2011 Has Ended, But Will Not Be Forgotten

There were many changes in my life and my family's in 2011, endings and beginnings: January saw me going under the knife for a new right knee...a beginning.

In May, my daughter received her AA degree in Psychology...an ending.

In the summer, during our OBX vacation, Megan began to learn how to surf...a beginning.  During that same vacation, God placed Neil in the right place to save a man (whom we now consider a dear friend, along with his fiancee) from drowning in the ocean, by using the surfboard Meg had rented...an unthinkable ending avoided - a new beginning created!

In August, I graduated from my online medical transcription school...an ending.
That same month, my daughter transferred to a local state university, an hour's drive from our home...a beginning.  She then moved to an apartment (thankfully owned by family) to be closer to the campus...a beginning. We became empty nesters...an ending and a beginning. I do not like this change and I have made it well known. ;-)

In September, I began a part-time MT (medical transcription) job...a beginning.  Six weekends later I resigned from that job (too many reasons to list)...an ending.  In November, I accepted a full-time job offer with Nuance Communications, and am thankful for the wonderful mentoring, training, and encouragement...a beginning.

In October, hubby began working on his master's degree...a beginning.

Many changes, many endings and beginnings. Through it all, God was with us, as He is daily. He has told us in His word that He will never leave us, nor forsake us, if we are His children. I cannot imagine going through life's many changes without having Jesus Christ in my heart, in my life. I am so thankful that God loved me enough to sacrifice His only Son on the cross, to atone for my sinful nature and life. I am also thankful that, as He promised, Jesus was resurrected and since has sat at God's right hand, interceding on my behalf, and on the behalf of all who call on His great name. When I left my desires and selfishness behind...an ending.  When I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior, brother and friend...a beginning.

                           ALPHA AND OMEGA

1: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. Those verses from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible tend to come to mind at this time of year. I love Autumn, but I'm always so sorry to see the last leaf fall, the last flower petal fade away, and the temperatures begin to fall. We've had some beautiful Autumn days here in Maryland, but I know it won't last for much longer. Thanksgiving is just a little over a week a way. I find it hard to believe that summer is already past, with Christmas is staring me in the face. Here are some pictures of the beauty of autumn in Maryland.

WV Vacation

A most beautiful and peaceful place. I'll let my photos do the talking. :-)

A mere sampling of the beauty all around me on this vacation in Great Cacapon, WV.

Empty Nest? I don't like it one bit!

I know, we parents are supposed to raise our children to the best of our abilities so that one day they can spread their wings and fly. My daughter is doing just that this week. My husband & I have been fortunate to have home schooled her, having her home with us more than if she had attended public school. And her first 2 years of college were spent at the local community college, so she lived at home. She received her AA degree in Psychology in May, and now she has transferred to a state university to earn her bachelor's in psychology. The college is about an hour from us, so to save her driving time, etc., she's moving to an apartment. Woe is me! ;-) She's very excited about having her own place, and God certainly provided a good one, as it belongs to family members who live upstairs. We've been helping her acquire the necessary items, helping her move some things from home (but her bedroom remains intact!), so it looks like this week will be moving week. I'm treating it as a dorm room, which means she has it for 2 years, then back home until the next big life event. Ah well, life must go on and will do so, no matter how hard I try to slow it down. :-)

An interesting year ahead, indeed. And as a student myself, I am anticipating graduating this summer from a medical transcribing school, with the hopes of being hired soon thereafter. Yep, lots of changes this year.

Happy Independence Day!

I took this shot of the American Flag while in Baltimore City on Thursday, June 30th (my 27th wedding anniversary). I never tire of seeing Old Glory waving in the breeze. To be able to freely honor that flag is an honor we may not always have considering the state of our country today. Only by God's great mercy will she   continue to wave "in the land of the free and the home of the brave."  Let's cherish our freedom and be willing to stand up for it. Happy Independence Day!

You Never Know What May Happen While On Vacation

Finishing day 8 of vacation, with 4 more days to go. We've decided that having 2 weeks at the beach is so much more relaxing than just one week.

I love sitting on the beach, watching the waves roll in, the water then roll out...there's something so very relaxing about that. Saturday, however, was not one of those relaxing days.

Towards the middle of the afternoon, I was in the water with my husband and daughter, they were further out than I, with my daughter out there on her surfboard and dad hanging nearby, just in case she needed help. The tide was out, the water was very refreshing, not cold at all. A perfect day at the beach.

I was heading back up to the beach to go sit down when I noticed a woman near me yelling and waving her arms. I finally realized she was yelling for help. I looked around and saw a man quite a ways out in the surf, and saw him floundering in the water...it took me a moment to realize the man was drowning! I raced to my beach bag where I grabbed my phone & called 911. I then saw my husband trying to get to the man, but the water was nearing my husband's neck, and he is not a strong swimmer (a couple weeks at the beach each summer does not make one a great swimmer) and I could tell that he didn't know what to do. He told me later that he was remembering that he & our daughter had a difficult time getting into shore earlier that morning because of a riptide. This is why even at low tide, the man in danger was suddenly in water over his head...he hadn't realized he was being pulled out until it was too late. But suddenly, my husband turned towards our daughter and yelled for her to bring him her surfboard. That's right, Megan had a surfboard out there! With the board, my husband was able to reach the man just in time, and after the man rested on the board a little, he was able to work with my husband to get back into shore. The medics arrived after the man got to shore. He refused any help, saying he just wanted to rest. He and his fiancee (the woman who'd been yelling) profusely thanked my husband for saving the man's life. Even though the medics/life savers were there in record time, they would not have been able to reach this man in time to save his life  (there are no lifeguards on the beach where we stay on vacation).

My family is thanking God for planting the seed in our daughter's mind about learning to surf, then giving her the nudge to be out there in the surf with the board the same time as that drowning man, and for nudging my husband to remember the board would be the perfect lifesaver.

We're very glad my husband was in the right place, at the right time. We're glad that Saturday was not the day for that man to die...but what if it had been? Would he have gone to heaven to meet his Creator, or would he have gone to Hell, because he didn't believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for all mankind? One day, we'll each have our last day on this earth. Where will you spend eternity after that last day?

Promises to Keep Book Review

Promises To Keep
by Ann Tatlock


Promises To Keep is a very engrossing story told from the viewpoint of 12-year-old Roz (short for Rosalind) Anthony. She is very mature for her age, perhaps because she has lived with much heartache in her young life. Roz lives with her brother Wally, her little sister Valerie, and their mother, Janis Anthony. They have recently moved from Minnesota to Illinois, with the help of Roz’s grandfather who lives in their new town. Roz did not want to move from her old home but knew that they had no choice. They had to get away from Roz’s father, an abusive alcoholic whom we learn about bit by bit throughout the story.

On one of their first mornings in their new home the Anthonys meet an older woman named Tillie, whom they find sitting on their front porch reading their newspaper. Tillie insists that they are living in her house. Tillie’s story then becomes interwoven with the Anthony family’s story. I did not like the Tillie character at first, but I warmed up to her rather quickly. She lends a special warmth to the story, reminding one of a favorite grandmother.

The story takes place in the late 1960s, when the Vietnam war was still raging, drugs were becoming the activity of choice among teens and college students, and racism was still very much alive. The Anthony family finds their daily lives intertwined with those radical events, especially Wally, who is 17 when we are introduced to the Anthony family.

At her new school Roz meets her very first best friend, Mara, a young black girl the same age as her. The bond they form, especially because of their unique relationships with their fathers, becomes stronger than even some family relationships. Mara makes life bearable for Roz on some of Roz’s darkest days.

The story had me engrossed from the first page where we met Tillie. I found myself totally caught up in the Anthony family’s struggle to start life anew in a new state and town. I felt the chill that Janis Anthony felt whenever she thought about her previous life with her husband, an alcoholic with a horrible temper who did not want to give up his wife and children. Always at the back of her mind is that he will come looking for them. When he does not, however, she begins to think of life with a new suitor, a life that would be safe… I sympathized with Roz’s desire to have her family back together again, to have the innocence she deserved to have as a young girl.

This is a story that is both humorous and heart breaking, chilling and bittersweet. I believe it will appeal to a very wide audience. This is the first novel of Ann Tatlock’s that I have read. I feel certain I will be reading more of her future novels.



DISCLAIMER: I received a FREE advanced copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. I did not have to do anything but write a review, regardless of whether it was positive or negative. No monies were involved.