Gardening and pets

I am really excited about gardening this year. Right now I am doing research on what I want to plant and when it should be planted. It will be so nice to have veggies that we grew ourselves! It is hard not to get carried away, there is so much I would like to grow! I am making an effort to do my research though and not attempt anything that is too challenging. If I can grow some easy things first then in future years I can add in more difficult things.

Of course I am also making plans for chickens as well. We have picked out a spot for the chicken coop and have started making plans for it. As soon as there is a warm day I will go out and start clearing the area. It will be a make-shift chicken pen. I plan to use the dog pen and make some modifications, add a roof, roosting, etc. Hopefully we can get some chickens by the end of March.

We got a new puppy on New Year's Eve. He is very cute! 1/2 Bluetick, 1/4 bull dog, and 1/4 dachshund. He is going to be little I think. He is very playful and not yet house trained, although as the weather warms up I am hoping he will be a mostly outside dog like Knight. Knight comes in on occasion but he doesn't know how to behave himself in the house. I would like to teach him to come in just to sleep at night when its cold, or just to come in and lay on the floor in the Summer when its hot. He is almost 2 years old and wants to get into everything when he comes in the house! Daisy of course is house trained and knows how to behave herself inside and outside, although she prefers to be inside. She will be 6 years old this year. The puppy's name is Smokey and he just turned 8 weeks on Friday.

I am currently trying to kick the kitten out of the house. We let him stay in at first because he was so cold and nearly died, but now he is strong and healthy and I see no reason for him to be in the house when its not freezing outside! My poor allergies have been awful. I love cats, but they make me miserable. We have two outdoor cats, Sushi and Rainbow. I like them just fine. They brush up against my legs when I walk outside but that's it. They don't bother me and I don't bother them. I think all of the animals know I am in charge, I am the one who says where they can go and I am the one who makes sure they get fed (I tell the boys to do it, I rarely feed them myself).

Happiness isn't the point

I have recently realized that happiness isn't the point. It shouldn't be the goal of our lives to attain it, nor should it be our focus in life.

The point of our lives should be to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, to praise Him with all that is in us! That is the point, that should be our goal, our aim, our focus. Rather than running after happiness, I should be running after God, seeking to live my life in worship of Him, resting in His peace, love, and forgiveness. I should be soaking in His Words in the Bible and lifting up my voice in praise for His mighty works!

Happiness is nice, it feels good to be happy, but the lack of happiness in our lives doesn't mean that something is wrong. Bad things happen, unspeakable evil exists in this world, people die, children die, we hurt each other, and we suffer pain. There are times in our lives where we cannot even remember what it was like to be happy, but that's OK as long as we still have joy! It is OK to NOT always be happy!

I am not always happy, but I do always have joy. Deep joy, that comes from knowing God and having peace with Him. That joy that comes from knowing that everything is in His hands and all will work out better than anyone can imagine. I know deep in my soul that God is good, that He loves me, and that He is working everything out for the ultimate good of everyone who believes. I have such deep joy knowing that in the end, everything will be set right and I will be with the Lord in Heaven for all of eternity.

This year will be Silas' best year ever, He is with Jesus in Heaven! I don't know what this year has in store for me, but I know the Lord has not forsaken me. He will be with me and will guide me through whatever comes. Happiness comes and goes but the closer I stick with Him, the more joy there will be through it all.

Joy to the World

Verse 1

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Verse 2

Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

Verse 3 

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

Verse 4

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Reading the Bible

My Grandmother Golightly read through the Bible each  year. I remember when we visited she always took the time to read, no matter what else was going on. She knew how important it was.

When I was 12 years old I rededicated my life to the Lord at Summer camp, and at 13 I told the Lord that I would read through the whole Bible by the time I was 18. I didn't quite finish by my 18th birthday, but I did finish reading through the whole Bible about a week after my 18th birthday. And let me tell you, I am NOT a great reader! I do enjoy reading, but it is a challenge for me, and was even more so as a teenager. I have read through the whole Bible a couple of times since then, and have always made it my goal to read at least a little of it every day, but I have not made it a practice to read through the whole Bible each year.

2 years ago I was doing a 1 year through the Bible reading plan. I was doing well and had kept up with it all the way until February 7th. That day Silas was admitted to the hospital for a biopsy and a few days later, his first dose of chemo therapy followed by a blood transfusion. I kept up with my Bible reading the first few days of the 10 day hospital stay but then I got off track. I continued to read my Bible most days but did not keep up with the 1 year through the Bible plan. This past year I read often but not every day. The past few months my goal has been 2 chapters a day.

This coming year I am going to give this plan a shot. I really like that it has a make-up day! https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/71-come-drink-live-365

God's Word, the Bible, is so very important, it is where we read the Words of God to us. Even if you don't have a particular plan, I would encourage you to read the Bible daily! Invite the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and speak to you through God's Word, it will change your life!

Don't have a Bible? There are many websites and apps for Bible reading! http://www.biblegateway.com/

If you want a paper Bible there are many churches out there that would be happy to give you one for free! Check with a church near you!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! We stopped by the hospital in Savannah to drop of some boxes of chocolates for the nurses and staff. Archie took them in and I took the boys across to the Ronald McDonald house to take this photo in front of the giant Christmas tree.

We really missed Silas today. It has been 7 months exactly since he went home to Heaven.

May the Lord bless you!
Archie and Jessica
Michael, Gideon, Jason, and Silas (living eternally in Heaven)

I want to be like Jesus

Have you ever met one of those people that just "oozes" Jesus? You know, they are almost always smiling and His praise is always on their lips. When you are around them you just feel His presence and His love gushing out of them.

I want to be like that!

I have been so blessed to have met a handful of those people in my life. Sadly, there aren't as many of them as there probably should be. All of us that love the Lord should be so full of Him that it shows. People should be able to tell we have something different just by being around us.

I want to be like Jesus. I want to smile and "ooze" His love. I want His praise to always be on my lips.

What does it take to attain this? Do I have to give a certain amount? Do I have to spend a certain number of hours in church? Do I have to spend a certain number of hours in prayer or reading my Bible?

I don't think there is a formula to follow. No check list to tick off. To be like Jesus, I must simply be with Him! By "be with Him" I mean, spend time with Him. Acknowledge that He is with me all the time, everywhere. Talk to Him everywhere, all the time, about everything. Take time to hear from Him through His Word, the Bible. Listen to sermons and worship music. Spend time with others who love Him also. When we do these things, it happens, we become more like Him. We can't help it! It just happens.

That is what I need more of, more time with Jesus. The more I am with Him, the more I love Him, and the more I love Him, the more I want to be with Him!

Christmas is different this year

I usually enter the Christmas season with mixed feelings. Excitement for the activities, Christmas parties, parades, plays and of course baking! Then there are the things I don't really like about the season. Weight gain, busyness, colds, crowded stores, and so much focus on "stuff".

This year is different, like none I have ever lived through. This year, I am grieving the death of my youngest son. Christmas day will mark exactly 7 months since he took his last breath.

I must confess, I'm not really looking forward to any of it. I don't really feel like baking, though I've made myself do a little for the sake of my other three boys. I'm not planning to attend any parties, I don't really feel up to it. We did go to the parade and to the children's play at church, again, mostly for the sake of the boys. Still, I find myself wishing it was January already.

Archie and I both have the same thought when asked "what do you want for Christmas?". Unfortunately, we both want what we can't have, Silas. Interestingly, the boys have not told us anything that they want for Christmas, usually they have lists. They haven't asked for anything this year. (except Jason, who has started asking for a treadmill now).

My goal has been just to get through the holidays, Thanksgiving - check, Hanukkah - check, Christmas, New Year.... I just have to get through them. I haven't been trying to enjoy them or make the most of them, I have been just trying to make it through.

Is that enough though? Is that OK? I am grieving the loss of my 5 year old little boy, should anything else be expected of me? Maybe not, but there is something more I want out of this season. I don't mean just this holiday season, I mean this season of grief.

I want to be closer to the Father. I want more Jesus. I want more Holy Spirit in me. I have accepted His gift of Salvation which brings me to peace with Him, now I must rest in that peace. I must spend time with Him, in His Word, praising Him with my voice and with all that I am. That is what I want above all else, to be close to God.

Back to school

Last week we only did school work on Monday and Tuesday and then took the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving. I was originally going to do 3 weeks of school between Thanksgiving and Christmas but after talking with Archie, we decided we'd rather have a longer break for Christmas. We'll do school work this week and next week and then take the next 3 weeks off and start up again in January.

It was kind of hard getting back into the routine this week after taking 3 days off last week but we are still getting things done.

A couple of days ago I went through all of the DVDs we have and found some Drive thru History DVDs that I bought last year and we never watched! I know because they were still in plastic! As soon as everyone is done with math I want to sit down and watch one of those with the boys. I love Drive thru History :)