Blessed To See Him Shine!

"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain." ~Author Unknown

The last five to six months have been some of the strangest months of my life. Some of the time has been wonderful, and some of the time has been extremely rough. But through all of the ups and downs, my sweet husband has been unwaveringly steady and supportive.

The time that I spent away in the Mediterranean with Melissa was an emotional journey for me and Shannon. I had so much fun with Melissa, and I saw so many amazing things, but my journey was full of many difficult situations. Some I have shared with you all; some I have not. But suffice it to say, I experienced homesickness in a way that I never thought was possible.

The few times that I got to speak to Shannon on the phone while I was gone were fraught with many tears. Which must have been so hard for him to handle, because I was a world away and there was nothing that he could do to help me. But on the phone and via emails, he was so encouraging to me.

When Melissa and I finally landed at the airport in our home town, my heart was just pounding at the thought of seeing Shannon. And once I caught the first glimpse of him, I burst into tears (as did Shannon). I was completely overwhelmed at just the sight of him.

Shannon took care of our boys, Allie, the house, the grocery shopping, running the kid taxi, not to mention his more than full time job, and he did it all by himself. And he did it with a smile on his face, because he was just so happy for me to get the opportunity to travel with Melissa on what was obviously the trip of a lifetime.

Well, once I returned home, we were both very ready for our lives to return to "normal." But if you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, then chances are you already know...that is not what happened.

Three days after returning home, I found myself in the emergency room, feeling more pain than I have ever experienced in my life. Then almost three weeks after that, I found myself having back surgery, followed by what has turned into four months of recovery. And I am still recovering. Although, I can do more now, than I could do two months ago, I am still very limited in what I can do. Shannon has had to carry the heaviest part of the load for over five months now, but he has done it with so much grace and compassion.

I could write for days about all the things that he has done to take care of me and the boys over the last five months, but that is not what I want to share with you today. What I want to share with you is not what he has done for us, but how he has done everything for us.

Shannon has done the job of two parents for quite some time now, and he has done it all with a smile on his face. If I had to pick just one blessing that I have received throughout these difficult months (and there have been many), I would have to say that I have been blessed with the opportunity to see my husband shine! These last five months have been full of so many challenges, and it has been such a blessing to see him rise to the occasion with so much grace, compassion, and caring that I can't even begin to describe it to you.

I have shared with you all before (click here) that God has worked a miracle in our marriage, and the last few months of our lives, He has continued that work.

I love Shannon more now than I ever thought possible, and I can honestly say that I wouldn't change one thing that we have been through these last five months, because I would have missed the blessing of seeing Shannon shine.

I love you so much, Shannon. Thank you for loving and caring for me. My cup runneth over.



"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." ~Rabindranath Tagore

Bible Study About Mary, The Mother of Jesus

This week I read about Mary, the mother of Jesus in my devotional.
Here is what happened when God sent the angel Gabriel to speak to Mary.

Luke 1:26-38
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26.In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
27.to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
28.The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
29.Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30.But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
31.You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
32.He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
33.and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
34."How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
35.The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
36.Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.
37.For nothing is impossible with God."
38."I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

Gabriel told Mary that she was highly favored by God.

I looked up in the dictionary the meaning for the word favored.
favored:
treated or thought of with great kindness or partiality;
preferred above all others and treated with partiality

I looked up the meaning of the word "highly" in the dictionary also.
highly:
in or to a high degree; extremely; with high appreciation or praise; admiringly, more than adequately; generously

Imagine with me for a minute, how you would feel if God had Gabriel say those same words to you. Imagine hearing God say, "You are so special to me that I give My One and Only Son to you. Love Him, care for Him, until He comes back home to be with Me."

Think of your own children. Who in your life would you honestly, without hesitation be able to say those same words to?
As a parent, I am very choosy who I let take care of my children. I can't even imagine having to decide who would raise them for me in my absence.

Yet,God trusted in Mary so much that He let her not only give birth to His precious Son, but He trusted her to love Him and to raise Him for the time He spent on the earth.

It's so humbling to me.

I wonder if Mary felt up to the task right away, or was she scared?
Obviously God knew she was up for the challenge. I think so often times in life, God trusts us so much more than we trust Him. He believes in us even when we don't believe in ourselves.

Mary was definitely a woman blessed by God. Her walk with God could not have been easy. From the time the words left Gabriel's mouth, Mary was faced with challenges. Challenges that would cause most people to crumble from the pressure. At the end of His short life, she had to watch the son she gave birth to and loved be ridiculed, scorned, and crucified. I cannot even begin to comprehend the pain she must have felt deep inside her heart.

Imagine the Son of God calling you "Mother".
Even as He was hanging on the cross in unimaginable pain, He was still concerned for His mother.

John 19:25-27
25.Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
26.When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son,"
27.and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

She was His Momma.She was so dear to Him. He wanted her to be taken care of by someone He loved and trusted in His absence, just like His Father had done for Him.

The devotional book ends the section on Mary with with this prayer.

"My soul is full of you, my God, and I cannot hold back my gladness. Everyone who sees me will call me blessed because you have noticed me. You saw my lowliness and my need and filled my emptiness with your presence. Form your likeness in me so that, like Mary, I can bring you into a world that desperately needs your love."

Ask God to make you a woman like Mary. Give your life over to God. Let people see Jesus through your life. Pray for the grace to be like Mary who said, "I am the Lord's servant,may it be to me as you have said."



Luke 1:28
The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Palm Sunday-"Hosanna in the highest!"

Matthew 21:1-11
1. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,
2. saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.
3. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."
4. This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5. "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "
6. The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.
7. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
8. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
9. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!"
10. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"
11. The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."