Archive for May, 2008
Visiting Family
We are headed out of town today. I am off for a visit with my father. I have not seen him in 20 years. He has never met my husband or any of our children. This should be an interesting visit. Then I put hubby on a plane home (he has to work) and I will continue on to visit my grandmothers, mother, cousin, siblings & siblings’ families. It should make for an interesting trip.
Thanks to blogger and their upgrades (new scheduled posting), I can still be posting without actually having to be at a computer. So stayed tuned. Posting may be more sporadic but even though I am going out of town without constant computer access doesn’t mean I won’t be “on my blog”.
Please pray for safe travel and good visits. Oh, and just because I will be in and out doesn’t mean you can take a break! I would still love to hear your comments on the posts published while I am traveling! You always brighten my days with your comments!
Weblink Wednesday
This week’s link is Sheppard Software. They have games, fact sheets, links to videos to download, and lots more. Take a moment and explore their site.
Wednesday Heroes
33 & 34 years old from Valdosta, Georgia
2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade, Georgia Army National Guard
July 24, 2005 & July 30, 2005
Sgt. Ronnie “Rod” Shelley and Sgt. John F. Thomas became best friends in the Georgia Army National Guard.
They both were ex-Marines, both about the same age, and both enjoyed searching for arrowheads and fishing together. As their friendship grew, Thomas often came over to Shelley’s house for steaks and ribs barbecued by his friend. And when their infantry unit was sent to Iraq in May of 2005, they went to war together.
When their unit was mobilized for combat duty in Iraq, Shelley promised to watch out for Thomas. “Ronnie said, ‘Don’t you worry, I’ll bring him back safely,”‘ said Thomas’ grandfather. But neither Sgt. Thomas or Sgt. Shelley made it back safely. Sgt. Thomas was killed July 24, 2005 by a roadside bomb near Baghdad. And Sgt. Shelley was killed six days later on July 30 by another roadside bomb, also near Baghdad.
Shelley was a family man, married with three children, who was obsessed with having a neat yard, his wife said. “The grass had to be two inches,” she said. “If the neighbor mowed the grass, Rod had to mow. He also wanted the biggest, baddest lawn mower.”
She said she fell in love with his “gorgeous blue … eyes,” and “he had a laid back attitude. I could not make him mad.”
Thomas was married but had no children. His grandparents said he dreamed of becoming a forest ranger. “John wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. Now the only trail he can walk is the trail in heaven,” the grandfather said.
Mrs. Thomas, wiping back tears, said the soldier felt responsible for the others in his unit. “He cared for people,” she said. “That’s why he had so many friends. People cared for him.”
Killed alongside Sgt. Shelley were Staff Sgt. David R. Jones Sr., Sgt. 1st Class Victor A. Anderson and Sgt. Jonathon C. Haggin and killed alongside Sgt. Thomas were Army Spc. Jacques E. Brunson, Army Staff Sgt. Carl R. Fuller and Army Sgt. James O. Kinlow.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived.
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Quirky Things
My friend Kim, who blogs at Life in a Shoe, has tagged me for the 6 Quirky Things meme.
The rules:
* Link the person who tagged you.
* Mention the rules in your blog.
* Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours.
* Tag a new set of six following bloggers by linking them:
Now 6 quirky things about me. Well…
- I like to eat cheddar/sour cream potato chips and chocolate frosting..TOGETHER. Even when I am NOT pregnant.
- If the toilet paper is on backwards I have to change it to the correct way!
) - When I was in jr. high I attended a church where the congregation always said amen after the pastor said amen. I am used to hearing two amens after a prayer. I MUST hear two amens! Even if I am having my own private prayer time I have to say amen twice.
- I do not like odd numbers.
- I cannot drink milk with bubbles in it!
- When I sleep I have to have my feet wrapped in the sheet or blanket. Having the linens tucked in under the mattress does not work well for me!
So there you have it! I am a bit strange and quirky! How about you?
How Many Children?
While waiting for my children to finish with AWANA, I sat at the secretary’s table (a congregating place). There were 4 or 5 of us ladies just shooting the breeze. One lady spoke up and posed a trivia question. This would be fun, I thought! “What is the greatest number of children born to one woman?” Here is the answer and no it is not the Duggar family.
“The greatest number of children produced by a mother in an independently attested case is 69 by the first wife of Fyodor Vassilet (1816-72) a peasant of the Moscow Jurisdiction, Russia, who in 27 confinements, gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets and 4 sets of quadruplets. Most of the children attained their majority. Only two of the children born to Mme. Vassilet in the period 1725-1765 died in infancy. Mme. Vassilet became so renowned that she was presented at the court of Czar Alexander II”
“The Guinness Book of World Records”
The conversation quickly turned to scorn. After the initial shock at the woman revealing the information of Mme. Vassilet laughter and snide comments were made. Please remember the following conversation came from a Christian woman, taking her grandchildren to the children’s ministry, and was stated within the church walls. This is only a portion of the conversation.
Lady 1 (who offered the trivia question) : So what do you think of that? Crazy huh?
Lady 2: Wow! That is unbelievable!
Me: She was definitely blessed!
Lady 2: She must have loved children!
Lady 1: (half chuckle/snort) Well, no one loves children THAT much!
Me: I know God does.
Lady 1: (ignoring my comment) Someone definitely should have put out the “free puppy” sign! (laughing hysterically)
Yes, I know this is an extreme example of a large family. But let me ask a few questions.
- “At what number are children reduced to unwanted puppies to give away rather than being a heritage and blessing of the Lord?”
- “Why do people think it acceptable to ridicule others for accepting those blessings?”
- “Why are people so stuck on numbers rather than what scripture says about life?”
- “Why are so many Christians at ease with dismissing what God places such a high value upon?”
I left church that evening heart broken for how little value was placed upon the life of children even while being in the midst of children at AWANA. It is a sad testimony when we cannot even value life within the church. The sermon I posted yesterday was made more than evident during this encounter at this church function. If you have not listened to the sermon I would encourage you to do so. See the post previous to this one or click on the title of the sermon to go directly there. Sermon: We Hate Children.
We Hate Children……..
Many people claim to love children yet so much of our culture has seeped in that our words and our actions do not match up. Pastor Wilkens shares a thought provoking sermon entitled, We Hate Children. Here is a small quote from that sermon. I would highly suggest you take the time and have a listen to the whole thing.
“In spite of all the professed concern for children in our day, the truth is, we hate children…We hate children because we see nothing wrong with killing those that are inconvenient, untimely, disruptive or who have physical defects or even are not the sex we desired…We hate children because we refuse to have them…We hate children because we love ourselves…We hate children because we hate God and distrust Him.”
