Happy Anniversary to two of my very favorite people in the whole world!! 21 years!! A true testimony of God's goodness and grace! You have been a wonderful example to your friends and your children. We all pray for oodles and oodles of more "happily-ever-after" years ahead for you both. God bless you and keep you!! Tons of love~~~me and mine :) We love you!

I am here...I am here...I am here...

This is for Mishel who is completely bugging me about Cordelia falling off the face of the earth. Although I haven't fallen off (though there have been times I wouldn't mind it) I did completely forget all my info that allows me to log in to my account. However, through the persistance of my dear friend (mentioned earlier), I went through every possible combination and alas, here I am today. Now, ask me if I have time for this. Go ahead, ask. No, of course not. But for Mishel, I will post at least this much. She deserves it. She has put up with me for over eighteen years!
Sunday's message in church was about Grace. Specifically it was God's Grace towards us. Each of us received the same amount of grace as the other upon our salvation. Paul (Saul) on the road to Damascus received the same amount of grace as a child born into a Christian family who accepts Christ at the age of four. None of us did anything that made God look at us in a special way and say something like, "Wow. Beth is so special. Look how loving she is towards........ . Look how unselfish she is towards........ . Look how sacrificial she is with .......... . God simply looked at me and said, "It is my will that Beth should be saved." Maybe I had been loving, or unselfish or sacrificial (not likely, but maybe), but still that was not what God was looking at. He simply did according to His good will.
My husband, children and I have been the recipients of many gifts. Friends and family have given us money in times when money was very tight. Friends and family have helped with children when something was going on. We've been given food, clothes, AWANA books and supplies, school supplies, and most recently a VAN!! (My dad bought us a 2003 Chevy, Venture LS. Our other van was a '94 Dodge Grand Carrivan. It has been on its last leg for the past three years and I kept telling my husband it needs to last two more years. I said that every year.)
I wracked my brain to think of why my dad would do that for us. Did he love me so much? Had I touched his heart in a special way with one of my letters or phone calls? But you know what it was? It was my dad's good will (undoubtably inspired by my heavenly Father) to bless us. God's good will for my dad to be a blessing to us. That's it. Simply put. I had not done anything to deserve the gift(s). It is actually a relief to know that it is all God's doing and none of my own, because now I have nothing that I have to live up to. I can still just be me and be blessed and eternally thankful, not only to God my Father, but to all those people He has used in my life.
I hope this makes sense to anyone reading it. It makes perfectly good sense to me, but I may not communicate what is in my heart and head as well as I would like. Oh well. Be a blessing and thank God for your blessings. It is all done according to His perfect will and by His grace.