't eaten and now was a mess, crying, scared, tierd and hungry.  She still was my brave, sweet, happy girl.
We came home and waited for 3:30 to arrive.  We got to the ENT and he checked her out and took all our information.  He put her in this chair that went all the way back and took out this really long, skinny, hook like tool and dug around and pulled and it came out.  PRAISE THE LORD.  I was really scared we were going to be going to the hosptial for surgery.  I was never so excited to have something come out of my child's nose. lol
It has been an exhausting, very stressful day, but I am so thankful that God got us through this and everything came out ok-literally. :)

The most expensive lego we own-$75.00 later we have it in our hand and not our nose anymore.

Analeigh, so excited that the ladybug is now in her had and not her nose.

Actually not so little-I was shocked it fit up that cute little nostril. 

 On this Pathway-

Jill

Blessings during my Absence

Oh, I feel like I have been gone forever from the blogging world, I have been on for a few minutes here and there to catch up reading all the blogs of my sweet friends I have come to know from here-if I don't I feel like I am missing out on great conversations with you all, but I hadn't enough time to sit and write posts about all that has been happening in our lives these last few weeks.

 So stick with me-I will try to keep this short and sweet and fill you in on all that has been happening around the Joneses household lately.

First, the update on my sister-THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!  Jackie finally had her surgery three weeks ago to remove the two tumors at the base of her neck (when they got in there they were at the base of her brain.) They removed her adenoids at the same time (she has them removed when she was 10 and they grew back.)  Before going in she was sent to the oncologist and he had given her a PET scan because he assured her it was the only thing that would tell them 100% that it was cancer.  The spots radiated and the Dr. diagnosed her with having Nasopharyngeal  Carcinoma. The plan was to operate to remove them and send the off to be biopsied and in a week and a half she would come back to find out the plan of attack after the removal- either radiation or chemo or both.  After coming out of sugery the Dr. informed her there was only ONE tumor (not two-praise God, miracle #1) but he said the one tumor did not look good and it was very close to the brain stem and he was very concerned. 

Well, she returned a week ago Monday to the Dr. and he scoped her nose and throat to see how it was healing, it is still very raw but healing.  Praise the Lord.  Are you sitting down? 
The Dr. sat her down and said he had some news he thought might make her feel a bit better-THE BIOPSY CAME BACK AND IT CAME BACK NON-CANCEROUS!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD! !  We are beyond excited-beyond grateful, humbled-God is so good-we have witnessed another miracle in my sister's life.  Thank you for your prayers.  She has to make an appointment for the two spots on her ovary and pelvis checked but they did not radiate and they believed that they are just masses.  She has to see a different Dr. for that and we are just praying that will be a simple procedure too.  :) We do not have any details on that yet.

Next, was me.  I had been dealing with knee pain for about 5 months.  I woke up one morning and could barely walk, not knowing what I did or how I did it. I let it go for a few months and then finally got into the Orthopedic Dr to have x-rays and then an MRI .  We found I had a torn meniscus and a baker's cyst.  They no longer remove the cysts becuase they tend to me caused by the tear or arthritis and it sometimes will go away on there own.  So two weeks ago they sent me in your surgery to repair the tear, The surgery went well and I have been doing Physical Therapy for two weeks now and I am excited about being able to sleep, walk, and function like normal again (well, as normal as I am-ha!)

Finally I was so blessed this week by a sweet  package that arrived at my door from my blogging friend Janette from Janette's Sage.   I met Janette two years ago now (not in real life-although we are planning a get together at some point-we are only about 3 hours from each other) from finding her blog through another blog we both follow-I had read a sweet comment she left and thought this is someone I want to get to know.  I joined her blog to follow and was delighted I did.  We started corresponding back and forth and when I decided to pull Alyssa from school to start HS with her, Janette was kind enough to send me a bunch or books to borrow and materials to keep to get her started.  Her husband was going to be in Abilene on business for a few days and he actually came by our home to drop the homeschooling supplies off.  It was such a neat experience to meet him and visit for a little bit.  Now if Janette and I can ever slow down enough to clear our schedules to meet I would be beyond thrilled.
That is how this all started-so for two years I have had a wonderful pen pal that God has truly blessed and enriched my life through her friendship even though we have never actually met.  She has prayed me through some major hurdles in our life these last two years.
If you have never read her blog, you should.  She has inpired me many times through her posts.  She is so talented and such a sweet follower of Christ.  I am blessed and often challenged  in my walk with Christ from her posts.  I know you would be too-Anyways, back to the goodies she sent me.

These yummy Valentine's Cookies that she makes.  So delicious!

Analeigh had fun playing with her cookie first. :0

This beautiful pillow for my bed.  It goes just perfectly with the pillows I have on there already.  I am a pillow girl-more the better!!  I was so exicted to get this-I will treasure it always.

Down the side of the pillow are inspirational charms-Faith-Hope-and Love.  I just love this.

I wanted to show you the sweet things she blessed me with-I was so excited.  God has blessed me in so many ways through so many of you on here.
Thank you so much Janette-you truly are one of those blessings.  Thank you for making me feel special and for adding a ray of sunshine to my day on Thursday.

I have been gone so long and so much has happened.  I have lots to blog about-hopefully things will slow down just a bit so that I can do that more this week.  The kids have off from school for President's Day and so we are home (daddy had to teach-the college didn't have off) and so we are chillin at home today-the weather is warmer and sunny (praise God we had rain-we had it for 3 days though so we were ready for sunshine) today but oh so windy-I think we will have to play games indoors because it is stirring up allergies around here.

Thanks for stopping by today.  I am so thankful for each of you and for your prayers for my sister and my family.  I pray for each of you as well.  Thank you for being a blessing in my life.

On this Pathway-

Jill

Thank you for your prayers

Thank you for your prayers. 

Jackie is out of surgery-they found no blockage and 

they DID NOT have to put a stint in. She is getting 

ready to get discharged now. 

She is going to be staying the night in Buffalo at a 

sister's house of the people who took her to 

Buffalo to rest and make sure everything is ok before 

they go back home. Praising God for His grace and 

mercy today. Not sure why her stress test came back 

so bad now is the only thing. Keep praying. She can 

now reschedule her surgery on the tumors in her neck.

Thank you for your prayers,  not only for Jackie but for my family as well.  God is so good-I am so grateful for today and for the grace and mercy God gives us every day.

Love to you all!

On this Pathway-

Jill

Blessings

"Don't worry about anything;  instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done."  Philippians 4:6 NLT

God is bigger than any fear we face.  We don't need to anxiously search for a solution.  The best thing to do when we're afriad is to fall to our knees.  He'll hear our prayer, meet our needs and help us face our fear with the courage only He can give.

"We know that all things work together for the good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28 NRSV


God promises to work everything out for our good.  There is always a new way to see God, a new lesson to learn, a new way to prune us to help us grow.  God doesn't prevent us from experiencing struggles but He walks with us and helps us grow through them.

They are two verses that have become very dear to me these last few weeks, with seeing my mom worry about her mammgram (praise God it came back fine-they are just going to watch the small tissue area the Dr. in NY was talking about-it has not changed in 4 months-he wants her to just have a follow up in 6 months) and all the struggles my sweet sister has gone through and is still going through.  She could not have her surgery last week on the two tumors in her neck becasue they didn't like the results of her EKG.  So she met  last Friday and today to take stress tests to see if the cardiologist will clear her for the surgery this Thursday.  Being this far away and knowing what she is dealing with all on her own is hard.  I have had to cling to God and His mighty plan for our lives and that ultimately whatever the outcome of all of this is, He see the whole puzzle-the "bigger" picture and it is always the greatest plan there could ever be for our lives.   I am trusting this, believing this, and so thankful that I know that my sister is a child of God.  Our Heavenly Father knew before she was even knit in my mother's womb what plans He had for her life, the good and bad times, the things that would not only grow her in her faith and make her stonger in her walk with Him, but that her testimony would touch so many lives and one of them would be mine.

I look forward to 2012 and all the blessings that God would show us-whatever form they come in, because even in my deepest trials, when I look back and see the greater picture, I can see the blessings overflowing in those times too.  I am most thankful that I can rest in the hope that only God can give us and that every day iin 2012 is truly as blessing from Him.

Praying for each of you and what God has instore for 2012 for you and your families.

On this Pathway-

The whole gang at Christmas.  My mom and dad and Mike's dad and us.  We had a blessed Christmas season.

Jill