Race for Hope

Today was a very special day where we got to honor a very special lady.

This lady, Mrs. Hope, has been a part of my life since I was 12 years old.

She directed girls' part of the church leadership camp I was able to attend from age 12-18.

Then, I was able to be a staff member and worked under her from the age 19-27 (with two years off).

Next, I was able to work beside her as a co-director from the age of 27-32.

She has always been a huge supporter of mine.

She has always shown love to me and my family.

She has always been there for me,

and today was our day to that for her.

For a few years now, Mrs. Hope has been battling cancer. 

We thought she had beat it, but news a few months ago was not good news.

In spite of all of this, she has continued to run.

She has continued to serve.

She has continued to look for ways to help others.

She has seen a need in the last few months in our community 

where children were leaving school and not having food to eat over the weekend.

So, with support from our church and the school health officer,

she and others have been filling bags of food for these children.

These bags are put into their backpacks on Friday.

This project needed money.

This project needed support.

So, some amazing people with such vision

decided we should all

RACE FOR HOPE.

All the money raised in her honor from this race would go towards

buying food for this project.

The goal was simple - $2000.

The goal was exceeded - $4500+.

Our family can't do much, 

but we figured we could run (or walk in my case).

We could be there.

We could be supportive.

We could show love.

LB, Mrs. Hope and Carter before the race began.

Good friends are the best people to run with!

We were blessed with a great day for January.

71 degrees.

A little overcast.

Mrs. Hope started the race for everyone.

and they were off . . . 

Now, LB and I were suppose to run/walk the One Mile Fun Run/Walk.

However, LB "left me in her dust."

That is ok - she warned me she would.

AC, Jessica and I started out together running.

Then, Jessica "left us in her dust."

She did not warn us.

We saw Carter passing us ON HIS WAY BACK!

This is when AC and I realized we had gone past the turn around for the mile people!

So we kept going a little further.

and on our way back . . . 

LB (who had decided to go ahead and run the 5K) passed us.

In this way she is NOT my daughter!

We all finished.

We all cried.

Some of the Horizons' girls who came to Race with Hope!

We all cheered.

We all celebrated!

LB won first in her age group! (ran in about 30 minutes)

Carter came in second in his age group (ran in under 26 minutes)

I hope they will always remember this day.

I hope they will always remember this lady.

How she loved them.

How she cheered for them - not just today, but every day.

How she looked for how she can help others.

How we and 200 others helped her achieve her dream

as we all

Race for Hope

Basketball Season Is Over . . .

Basketball season ended today . . . but on a good note.  It was a great season.  We had the same coach as last year and many of the same teammates, so it was great to see the boys grow in their basketball playing abilities over the past year.  What I loved the most was how they encouraged each other.   They  would always give high fives for jobs well done and say things to lift each other up.  It was so special!

Carter and Cade giving hugs -
 instead of their usual run and bump chest bumping

I know - SHOCKER!!!! I am on the blog!
Me and my favorite little Blue Devil - my OWN Mason Plumlee!

Carter, Coach Chad and Cade

Thanks for a great season Blue Devils!!!!!

Strength To Do What Is Necessary

In my earlier Bible reading I was reading in Genesis about the "fall of man."  A very well known story to my ears and eyes, but trying to see it through the word "strength" made some things pop out at me.

God gives us the ability to tap into His strength every day.  It is our job to do it.  This is not an easy job like some might think it is.  It is a job that requires humbling yourself to realize you CAN'T do it without Him.  It requires putting other things aside and picking up what matters.  Two jobs many of us just don't want to do.  However, if we don't tap into His strength, we ARE going to fail.  Look at Adam and Eve.  They were in the garden and God was walking around with them, (Genesis 3:8) and they fell.  If they can fall with all the strength they needed RIGHT THERE BESIDE THEM, how much easier will it be for me to fall?

The same day I read about Mary and Joseph and realized what strength both of them must have had in order to do all they were asked to do at the beginning of their marriage.  They could not have done any of what they did without the strength from Him.  We don't study Joseph a whole lot, but what a man of God and a man of strength he must have been to take Mary as his wife, to take Jesus and protect Him - doing whatever it would take.  They were both people who tapped into the strength God afforded them daily because they were willing to do whatever God asked of them in order to protect their (and HIS) Son.

Be Still My Soul

I know I have not done very well posting.  Hence the reason I did not make any resolutions!

However, I am going to try to do better posting what is going on in our lives as well as what I am learning tapping into God's strength as I am on this journey here on earth.

As the last post mentioned, I have a problem being still. 

The first Wednesday of the new year, we sang this song - 

an oldie but a goodie!

Be Still My Soul

by Catharina von Schlegel, 1697-?
Translated by Jane Borthwick, 1813-1897

1. Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly, Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

3. Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay
From His own fulness all He takes away.

4. Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

I just love this song and the words that encourage me to be still and not forget HE is there.  Through Him, I have the strength to get through whatever comes my way!

"Be still and know that I am God . . ."

Psalm 46:10

His Strength is With Us

My Bible reading from the first took me to Genesis 1-2 and Matthew 1.  Reading from my NKJ study Bible, I was able to glean some ideas from this well known and well read part of the Bible.  Reading in order to find strength from His word, I came across 2 different strengths of God.

1.  In Genesis 1, the Hebrew word for God means Mighty or the Almighty.  That, in itself, shows strength that He has.  In reality it is a plural form of God - showing His fullness and emphasizing the God head or the Trinity.

2.  In Genesis 2, the Hebrew word for God changes to Yahweh, a personal God, who created man and woman, a place for them to leave and a relationship with them.

This God whose strength created our world and our bodies had tremendous strength - a strength that I want to gain part of this year.  However, even HE rested!!!!  Lesson number 1 for Becky!  Anyone who knows me well knows that I don't rest well until I am in the bed sick.  So, already, I have learned that this year I need to rest.  That is one way I will have the strength to be the wife, mother, daughter, friend I will need to be this year.  That is one way I can tap into HIS strength - is to rest.  I will admit, that is going to be tough for me, but it is something I must do - we must all do.  We must rest.

Appropriately, my reading ended with Matthew 1 and a reminder that I have a constant strength with me because I have been baptized and have been given the gift of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  The reminder is that Jesus is with me!!!!  That is what His name Immanuel means "God with us." Knowing that He is with me wherever I go and He is watching me ready to give me the support and strength I need is such a gift that I needed to be reminded of today and days in the future.

For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth

that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.

2 Chronicles 16:9 (NASV)

Gift:

1.  God is with me wherever I go and watching me ready to give support.

Happy New Year 2013

I am sitting here really putting off the fact that I go back to school tomorrow and have not even looked at my school stuff for the last two weeks (thankfully, the kids don't come back to us until Thursday).  However, I as I am sitting here, the fact that a new year is upon us is hitting me more and more.  I have never been one for resolutions, but this year I do have some goals I want to reach.  As I have been sitting, the kids and Damon having been playing football in the living room while watching football while I am trying not to get hit with the football as I catch up on blogs I usually read.

As I read these blogs, I realize the reason I have never made resolutions is because I don't like failure.  I want to succeed in all I do, and, let's be honest, resolutions don't hold up more often than not.  I am VERY OCD and had thought during the few quiet moments I had over Christmas break that I wanted to have certain goals for each month and work on things in my life over the months in the year.  I mean they tell you it take 21 days to make a form a habit, but here it is January 1st and I have not made the list I wanted to. Therefore, thanks to the OCDness in me, I already fill like a failure.

Our elders at church gave us the challenge Sunday at church for our theme to be Strength for the Journey.  Each family was given a devotional book with that same title to read on a daily basis and scriptures were given to encourage us in our walk on our journey to heaven.  So, I think I have decided that for the year 2013,

I am not going to make any resolutions.

I am not going to set myself up to fail. 

(although I will on a daily basis)

I AM going to rely on strength.

Strength that can only come for my Father in heaven.

Strength that can only be found in His word.

Strength that can help me be the best wife, mom, daughter and friend.

Strength that can help me get through whatever 2013 may bring our family.

I am not going to make resolutions - I am going to choose a word and dwell on that word this year.  And that word is 

STRENGTH.

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1 (NKJV)

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him,

for He shields him all day long, and the one the 

Lord loves rests between His shoulders.

Deuteronomy 33:12

My gifts today (for more on this check out Mrs. Ann):

1.  LB's best friend, Madlyn - I love how she just fits in with our family and accepts us as we are.  

2.  My family accepting Damon as one of us - We have been married for 13 1/2 (GASP!) years, but it never ceases to amaze me how they just take him in as if he has always been there.  Bub made red beans and rice for part of our New Year's meal just because it was Damon's favorite!

3.  My children reading and discussing God's word - We are going to be doing the Strength for the Journey devotional together and reading one chapter a night as a family.  I loved hearing LB read Genesis 1 to us and then having them ask questions from this well-known chapter of the Bible.