July Shenanigans

Jon and Jeff enjoying a little tubing at Lake Murray in SC

Can you believe this is the same guy the doctors told us would likely exist in a vegetative state IF he survived? Ha! To witness the miracle of his very existence each and every day is a blessing beyond words.

Jonathon's summer has been filled with activity and excitement. He's gone tubing (as evidenced above), gone to Six Flags (riding the ONE thing his dad asked him not to--roller coasters, yes plural), chaperoned middle schoolers on a week-long retreat at Lake Burton in north Georgia, served the Lord as a "mingler" at a homeless shelter, attended a fraternity brother's wedding with a group of Fijis at Chateau Elan, worked Sunday mornings as a Sunday School assistant and daily as an intern in the youth department at our church, and will be going to Stone Mountain with a church group in a couple of days. I'd say he's had a pretty fulfilling summer, wouldn't you? He has one more week of his internship and then we'll be preparing for him to return to school. I can't believe how quickly this summer has flown! When I reflect on previous summers, this has been by far the most active, independent one Jonathon has enjoyed since 2004. What pure joy it has been for each of us.

We continue to pray for his healing and I ask that you include another young man, Justin Bellmor, who is struggling to recover from a bleed similar to Jon's. We know that God has special plans for each of these young men. As He teaches us, He has plans for their future! Let's remember, also, to pray for each other.

Lessons

While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.~Angela Schwindt

Happily Ever After

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. ~Mignon McLaughlin

Okay, so after NOT blogging for almost two weeks, today I decided to write two blogs! I thought about combining them into one entry but the nature of each made it easier for me to just write two separate ones. Anyway........I am writing to share that David and I celebrated our 33rd anniversary this weekend and what an amazing 33 years it has been! We met in the spring of my freshman year in college (he was a hotshot senior), but didn't really begin our "courtship" until early in my sophomore year. After that, we were pretty much inseparable.......sickening, I know. We got engaged at the beginning of my junior year and married the summer before my senior year. There have, of course, been times when each of us have questioned the sanity in marrying so young (and so broke), but I honestly believe that if we had the chance to do it all over again, we would have done the exact same thing! I remember our wedding day so clearly, especially the moment when his mother took me by the hands and said, "I hope that you will be as happy being Mrs. Clark as I have been." Isn't that the most beautiful sentiment? When our oldest son married two years ago, I shared the same wish with his bride, and I'm sure that I will share it with each of the other sons' brides on their respective wedding days. I can honestly say that although the road to 33 years hasn't been without its share of bumps, detours, and a few potholes, I can't imagine traveling it with any other man than David.

Then.....














Now.....

Yep, I'll take it! Bumps, detours, potholes, and all! I love this man....for better or for worse!

All In

Today's sermon was based on Isaiah 6:8--Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" The message was that each of us is to live our lives more like Isaiah and seek ways in which we can be agents of and for God in sharing the good news of His atonement for our sins..ways in which we can be ALL IN for Christ. Our minister even used the analogy of a antibiotic to treat an infection. When the doctor tells us to take all of the prescription, it is because all of the infection is to be treated, not just part of it. When God asks us to be His witnesses, He wants us to live our lives in such a way that ALL the time we evidence His love for us, not just part of the time. He wants us to be ALL IN--to be more like Isaiah and live each day as if God has sent each of us personally to be His agents for Christ. For me, that is a pretty straightforward request........not necessarily easy, but certainly straightforward. We can't be true Christians unless and until we are ready to "Walk the walk, and talk the talk" on a daily basis. Are we up to the challenge? I am praying that when I hear God calling me--whatever the task--I will proudly open my heart and lift my voice and say, "Here I am. Send me!"

Ponderings

"Throughout our lives, there have been numerous times when God's hand reached down at just the right moment. More often than not, we didn't know it was the right moment until we saw it in the rearview mirror." ~ from I Am Potential by Patrick Henry Hughes

Green Thumbs

This past weekend David and I devoted ourselves to one of our favorite summer projects--landscaping the yard. We had already planted roses and a few begonias (a staple) before Memorial Day, but Saturday and Sunday we tackled our backyard haven full on! On Saturday morning, we made our first of three weekend trips to Pikes to fill up two carts with lovelies for the yard. We spent the afternoon (well, I took a break for a much needed hair appointment) gettng the morning's purchases in the ground. On Sunday, we took Jonathon to the church to go on a week-long retreat chaperoning middle schoolers (please say a little prayer for him and for the rest of the group), and then made not ONE but TWO trips to Pikes to purchase even more plants/flowers. We worked the remainder of the day pretending to be landscapers. Actually, for a couple of non-professionals, we do a pretty good job! I'll try to post some pictures soon of the results of our efforts. We still have a small area to finish, but in a couple of weeks, it should look like our own little piece of paradise! Now if I can get the pool furniture cleaned and ready, we'll be ready to actually enjoy it!

Memorial Day

I am a slacker.........no other way to say it. I have great intentions when it comes to updating this blog, but something invariably seems to prevent me from following through. Maybe I should start sending myself Twitter nudges!

So anyway....David and I had the opportunity to take a weekend trip to Savannah to visit our "adopted" daughter (a.k.a - "daughter from another mother") this past weekend. We left after David got home from work on Friday night and drove back this morning. Although we had hoped to spend a couple of days on the beach at Tybee Island, we settled for an hour there yesterday afternoon! Ah well, it is what it is! Since it rained on Saturday, we spend the day shopping (yeah, it was rough) and then went to The Lady and Sons for dinner. Talk about overeating! By the time we left the restaurant, I thought I was going to pop! I was absolutely miserable--I guess the second piece of fried chicken was a bad idea after all! On Sunday we made our token trip to the beach where we hauled our beach bags, chairs, and cooler to the shore only to haul it all back about an hour later. Oh well, at least we got to put our toes in the sand, and David was brave enough to put his in the water! We then had a low-country boil where we once again gourged ourselves on too much of everything! I guess tomorrow I'll have to go back on the dreaded D-I-E-T. It was certainly fun while it lasted, though!

Jonathon has begun his internship at the church and seems to be enjoying it very much. He is working with middle school youth and will be travelling with them on a couple of weeklong trips. He is very excited and most grateful for this opportunity. God is so good!

Fading fast after a busy weekend........ciao!