Girls in Grandmother Faces

                          
                            My heart is overflowing.  My head is foggy. But, I am still smiling........

   This past weekend, seven high school friends (aka: bobkittens) congregated in one city, in one house, with one mind- to have a blast and to reconnect-for a few days of relaxing, sharing and laughing.
   We succeeded.  We have changed from young girls to mostly grandmothers and parents of children leaving the nest.  As you can imagine, girlie squeals assailed the foyer as each one arrived.  Yep.  We were seventeen again.  Our brains and voices were set at that sweet young age, but our bodies didn't hear the yell.  We were definitely grandmotherly, a few didn't fit the bill, but as for me, I most certainly looked the part as the grand Nonnie I am.  I don't mind.  My grand kids really don't care how many rolls or wrinkles I have!  And, neither did my friends.

Bobkittens,  Oct. 23, 2010

Meet and Greet with other high school friends, Oct. 21, 2010

    We started the long weekend with a meet and greet of several outside our group of seven, with others who we had been close to and wanted to include.  I wish I had a audio tape of the evening.  Chatter here and chatter there, and chatter everywhere.  At one point I slipped away and got out my camera.  As I walked around the house and caught tiny bits of conversation, I was just so moved at the tenderness of the words, the compassion of the listener and the soft laughs of memories gone by.  Oh, how sweet is the aroma of friendship.

Special cake made by our host's daughter

    We were able to visit several of our parents who are still in our home area.  They were thrilled to see the girls that grew up with their daughters!  It was hard to catch up with all of us in the short time we had.

    Never underestimate the power of our Heavenly Father to move mountains and oceans to gather together seven (yes, seven~that number of perfection) of the saints to strengthen, support and share their lives.  Thank you, Lord, for this time, and for setting our paths on this journey to gather together.  We had five states represented.  We birthed twenty-two babies in our younger days, and we are grandmothers to fifteen, SO FAR.  I am sure that number will rise considerably in the years to come.

Key chains, but more importantly loving arms 

and ministering hands.  (gift bracelets from one of the Bobkittens)

     Can you remember laughing so hard you can't breath?  Is there ever any moment sweeter than remembering and telling about precious moments about your children?   Do you know how strange it is to walk the places of your teenage years and the memories come flooding back?  And ride around the neighborhoods and call back the events of elementary and high school friends, dances, ball games, dates, parties, church functions, and Christian youth gatherings?   Have you ever sat with long ago friends and closed your eyes and listened to their voices and realize they sound the same as forty years ago?

              Take time to contact your long ago friends.  You won't be sorry.  You will be blessed.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. 

Matthew 18:20

Oops!

I hope no one made Holly's pumpkin muffins before I added how much FLOUR you needed in the batter! DUH.  So sorry.  I went to make them this morning and BIG oops  ; o

So, the recipe should be right.  I'll let you know in a bit  : /
      nonnie


YES, it is right, now.  I made them for the Bobkitten weekend, and they were perfect :)

Friends forever

 I am attending a very special event/weekend very soon!  I have been anticipating it for a few months, and now, it is nearly here.  A group of very close friends from long long ago are gathering!

   In contacting one another we found even though the years have been many, it was as if we talked last week, and we just had a bit of catching up to do.  Isn't that funny?  So much has happened, marriages, children, jobs, moving, heartaches, deaths, grandchildren, and so much more in between the many years we have fellowshipped together.

   I know the time will be fun, sweet, sorrowful, and tender.  We have so much to share.  Most of us have mentioned our aging bodies, sagging skin, extra pounds, graying hair, limps, aches, pains, and all kinds of issues kin to our ages.  What is wonderful is that we are all the same age and share similar woes.

   I dreamed about us a month or so ago.  I dreamed we were living in the now era, but we looked like we did then.  We even decided to go and have retro 'dos' at a salon.  We came out with wonderful 'flips' of the late sixties and seventies.  That was a real feat since my hair is very very short.  But, you can do anything in a dream.  Remember, we all looked eighteen again!

   I don't doubt that we will talk into the wee hours, shed tears of heartaches as well as joys, laugh until we can't breath, and pour out our hearts.  We will share and pray and cover each other with love of Jesus.  I can sense the sweet smell of fellowship where old friends come together with open hearts.

I'll let you know how much fun we had, after this very special weekend coming up!

But, until then,

the loft is nearly finished!  I hope to have everything done this week.  

I am very excited, but still need to focus on the finish line.  So, just let me close and go get the drill.  I need to hang some 'stuff '.  Watch out...here I come.

Forty Days

Paisley in the womb, Oct. 2009

Paisley, at two weeks old, Feb. 2010

     We were blessed to see pictures of each of our grandchildren before they were born through their ultrasounds.  When I was having babies, we did not have the actual picture to take home with us, but I was able to see my babies on the computer screen.  What an utter joy it was to see what was growing inside me, so wonderfully made, so perfectly formed by a God who knew those babies from the foundations of the world!  Seeing them on the screen was my first meeting, but it was not our Heavenly Father's first encounter.

     Last week (Sept. 22, 2010), a Forty Days of Life campaign has begun to urge us to pray for the unborn, to bring a halt abortions that have taken so many lives here in this nation and around the world.

   Please join in to pray that abortions will be stopped and those women can find joy and peace in their decision to give that child life.

    Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; 

      you formed me in my mother's womb.
   I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
      Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
      I worship in adoration—what a creation!
   You know me inside and out,
      you know every bone in my body;
   You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
      how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
   Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
      all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
   The days of my life all prepared
      before I'd even lived one day. 

Psalm 139:13-16  The Message Bible

    Let me add, that I do not want to cause guilt or shame with this post. To those of you who have had abortions you can be free from the guilt of this act.  The Lord God on High is a forgiving God.  There is no sin bigger than His ability and willingness to forgive.  Please know there is no condemnation when you ask forgiveness.  As we pray for those who may seek abortions in the future, let's also join together to pray for those who have had them in the past.   

Heavenly Father, Jehovah-rapha, our Healer,    

   You are the Holy One.  You are the Most High One.  Let you name be praised upon all the nations. 

   We thank you for your mercy upon our lives.  We thank you for your grace poured out on us daily. 

   We come to you to pray for direction in stopping abortions.  We seek your guidance in the manner in which you would have this evil eliminated.  We pray for those who lead in this endeavor that they may seek your will in actions to turn around this act against children.

    Lord, soften hearts and unveil eyes where these hearts are frozen and eyes are blind to this sin committed against you.  

   We ask forgiveness for all our sins.  There are none of us who are without sin. 

   Lord, I ask that healing may come to those who seek it.  I ask that your love and comfort surround those who need it.  May your light shine in them as they come to You.

   

    We praise you, Lord.

    We ask these things in the precious name of Jesus,

    Amen.

The following link is a blog with a compelling story of sin and redemption. A story of abortion and forgiveness.   Please go to 'Not Mine but God's Story'.  Look in the side bar and click to read Tammy's story "My Secret Sin".

               http://notminebutgodsstory.blogspot.com/2008/05/secrect-sin.html

In addition:
My sweet son-in-law sent me this youtube video yesterday.  How fitting that I would receive it, in light of this blog post.  

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=158348990848143

With heavy thoughts, warm hearts, big hugs,


nonnie