Wow! Amazing!!

I have had a very rough start to this new school year. I was beginning to think that this kindergarten teacher is getting too old! I have a very difficult group of children. They are great kids but some of them are 'high maintenance' and several boys that are easily excited and a bit immature. Six days into the school year I had a severe kidney stone attack and missed the next 5 days of school! I went back for 1 day and thought I was going to lose my mind!!! Thankfully, it was the only day before a 4 day weekend for Labor Day. And

I had the best Labor Day weekend EVER!!!

Friday I boarded a flight and headed to Dallas, Texas to spend 4 days with my life long friend fro high school. Tina and I have been friends for . . . well, let's just say, since 7th grade! We have been through everything together! Dating, mistakes, good times, bad times, our weddings, and unfortunately, our divorces, babies, a miscarriage, soldier sons - one of which has done 2 tours in Iraq and is now in Afghanistan, some fantastic trips, loss of loved ones, and soooo much more! Anyway, she is my BEST friend and she has been here for me through so many things! So when she called me and said I need you to come down, my response was "I'm on it!"

The flight down was quite interesting. I was all comfy in my seat (haha - who can be comfy on an airplane?) with my book open and ready to read some more of Staci Eldridge's, Captivating when someone needed to sit next to me. So I scooted over still thinking I was going spend some time with God and learn all about how He loves me! But . . . I guess God had a different plan because for the next hour and a half I had a very interesting conversation with a man named "Joe". I learned that "Joe" is an educator, has 2 kids, is turning 40 this year, loves to travel, is in an unhappy marriage, and was raised in a dogmatic church that preached legalism. Near the end of the flight he asked me "Do you go to church? Do you believe in God?" I told him I did and asked if he did. He said, "No" and it was soon VERY clear that "Joe" had NO understanding of the gospel. He believes "there are many ways to heaven and we just all have to be good and do our best. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are all sister religions anyway. So it's just about trying to do the right thing." WOW! Lord, I could have just kept reading my book about how much you love me and I would have been just fine. But my Father had a different idea for my plane ride. I tried to point him to Jesus and tried to explain that God is not about rules - that He is about grace and love. And then our plane landed.

As I got off the plane I prayed for "Joe". I asked God to send his children into "Joe's" life and for him to find Jesus and experience God's grace.

Next . . . Tina picks me up and we begin our Friend Weekend!! We always like to shop and eat. So naturally we began with the eating of some fine italian cuisine. One issue that my sweet friend was having was her need for a new vehicle. So, naturally, I decided we were going to take care of that issue ASAP! And after many hours at the car dealer we had a 2010 Acura tl to drive!

We had so much fun driving around in it! Navigating Nancy talked with us all the time (haha)

Saturday we were pampered with pedicures and did a little shopping. Then we returned to the car dealer to seal the deal. That proved to be a bit more difficult than we anticipated . . . But we finally, after 4 hours, left with a new car for my BFF!

We continued on with our weekend with some more shopping, eating, and some yummy new drinks!

I discovered that Margarita Swirls are quite refreshing!

I also tried a Lemon Drop Martini - my very first martini - and it was yummy!

Sunday was an AWESOME day! We started the day in her Sunday School class. Tina has a wonderful teacher and the lesson was from Max Lucado's book, Facing Your Giants, and it was on unspeakable grief. Well, who can't relate to that. Grief comes after us in so many forms and we have to go through it or it will eat us up. Next, we went on to church for a great message from the book of James about faith vs. works. It had been an emotional morning with all the grief talk and the message and then the ending song came. I have never heard such a beautiful song!!! It has become my new favorite and it is "The More I Seek You". You can check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3GijrnfStk. But just in case you don't, please read the words:

The More I seek You

The More I find you

the more I find you

The more I love you

I want to sit at you feet

drink from the cup in your hands

lay back against you and breath

feel your heartbeat

this love is so deep

it's more than I can stand

I melt in your peace

it's overwhelming

Can you imagine anything more wonderful than leaning back against Jesus and feeling His heartbeat! I tear up just thinking about it! It is overwhelming!!!

After church I had a great visit with my Dad! I don't get to see him often enough. Before I knew it Monday came and I had to head home. It is always hard to say good-bye to my dear friend. So I am at the airport trying to get everything checked and get myself to the right place and, guess what . . . I missed my flight!!! They put me on stand by for the next flight - 2 hours later. So now I am in tears and freaking out!!! I called my other BFF from Farmington - she was picking me up at the airport and I am in a state of panic and crying and my friend, Gay Ann, says in her sweet voice, "It's OK - no big deal - this is only a dot. I will be there to pick you up when your flight comes in." Isn't that GREAT!!! I was fine after that.

My God is awesome!!! I so needed time away and everything about the weekend was perfect. I didn't have to do any work, no laundry, no cooking, no dishes - I didn't even think about school. I just relaxed and had fun and in the midst of it all God overwhelmed me with His love. He ministered to me in so many ways - from "Joe" on the flight there to Gay Ann picking me up at the airport. And I now have a new favorite song! I love having a new favorite song!

The More I seek You

The More I find you

the more I find you

The more I love you

I want to sit at you feet

drink from the cup in your hands

lay back against you and breath

feel your heartbeat

this love is so deep

it's more than I can stand

I melt in your peace

it's overwhelming

May you be overwhelmed by His love!

SUMMER - WHERE DID YOU GO?

Wow! I don't know what happened. It seems like I JUST got out of school and now it is time to go back - and man oh man, I am in some kind of funk this year, and don't want to go back!!

Let's see - - - what have I done this summer?

* Recovered from the wedding - that included getting my house back in order as well as emotionally adjusting to my daughter being married.

* Spent time with the grandkids! I had 10 straight days with them - that is the longest stretch I have spent with them. It was soooo much fun!!! We went to the Tiger Sanctuary, The Magic House, The Zoo, and Black River. It was also soooo exhausting!!! I think it took me 5 days to get rested and recovered. But it was WELL worth it!!!!

* Enjoyed several outings with my Sister Chicks!!! We went to Caledonia for antiquing, bar-q-cue, candy, and ice cream. We went shopping in Cape and ate at My Daddy's Cheesecake. We went to the Delmar Loop for a day of pottery making and visiting Soulard's Farmers Market. We went to the movies together. Lots of good times with my girls.

* Enjoyed time with my kiddos. Life with adult children is so different. They are so much fun and I love spending time with them. We have cooked together, played games together, and just hung out together.

* Attended 3 weddings!!! My Kate got married. My BFF's daughter, Molly, got married, and Kate's BFF got married! All 3 weddings were beautiful and all 3 couldn't have been more different. Lord, please bless all three of these marriages. May they grow closer to You and to their mate each day.

Wow! It has been a busy summer! It has been a LOT of fun and I am so blessed!

I am glad I sat down and wrote this today. I have been in a bit of a pit! I even said these words yesterday, "I hate my life!" Lord, forgive me for being so ungrateful!

It has seemed that almost everything I touch breaks. During the past month I have had:

1. my lawn mower quit working
2. my car was leaking water on the passenger's floor board
3. my garbage disposal broke
4. the light on my carport is hanging by 1 wire
5. my cell phone broke; and YESTERDAY
6. I came home on the hottest day of the year (100 degrees) and my air conditioner was broke

7. Even my corn cob holder broke off in my hand last weekend!!

BUT - God you are faithful! You are my provider! You are awesome!

You sent my dear friend, Gay Ann, to my aid. She got me motivated in the right direction to deal with these issues.

1. Jake fixed my lawnmower. He is a good son-in-law and a great addition to our family!
2. Kate's friend, Jason, fixed my car (along with Jake). Bless Jason and his family, Lord. They are facing some financial hardships since he lost his job.
3. I can live without a garbage disposal and am doing just fine! :)
4. Jason said he could fix my carport light - so I bought a new one and am waiting to hear back from him.
5. I got a new cell phone - an ipone and I love it!
6. I spent the night with Kate & Jake last night (that was a sweet blessing) The air conditioner man was here at 8:30 this morning and it was a lose wire. So, the air conditioner is fixed and I am once again a happy gal! AND
7. I bought me some new corn cob holders for .97 at Wally World!

Thank you, Father, for showing me what a Wonderful Life I have! It is all because of You that I have such amazing friends and a fantastic family. Thank you for providing for my needs.

I really wish I could live my life in complete freedom from doubt and despair. Satan likes to sneak in and whisper lies in my ear. It seems that he camps out on my shoulder a lot. But today I am reminded to face those lies with the truth! The truth is that I am a daughter of the King and He is bigger than that stinking old devil! I am going to listen to the Voice of Truth!

Wedding Day

The Beautiful Bride

I can't believe it! 23 years ago today I gave birth to my baby girl and today she is off on her honeymoon. Time really does fly and I was determined to enjoy every bit of this wedding stuff - from the engagement to the planning to the shopping to the anticipating to the decorating to the ceremony to the reception to the opening of the gifts and finally to the honeymoon departure. It has all been a fantastic time with my daughter! But now, Kate's wedding has come and gone. I don't want to ever forget this weekend!

WEDNESDAY, May 19, 2010
Kate and I began the day with tanning and that was followed with pedicures. It felt so good to sit and enjoy someone pampering us. Our toes looked so good and our legs and feet felt so good! Next we went looking for an umbrella since the weather forcast was NOT good - calling for rain on Thursday and Friday! We did not have any luck finding an umbrella and she decided if it rained we would just get one from 'good ole' Wally World.
Next we went on an interesting adventure to Proffer Produce to pick up the fruit we had ordered for the reception. Once we found the location we had to find the office. After driving around several buildings and walking around we finally located the office. Then we were questioned about our qualifications to be purchasing from their wholesale warehouse. I believe the little man felt sorry for us and was infatuated with my daughter so he gave us our fruit. We were then on our merry little way to Lana's house to drop off the forbidden fruit! Finally, we headed home to wait for Tina to arrive. Wednesday evening we did some last minute gathering up of wedding stuff. We ended up at Wal-Mart at 11 p.m. purchasing some last minute wedding stuff. The entire day was full of prayers for no rain! It seemed like every 2 hours one of us was checking the weather forecast!

THURSDAY, May 20, 2010
Tina took me out for a birthday breakfast at Huddle House! She is such a blessing to me - thank you friend!! We had a lot of rain during the night and it was raining lightly as we went to breakfast. BUT after breakfast it was NOT raining!! Thank You God!!! Tina, Kate and I headed out a little later on a mission to locate some tulle for ceremony decorating. We ended up going to Hobby Lobby to get the ribbon and some more last minute wedding stuff. I remember Lana telling me "You will be making several trips to the city the week of the wedding". I thought she was crazy - there was no way I was going to be doing that. Well . . . she was right! And when we got back to Farmington we had to make a stop at . . . you guessed it . . . Wal-Mart! My third trip in 24 hours. I was a little concerned they might put a blue vest on me!! Dad was at the house when we got home! It was great to see him. He came from Fort Worth, Texas to be part of his granddaughter's big day. Next, it was time to head down to the vineyard to hang lights and get ready for rehearsal. We did encounter some stressful moments during this part of the weekend, but I don't want to dwell on the lack of communication between the event planner and the staff (nough said). We had some sprinkles as we were hanging lights - but NO rain for rehearsal. Thank You God!!! After rehearsal we all went to Pasta House for the rehearsal dinner. While we were there Seth, Jessica, Colby and Carson arrived. Colby came in carrying a BIG bouquet of flowers for my birthday!!! What a sweet surprise!!! After dinner we headed home and Tina and I prepared breakfast for the Bridesmaids Brunch the next morning.


FRIDAY, May 21, 2010
The big day arrived! We had a BIG storm during the night - But NO rain in the morning! I knew God was going to bless this day with NO rain!! At 10 a.m. we had brunch of Egg Souffle, Breakfast Pizza, Cinnamon Cream Cheese Bars, and Mimosas! It was yummy and was a good start to the day! The cars were loaded, our tummies were full, and we were eager to head to the Vineyard for decorating! We arrived and more stress began! But. . . I don't want to go there - so, moving on to the good stuff! We were hustling around FAST and trying to get everything done so Tina and I could get home by 2:30 to get ready. We did not have to fight rain, but we did have to fight the wind. Finally at about 2:30 Tina, Jessica and I headed home to get ready. Actually, Jessica and Tina went to . . . Wal-Mart to get different vases because the wind kept blowing over the vases we had. Kate and the bridesmaids were up in the guest room of the Restaurant getting their hair and makeup done. At 4:00 we were headed back down for the pre-wedding pictures!

How many people does it take to zip a wedding dress?

Isn't she beautiful! She was so excited to marry Jake! She was waiting for the horse drawn carriage that was going to take her down to the ceremony sight in the vineyard. Unfortunately, he had vehicle problems and we found out 10 minutes before the ceremony that he was not going to make it. I hated to tell Kate that! But she took it so well! She just said, "Oh, that's okay. I'll just walk down. It will just give us more money for the honeymoon."

After walking down the loooooong driveway with her dad and friend, Bekka carrying her train, she walked down the aisle to her waiting groom.


Ben did a marvelous job with the ceremony! They took communion. The funny thing was they were suppose to actually drink the wine from the glass but there was a fly in it so they just dipped the bread instead. Kate wanted to do a sand ceremony so she bought pink sand for her and green sand for Jake and then she wanted to incorporate white sand to represent Christ. They were learning about the marriage covenant and wanted that incorporated into the sand ceremony. It was a beautiful part of the ceremony.

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Musgrove

The reception was a blast!! The food was delicious! We had appetizers of Crab Rangoon, Chicken Pot Stickers, Jalapeno Poppers, Shrimp Cocktail, and a beautiful Fruit Bar put together by my awesome sister chicks - Lana, Gay Ann, Tracy, and Ann. Dinner was salad, bread, meatballs, spaghetti, fettuccini, grilled chicken breasts, mushrooms, and seasonal veggies! Yum Yum!!

Haley had a sweet toast and Anthony gave Jake some great advice!

The DJ was fantastic!!! He had some fun activities for the crowd! Ric won the dance contest with his Michael Jackson impersonation. He beat out Tina's River Dance impersonation, Haley's John Travolta impersonation, and Jordan's air guitar performance. Jake and his groomsmen did a paper bag dance contest that was hillarious!!! Anthony has some great dance moves and a great sense of humor!

Kate did an awesome job of planning her wedding! But . . . all the glory goes to God! Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to God forever!!

Lord, Thank you for the wonderful relationship I have with Kate. Thank you for the wonderful and beautiful young lady she has grown into! Thank You for blessing us with the perfect weather for both days!

Now I want to ask you to bless their marriage together! May they always keep you at the center of their lives! May they be obedient to you and serve you. I pray they remember their vows and the covenant they have with you, Lord. Most of all, may You be glorified through their lives always!
Amen

Memories Light the Corners of my Mind

The Hennrich house is in FULL Wedding Planning mode!!!

The countdown is on - less than 2 months till my baby becomes a Mrs.
It really is hard to believe.

I have been having such fun and I hope Kate is having as much fun as I am.

I really thought that most of the work would be finished by this point and we could
spend the last few months coasting into the wedding.
But . . . I was wrong!!!

All major decisions have been made.
Everything is booked and purchased.
Invitations have been mailed.

What could possibly be left to do????

Well . . . let's see . . . let me count the things . . .

music selections
shoes for the bride and mother of the bride
RSVP's to keep up with
last minute food decisions
programs to be created
bridal showers
and . . .

Tomorrow is the second dress fitting, possibly the final one; and tonite I sit here and
remember. . .

* hearing the fantastic words "It's a girl!"
* rocking my sweet baby
* watching as she picked out her first pet - the scrawniest kitten in the bunch that she insisted on rescuing
* taking that first day of school picture and leaving the kindergarten classroom as she sat with a big grin on her face assuring me she was ok
* watching in amazement as she worked so hard to keep up with her 2 big brothers
* how she always wanted to help me
* that special night when she prayed asking Jesus to live in her heart forever AND the very special Sunday that she was baptized!!!
* how very much she loved spending time with her grandma and how she helped her grandma during her final months of life (I knew without a doubt then that my baby was destined for great things)
* watching her on the volleyball court, soccer field, and basketball court and thanking the Lord that she was not like me
* hearing a teacher tell me that "Kate is comfortable in her own skin and you should be proud of that" - and I was!!!
* helping her get ready for her very first formal dance and thinking "Oh my gosh - she is so gorgeous!"
* being amazed at how she made her mind up about her career and went full steam ahead to achieve that goal
* how proud I was when she found out she was accepted into the RN program and then finding out she was the youngest in the program
* being even more proud of her when she graduated and attributed her nursing choice to her grandma
* the excitement of her first job as a Registered Nurse
* helping her move into her own apartment - I couldn't believe the independence she had at the tender age of 20!!
* the shock of hearing her say, "I think I want to do Nurses Without Borders"
* the apprehension I felt as she traveled to Nicaragua (another step towards her goal of changing the world) and the pride I felt at the same time
* the fear I felt when she announced, upon returning from Nicaragua, that she was going to contact Nurses Without Borders (I had secretly hoped the mission trip would change her mind)
* the humility and tears shed as I realized my baby really belonged to my Heavenly Father and I had no right to hold her back!
* the look on her face when she told me she met someone and the next month when she told me she loved him

And now here we are . . . in less than 2 months she will no longer be Kate Hennrich - but will be Mrs. Jacob Musgrove - Kate Musgrove.

I don't know what the future holds for my baby - But I do know who holds her future!! She may no longer be considering Nurses Without Borders - but together with her fiance they are considering mission trips together. I also know that she loves the Lord and God will use Kate and Jake in a mighty way for his kingdom's work!

Blessings with a Heavy Heart

My heart was heavy this morning!

Yesterday a young man I watched grow up across the street from me and who went to school with my children decided life was too hard and took his own life.

Last night I heard about a 6th grade boy in the community I teach in who had an accident with a wood splitter. He lost 3 fingers and was facing 18-24 hours of surgery in an attempt to repair the damage.

I continue to feel great pain for the people of Haiti as they face such devastation, pain, suffering, and loss.

On my way to worship this morning I was praying for these huge situations and crying out to God!

As always He is faithful! The service began with "Blessed Be Your Name" and these words washed over my soul!

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

How awesome that the God of the universe;
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;
the Creator of everything would take time to
remind me of the privilege of knowing Him!

Pastor Lance spoke of how our life should be a
pursuit towards God, not things!
My life should work around God not the other way
around!

But God said to him, 'You fool!  This very night your
life will be demanded from you.  Then who will get
what you have prepared for yourself?'
"This is how it will be with those who store up things
for themselves but are not rich toward God."
Luke 12: 20-21

Life is so much better when we depend on our
Heavenly Father. He knows best and He has great
things planned for us!  I want to pursue Him and the
permanent things of heaven, not the trivial things
of this life - not the temporary things.

Father,
You are my sanctuary!  
You are my rock and my fortress!
I want to pursue you with everything in me!
I want to praise You!

Every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise!
When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I'm gonna say

Blessed be the name of the Lord -
Blessed be Your name!
Blessed be the name of the Lord -
Blessed be Your glorious Name!

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Blessed be your name!

I want to always remember to praise
and bless your name -
in the good and bad -
in the happy and sad -
in the joy and in the pain.
Blessed be Your Name Jesus!

From Helpless to Hopeful

Do you ever feel empty? Useless? Tired? Burdened? Overwhelmed? Helpless?

I think a LOT of people are probably feeling some or all of these feelings these days.

The bills after Christmas burden us!

The sunless days of winter make us tired!

The fast pace of society wears us down!

Someone we love faces a medical scare and we feel useless!

A dear friend loses a loved one and we feel helpless!

ALL of these things have happened recently and I have been feeling empty - burdened - tired - helpless and overwhelmed!

And now...

The devastation in Haiti ... It is overwhelming!!!

This earthquake kind of puts things into perspective, don't you think?

God has been prodding me and reminding me that He is the only source of strength!

God is our protection and our strength.
He always helps in times of trouble.
The Lord All-Powerful is with us;
the God of Jacob is our defender.
Psalm 46:1, 11


He is our only hope!!

He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak. The people who trust the LORD will become strong again. They will rise up as an eagle in the sky; they will run and not need rest; they will walk and not become tired. Isaiah 40:29, 31


My SisterChick, Lana, has a daughter, Heather. Heather is married to Gerson, a Haitian, and they have been living in St. Louis. During the past week Lana's father passed away and then the country of Haiti experienced the devastating earthquake. For days Heather and Gerson knew nothing about his family. Thank God they have found out that his family is alive. I cannot imagine the fear that gripped them. They have such an amazing faith and have continued to place their hope and trust in our Heavenly Father. Heather and Gerson are traveling to Haiti this next week with a medical team from our church.

It is so exciting to see God at work!

What Satan meant for evil for the country of Haiti, God can use for good! Many people have come together to help the poor people of Haiti. God can and will use them to make a difference for His kingdom! May His will be done.

Abba, You are mighty and You are God! That is all we need to know - but You have provided us with so much more! Your word assures us that You are the Great I AM - the Alpha and the Omega - the Beginning and the End - the Creator - the Great Physician! In James, Your word tell us "When a believing person prays, great things happen". Father, all over this world believers are praying for the people of Haiti and for the overwhelming taks that are ahead for them and the relief workers. We anticipate and claim the promise of the great things You have planned for Haiti.

I ask that You provide strength, materials, workers, and provisions for these selfless people.

I pray for the many, many people who still do not know if their loved ones are dead or alive.

I pray especially for Heather and Gerson as they return to Gerson's family. I know that there is no way they can be prepared for what they will see, Lord, but just hold them close and may their faith be seen by others.

I pray for Jon and Lisa Bird, Dr. Killion, and the others from our community who are giving of themselves to help the injured and hurting people of Haiti. Father, guide them and provide for them as they are Your hands and feet in a lost and hurting part of Your world.

And Father I ask that you would work in my life. I have so much to be thankful for and yet I am so selfish! I want to stay focused on You, Lord. I want to live for You. I want to listen to You. I want to be obedient to You. I want to be fueled by You on a continuous basis! I want everday to be about You - not me!

I love you, Jesus!

Christmas Vacation

Wow! My Christmas break is almost over!!! I can't believe that I have had 2 weeks off. It seems like such a blur - What did I do? Hmmmm - let's see -

Kate and I went wedding shopping! that was fun

I baked some goodies - yum

Cleaned the house - yuck!

Got caught up on laundry - yea!!!

I wrapped the few gifts I purchased - since we have simplified Christmas that is not near the job it use to be!

I decorated the Christmas tree - it stood bare for several days - poor thing!

I picked my Dad up at the airport on Christmas morning! - slipping and sliding the whole way and I believe I saw about 10 accidents!!

We had Christmas lunch at Jack in the Box - that was a first for me!

Games and Carols Night was a little different this year - the kids had some new people join us and Seth & Jessica arrived just in time!

I had 3 wonderful days with the grandsons! They are getting so big!! It is so cool to watch my son interact with his sons! Colby and Carson have great parents!!!

More wedding shopping - this time with Kate and Jessica!! - we also purchased some honeymoon lingerie - ooh la la!!

Got my house back in order after all the company went home - that is always a sad day!! :(

Enjoyed New Years Eve with some wonderful Christian friends!!!

Took down the Christmas tree and packed up all the Christmas decorations - always seems like a bigger job than getting it all out.

Cleaned my house - everything is back in its spot!

Did laundry - again!!

Wow! I'm exhausted and need a break!!!

That's my Christmas - a big bluuuurrrrrr of activities!!!

Did I take enough time to focus on the One that Christmas is all about? Did I give anything to Him on His birthday? I am ashamed to say that I did not focus on my Savior enough during this Christmas season.

Lord, I am sorry that I lost focus during this season that is suppose to be all about you! I am so very thankful that You never lose focus of me!

As I look back at 2009 I remember how You worked in my life - how I was sweetly broken by You - how You molded my life each day - how You surrounded me with Christian friends - how You made me eat my words. I imagine You must have said SO many times "Oh yeah Jeanna. You think so? Well, daughter, I have a different plan for you. A much better plan that is going to change your life for the better."

I love You Jesus and want 2010 to be the year I grow closer to You and more like You. I want people to see you when they look at my life. I want these same things for my children and grandchildren.

Lord, make this Your year!!!

I love You!!!

Your child,
Jeanna