HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Love is in the air...........

On this special day where we stop for a moment from our busy schedules to think about the people in our lives we love, I thought that I would share this amazing story from a business associate of mine. I had a whole different idea about what I would post today, but as it says on my sidebar...As for me and my blog, we will serve the Lord!!

This was written by my friend Mimi from Mimi's Chenille Boutique.

I want to tell you about a very special friend of mine, who made me smile and laugh! She was very special to me, you knew you could always count on her when you were down, when you needed a cup of sugar and just wanted to share a cup of coffee with in the morning, or anytime! Her name was Agnes, "Ag" as we all called her! She could make you laugh even when your heart was blue or aching. She was my best friend! You always know when you meet someone you just "click" with and this was true for me!

I moved to North Carolina in 1996, not by choosing, but because of my husband's job being eliminated due to "base closures" when Clinton was in office! Oh, I didn't want to move, we had built our life, our home and memories in Virginia, but we had no choice! My husband had 8 years left before he could retire, my daughter, who was 16 at the time, still had college to attend and we knew couldn't send her to college without relocating and getting the retirement he had worked so hard for! So we moved! It was dreadful, in a new place, where we knew no one, had to make friends again and try to fit in! While we settled, bought an old house built in 1890, just to keep me and my mind occupied while I renovated and redecorated!

Well, about a year later, I hear all this commotion across the street, boy, were they loud! I thought to myself, "oh, great" what kind of neighbors are we getting!! Well, it was Ag and Kenny, they were from New Jersey and had rented the house from the previous couple who had renovated it and moved to another part of the city! Little did I know at the time, she would be one of my best friends! She was Italian, talked with a "Jersey" accent and said what she had to say! They were wonderful neighbors, we became very good friends, traveled, antiqued, dined and even had a "luau" party! They had bought property and Kenny was going to build a house on the land they had purchased!

Ag and I had so much fun looking for antique pieces to use in their new house! One day, we went antiquing and stopped at this little place, we found a gorgeous oak fireplace surround and an antique white iron bed! Well, actually I found the bed, and she oohed and aahed, asked me "Deb, you want this bed" (I have four bedrooms upstairs, anyway, I said "no, I don't", so she got it. It went into her new house in Bath! Every time I saw that bed, I drooled, but it was perfect for them! We always joked about it, because I told her more than once, I could kick myself for not getting, and she would say, "you had your chance, it's mine now!". We had so many wonderful times and I truly miss her! You see, she died on her birthday of cancer, after loosing her wonderful husband and friend, to pancreatic cancer, only five months before, not even suspecting she had cancer!

So, I dedicate this heart to my friend Ag, and wanted you to know the story behind this heart!

I was on eBay looking for beautiful crocheted doilies and roses. I emailed one of the sellers to ask a question about her beautiful work. Add a bit of info about me and she emailed back, told me she had a sister who lived where I do, mentioned their names and I also most fell over, it was Ag's sister! What fate it was, she is now my friend, though lives in another state, and crochets the most beautiful things, you can find her on etsy!

There is more and you can see the rest on Mimi's blog.

Watching the Lord work in such powerful ways in our lives is my favorite part of day-to-day life. Thank you Father for your love, your grace and for this very special day where we can remember you and the amazing heart you have for us!

Call the people in your life today who mean so much to you and let them know how much you care.
With all my love to all of you.....A very HAPPY DAY OF LOVE

xoxoxo

YES VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SAVIOR

Well the new year has finally arrived! All the yelling and cheering is over and it is time to get back to "reality". Ugh.

I must say that the Holiday Season was very different for us than ever before. We love to participate in charities that help others have a better Christmas. For them and their children. This year, WE were our own charity.

It is so weird to even talk about it out loud. There is joy, overwhelm, embarrassment and even a little shame. I guess I never saw myself as a "have not".

I have to say that we do HAVE a lot because we still have our health, our Family and our Friends. For me, that is what has always mattered.

There are so many people out of work, alone, in bad health, etc. How does our Father in heaven do it all? Because He is AMAZING and mighty! I had never before experienced His amazing power so much at one time in my life before now.

Little did I know that there was to be a huge lesson for me in all of this. I have always had a hard time asking for help. But this was different, my Boy's were in need too.

Whenever I watch Holiday movies, I cry at the Spirit of Christmas in all the endings and how wonderful people can be. This year I LIVED the Spirit of Christmas and cried at how wonderful people are.

With Eddie out of work and his disability ending, there looked like there was no hope in sight. He applied for unemployment in early December but with the Holiday's and how slow they are, anyway, well you know.

I ended up calling one of my pastor's to talk and get some spiritual guidance.
Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Proverbs 19:20

It was hard to tell him everything, but I did. He was so kind and told me to talk to the elders of our church. So I did. Believe me when I tell you that I got to a point where I did not know how to keep everyone fed since the money was going out and there was none coming in. A few days later we received a gift card for food from them. In the past month or so we have had 2 total from them. It was just the best thing we could have ever received. That meant that I knew my kids would eat and have the basics for their day to day meals met.

The next thing that happened was my dear friend Trish asked me to come over one day and go Christmas "shopping" through all the items she had bought throughout the year in various places. She LOVES to garage sale and finds just the most incredible things! Brand new in the box, clothes with the tags still on them, on and on it goes. A few days earlier my boy's wrote out their Christmas list. They put checks next to the ones they really really wanted. For some reason I had that list in my purse? I do not know why because I had no money to shop with??? LOL

In the LARGE group of items she laid out for me to chose from there they were. Two of the checked marked items Dante wanted and a couple that Jake wanted. I just sat down in a chair stunned. How do these things happen?

A few days later a friend of mine came over and gave me 4 gift cards from Target and told me to go shop for my boy's. Then I received an anonymous envelope with money in it. From the first day of December right up to the day after Christmas, friends were dropping by with gifts for my boys and cash for us. It was like I had fallen into the movie "It's A Wonderful Life". Believe me when I tell you that that movie this year had a whole new meaning for me.

We were given food for Christmas eve dinner and for Christmas day too. All of the cash we received we put away towards January's rent. On January 1st we had what we needed to pay our rent! Praise God!!!

Although Eddie is still out of work, we continue to trust our Lord and Savior with our lives and the lives of our children. We cannot thank Him or you enough for the love and support we have received. I pray that we NEVER have to go through anything like this again. I pray that Eddie finds good solid work soon as unemployment is not quite enough.......

Through all of this I know today that yes there is a Savior, yes He loves me dearly, yes he will NEVER leave me or forsake me and yes, I AM His.

I pray for all of you that this year will be the very best you have ever had in Christ.

Amen