Happy Spring Time...April is "National Child Abuse Prevention Month"

Hello Everyone and Happy Spring!

I'm back!  The past few years have been so busy with my mother's care that I had to back out of a lot of my correspondence, especially on my websites.  She came to live with us over 2 years ago, and we were her sole caregivers in our home.  I certainly am thankful that we had that time with her, and am thankful that her passing was easy.  She was plagued with pneumonia all summer last year, and after being MedStar lifeflighted from our ranch, spent 3 stays in the hospital, and then went to a nursing home here in Spokane.  She seemed to rally for awhile, but could not shake the pneumonia, and she finally gave up after her 95th birthday on July 29th.  We had a little party for her there in the nursing home, and afterwards one of the nurses asked her, "Lois, since you've reached 95 now, are you going to shoot for 100?"  She said, "No, I don't think so, I'm kinda tired."  Then on August 26th, after saying goodbye to her children and Grandchildren on the phone, she slipped quietly away into the arms of our Lord.  I could not have wished for anything differently, because she had had a good, full life, and now she is pain free and flying with the angels.

Now, I am plunging in with both feet...and hands, and doing the work I know I'm intended to do.  My greatest desire, as you all know, is to see people set free from the bondage of abuse...whether it be immediate, or scars from past abuse.  The current statistics have only continued to rise through the past few years, and abuse of children in this country is an EPIDEMIC....it has to STOP!  

To further that goal, I am very happy to report that I was recently contacted by Monty Dale Meyer of Talk12Radio Station out of Oregon, to do an interview tomorrow (Friday, April 5th).  This interview will be over Internet Radio and will be available on Saturday at www.Talk12Radio.com; then just click on SATURDAY for the Friday Interviews.  They archive these interviews, so they will be available forever for those of you who want to listen and refer on to your friends.  I would really appreciate that, too, as the whole purpose is to reach as many people as we can, in the hopes of reaching many victims of abuse who need healing.  PLEASE partner with me in passing this on; it is so important.  It is also so timely, since this is "National Child Abuse Prevention Month", and we need to do all we can to get the word out there.  Those victims are out there, and they are waiting for our help.

Thanks everyone for hanging in there with me and checking back.  Hope you all had a wonderful Easter and are enjoying Spring...I am!  Remember to listen in to the broadcast interview and let me know what you think...thanks again.

"The only people who are truly free are the ones who walk in a spirit of continual forgiveness."

We're So Thankful For What We Have

 WE'RE SO THANKFUL FOR WHAT WE HAVE


This Thanksgiving Day was so enjoyable, spending it with family, and having our Mom with us.  Mom at 93 years of age has moved in with us recently, and we praise God that she is in fairly good health and can get around by herself with the aid of a walker.  She occupies 2 rooms of our home and has the use of our guest bathroom, and says she is very happy living here with us.  A lot of her own furniture and personal pictures and "things" moved here with her, so she has familiar treasures around her.


When Mom came to live with us, it is because living expenses in an assisted living facility had gotten so expensive (this is the case with many of our elderly). We know of quite a few people our ages who are now inviting their parents to live with them because of this reason.  As long as my Step Dad (age 101) was living with her, they were able to afford the unit, but since he went into a nursing home last winter, it has become increasingly hard on her financially.  So, we invited her to come live with us, knowing that it would enrich all of our lives...which it has.  Mom is enjoying our pets, too, just as she knew she would.  She's finally learned all their names, and that was a real accomplishments.  Try keeping 3 black cats straight when they all sort of look alike!  Then there's the grumpy old lady cat who we've had for over 10 years, given to us by my daughter who had had her for 3 years & didn't know how old she was when SHE got her.  So she (Peaches) is just trying to lay claim to her territory that she had long before the 3 black cats came along.  Mom knows them now as Mama Mitsy, Daddy Tommy, and "baby" Owey (who tops out at about 22 lbs.).  Then there's the dog Bosco, who is over 9 years old now.  He's quite a character and understands everything we say (especially when we don't want him to).  All of this has added much to Mom's life.

Mom has also taken up the piano again, and even with her bent finger, she can play pretty well.  Right now she is practicing some Christmas carols so she can accompany me on the flute over the holidays.  We may even invite some family and friends over as time allows.  We marvel at what she remembers of the piano, and she can play so many songs and even jazzes them up a bit.  She still plays from her mother's set of music books, and song books she has collected over the years.  Here is a picture of Mom playing her old piano (which is in our house now), and her captive audience of "baby" Owey.  They love to hear her play, and at first couldn't understand what she was doing...because they rarely hear ME on the piano.  So, we are thankful that Mom can still play the piano so well, and we all enjoy hearing her improve with each passing day. 

 Yes, we have so many things to be thankful for.  Our families who are scattered from Texas all the way to Alaska and includes 4 children, 14 grandchildren + 1 in heaven, 4 GREAT grandchildren, and ONE ON THE WAY that we just found out about and is due in July sometime.  We miss those members who haven't been around much, more than we can say, and hope that they are doing well this holiday season, too.  We are so thankful for those family members who include us in their lives...ALL are precious to us & we thank God for every one.  We continue to pray for our family, & that God will heal parts of our family and our nation.  Please join us in praying for our troops, our nation and our leaders, and that in these trying times that they will make the right and Godly decisions for our country.  We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, and hope you will have a wonderful holiday season.  God bless you all and keep you safe.

"The only people who are truly free are the ones who walk in a continual spirit of forgiveness."