Barneberkie

Today I went to the Barnebirkie to watch Destiny race. For those that don't know what a birkie race is, it is a cross country ski race held in Hayward every year. It was quite a feat for me to go. I hate the cold, but the warmth in my heart to see little Destiny and all the other skiers working and trying so hard kept me warm. Past0r Mark said that he thought there was a lesson there somewhere. What I came away with was this:

We are all running a race. All of us are at different stages in life. Some are little ones just learning to ski, some are in elementary school, some are middle schoolers, some are veterans cheering us on, and yet some are the leaders teaching others the way. Just like all those little skiers today, we will all win a prize at the end of the race. We will win the ultimate prize of seeing Christ face to face. We only have to learn from those ahead of us and give it all we've got.

Maybe I might just take the Barnebirkie off so that I can see the whole thing. Great day!!

Brrrrrr it's cold outside

Today it was 15 below zero. It will be even colder tomorrow, I guess. That is why we live in northern Wisconsin. A lot has happened around her since my last blog. Amber got a new vehicle. I am a little worried that she will not be able to afford it. She did need a more reliable vehicle. Rocke continues to look for work. He would like to get a job around here that requires him to have normal hours, with weekends off. That way we can go to church together on Sundays and have Saturdays for riding cycle.

Weekend in Duluth

We left Saturday morning at about 6:15 am. Destiny and Jasmin went to friends' houses. Amber dropped Hailie off at Dotty's for a day of fun. Amber was going to look for a new vehicle. She was using the car she bought from us as her trade-in. She came home with a mini-van (Dodge Caravan). She went to Cody's work and found it. It was nice to see Cody in his element. The people there really liked Cody. We would have liked to have more time shopping, seeing Cody's place and visiting. But Amber got a car so I am happy for her. We met Kari in Duluth for breakfast. It was fun to see her. She is such a great kid. I miss her. We may have to make another trip up in March.

I am so blessed by wonderful kids and great friends. My friends range from young (my kids' age) and older than me. My friend June has the personality that I wish I had sometimes. She is so out going and can talk to anyone. She is totally open and honest. I envy her sometimes. She has bought herself a motorcycle and is going to join the CMA.

Great weekend.

Life is good.

Life is Good. There is so much good in my life right now. It is times like this that really make us appreciate it when the bad ones come along. Here is a snippet of the events that have me so happy.

* Rocke got great news from the doctor. His last blood test showed no leukemia cells. He appears to be in complete remission. They will test again in April to make sure.

* I have read the book "Boundaries" by Cloud/Townsend. I have learned so much about not allowing others to steal my joy. About not letting others make me feel guilty and not taking on their problems.

* Amber found an apartment. Her and the girls will be moving out in the spring or early summer. The house will seem so quiet, but it is great to see all the progress Amber has made since when she moved away from the years of abuse.

* Kitty is going to have a baby in October. It will be my 4th grandkid. I am excited. I wish she was married first. But her boyfriend is a red head and I have always wanted a red head kid. Maybe I will get my wish from her.

* My spiritual life is growing by leaps and bounds!! The Lord is not only my confidant, but also my best friend.

* I am going to go to Duluth this weekend to see my boy. I am so excited. I miss him so much some times.

Hard not to be bitter sometimes

Sometimes life hits a blow that you thought you were ready for but weren't. I am from a blended family. My mom was married when she was very young and had 3 children from that union. He was alcoholic and abusive, so she left. She met a good man whom took all of us in. They had one child together. He had one daughter (that was only his in name only) and one son. They lived with their mom so we didn't see them much. I thought that we were one big happy family. We grew up in a christian home. We all attended church together. We were always told that we were all loved the same. Well last week, it was verbalized that the only child that matter was the "blood" child. It hurt my brother very badly and my sister (the blood one) was hurt immensely also. The older sister was hurt too. I was too, but I believe that we can't change others. What they believe is what they believe and we can't change that. We don't have to like it, we don't have to agree with; we only have to learn to accept it. The wounds are real for us and we will heal. We have to protect ourselves from the hurt. We can if we join together and lean on each other. The Lord is great!! and he doesn't care if we are "blood" or not. He loves both Jews, Greek and even me!

Why life is better

I will give the Reader's Digest version to my last 2 years that rocked my faith. In August of 2005, my oldest daughter finally after years of abuse from her husband decided to leave the situation. She came back home with 3 little babies in tow. At that time the children were 6 months, 3 and 4. Then in June of 2006 the job I held with a retail store ended. They said I quit, I said I was fired. They didn't want to say that they fired me because then they would have to pay un-employment. Another long story. Then in July my husband, Rocke was rushed to the hospital. There it was discovered that he had leukemia. It is treatable but not curable. I finally found work in the world's biggest retail chain. I started as a cart pusher and now work in the jewelry department. We still struggle with doctor bills, because as we were fighting his disease, he couldn't work so we lost our insurance. We could have kept it to the tune of over $1000 a month, which was more than what I was making. But God saw us through it. He continues to guide us. I think the best thing is that Rocke & I both have renewed our faith. Our eldest daughter was baptized this past year. Life is Good!!

Life can be so confusing sometimes

Last week my mom went into the hospital with pneumonia. After I had visited her in the hospital and done many things for her & my dad, my sisters said that the reason mom was in the hospital was me. It was my fault. They preceded to tell me that mom was doing all of these certain things for me & my family. Which was true, but they were all things that we told her not to do, but she decided to do on her own. I am not sure if mom told them these things or if she mentioned these things and then my sister blew it out of proportion. I was so frustrated. I stayed angry and hurt for many days. Things will not be the same. I had coffee with a good friend and she thinks that I should talk it out with my family. I have not had the opportunity, but I think I will. I have been reading the book, Boundaries. It has helped me strong enough to stand up for myself.

That is the latest in the "drama" I have going on in my life right now. I want to add daily the other things that keep rocking my faith. The Lord is good and I know he will give me the wisdom to talk to my family members and give me the right words to say.