Our Liza became a 1-year-old last month. Unbelievable! I cannot fathom how time can go by so fast. In January of 2010 I began to journal about and for Liza. I wanted to chronicle her first year and I wanted her to know what happened the first year of her life and how her Mimi was enthralled with everything about her. My journal began with the first time I saw her in the doctor's office in an ultrasound. She let us see her profile and she waved at us and gave a "thumbs up" as if to say, "I'm okay!" Throughout the year I made entries of things that happened and always reminded Liza how much Mimi loves her. I also added little pictures along the way. Candice being my photographer, we attempted to get photos around the 4th of each month to record Liza's monthly growth and changes. I am proud of Liza's little book but I am more proud of Liza. She brings sunshine to my life!
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| Birth |
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| 1 month old |
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| 2 months old |
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| 3 months old |
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| 4 months old |
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| 5 months old |
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| 6 months old |
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| 7 months old |
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| 8 months old |
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| 9 months old |
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| 10 months old |
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| 11 months old |
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| 1 year old! |
My how she has grown in one year's time! There is a Christian song that I like a lot called "Blink" by Revive. I've taken the liberty to quote some of the lyrics here:
Teach me to number my days
And count every moment
Before it slips away
Take in all the colors
Before they fade to gray
When it's all said and done
No one remembers
How far we have run
The only thing that matters
Is how we have loved
I don't want to miss
Even just a second
More of this
It happens in a blink, it happens in a flash
It happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time
What is it I've done with my life?
It happens in a blink...
It happens in a blink...
Slow down
Slow on down
Before today becomes our yesterday...
I have been mulling over whether to start blogging or not; wondering if I have anything worthy to say. I decided to take a leap of faith and just do it! My focus is probably small and may not interest too many folks. My life centers around God and family and work. These are the subjects that hold my interest, take my time, and give me pleasure. I turned 51 years old this year and I guess it is normal for someone in my stage of life to contemplate the past and reassess the choices made and wonder where to go from here.
I want you to know that I am not where I expected to be, nor doing what I expected to do. My plan was to grow old together with my husband; to enjoy retirement; to travel together; and enjoy watching our grandchildren grow up. Well God's plans were different for me. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Instead, my husband, Ralph, passed away on October 1, 2004. Thus my life began to deviate from my plans. My father passed away four months later on January 4, 2005 and I began school at Greenville Tec on January 10, 2005. My life was in a whirlwind and I don't know how I made it except to give all the credit to my Lord.
Since that time my oldest, Mike, married my dear daughter-in-law, Sarah, and they now have given me my first grandchild, Liza (the most beautiful child I have ever seen!) All my children have graduated from college. Sarah has a doctorate and Heath is returning to seminary this fall to continue his vocation. I have graduated and became a registered nurse and now work on the telemetry floor at St. Francis Hospital. Like I said, this wasn't my plan but God is directing my path and I am trusting him to continue to do so until he takes me home. My favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." That's all I really need, just to know He is my hope...
