SOOON!

Well, we are on the final countdown. Just some finishing touches inside the house and it will be ready for move in. We will most likely close on the house at the end of April. Wow it seems like only yesterday when we were picking out the lot!

In other news, I will be in the Lakeland area this week, talking to a recruiter at the School Board. I am still on the hunt for a job in Polk County as a teacher. The kids and I will be in Tampa next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Looking forward to some R&R time with my sister.

Love is in the AIR

This weekend we attended one of the most ROMANTIC weddings ever! It was soo much fun and so romantic. The best part, in my opinion, was when the groom, Matt Hires sang the song he wrote to propose to Rachel. It was soooo sweet!

There's another reason why I loved the wedding - I love hearing the vows and remembering what I said to my sweet husband almost 15 years ago. I did vow to love him for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. You know marriage would be so much easier if it was just a vow to love him for richer and in good health, the happy times, etc. But that wasn't I vowed, I promised. So, I left the wedding with a renewed desire to love and cherish Steve through all the good and even the bad. I love you, Steven.


Kirsten, Me, Steve and Katy at the wedding reception... the girls were guest book attendants.

Mathew update: I am off to visit Mathew tomorrow. Katy is going with me. Karen (Mathew's mom) wants me to bring all the kids. I can't go 'dote' on Mathew if I'm keeping them out of trouble so I thought I'd take one. Through talking and praying for Mathew, I think she is prepared, pray for us as we do this together. Also, my sweet church has completely stepped up through tons of prayer, offering to watch the kids AND having a hot meal for my family when I come home completely exhausted. I am richly blessed.

Entertaining an Angel

I spent a long day with Mathew on Monday - very long day. I went with a bag full of goodies (an activity for every subject) and a few extras. He was as eager as I've seen him, willing to turn the TV off, nodded or uttered yes/no to my questions. We spent at least an hour. It was sooo wonderful and my day wasn't over.

Next I rode with Karen and her 2yo Andrew to pick up lunch...it was a breather from the hospital air and a time for her to make calls to orchestrate her son's move home. Karen and I ate lunch sitting in her car at the hospital. It was easier to keep Andrew strapped in his car seat with a DVD playing. I did my best to stay quiet (you know how hard it was for me!) as she talked and I listen. It was a precious time - to listen to a heart of a mother filled with hope for a miracle and disbelief of the current events. I prayed for wisdom and prayed for wisdom with every word I uttered.

Next, my duty was Andrew... 2 yo little brother who lead me around the hospital as if it was his home - which he has known ALL his life. At one point, while I had him on the hospital play ground he said he wanted Mathew. After a stop at gift shop to see what I would buy for him (such smartie!), we went to see Mathew. He immediately went to Mathew's bedside and 'checked' on him. Karen said its almost as if they switched roles.. now Andrew is the big brother.

The discharge from the hospital kept getting delayed... they thought it would be at 3... when I left at 5:30 they were still waiting. So for the last 3 hours I was there, Mat, Karen and I would keep switching roles.. one sitting with Mathew, one chasing Andrew and one 'fetching' items needed or packing the car. It was truly exhausting.

At one point, Karen and I had a brief minute with Mathew and Karen put her head on my shoulder...she is so overwhelmed with bringing a critically ill child home AND a very rowdy 2 year old, who for the past 6 months has been catered to by everyone.

The last part of the day, I was alone with Mathew and remembered our Salvation Egg given out by our church. It had seven items that represent the last days of Christ. I went through the story and showed him a Wordless Book. It was so hard to talk to this little boy about heaven, knowing he would be Home soon. I am sure he heard me and I am standing on God's promise that "God's word never returns void!"

On Mathew's caring bridge website the following journal entry was made in the guest book.. I thought she said it beautifully..

Dearest Mathew,
From your hospital room, you teach us so much. Because of you, we Mommies and Daddies hug our children a little tighter every night. We appreciate every moment of wonder and togetherness. We nurture the bond our children have with their brothers and sisters.
You are a wonderful boy – full of strong will and hope. You are loved by so many! Thank you for reminding us to love so thoroughly and wholeheartedly.
Dear Karen & Mat,
I cannot imagine the intensity of emotion you are feeling. I am so deeply sorry. My heart aches for you and for what you are having to endure. Every excruciating decision is made with the utmost of love and consideration for your Little Mathew – and so each decision is the right one.
Because of Mathew, we are reminded of how fragile life can be – but we are also learning how strong and determined we are capable of being. For your fine example, we thank you.
It is raining today as I write this and it feels so appropriate. We are crying tears for your precious child who is fighting so hard against what is ailing his little body. May God bring him comfort and peace.

I truly appreciate all the prayers lifted for me as God uses me in this family's life. I am humbled that He thinks I have something unique to offer. Thank you for keeping the Gliddon family in your prayers. I plan to go back on Monday, Mathew wants to do more school - so we will!

Happy Resurrection Day!

Kids being goofy in their new Sunday Clothes!

Happy Resurrection Day!
What a WONDERFUL day. We started it off at church singing great praise and worship, great teaching AND 2 kids in our Sunday School program became Christians. What a WONDERFUL day!

After church, the kids and I went to lunch and then to a park in Zephyrhills with a 'play in the water' area. It was SUCH a beautiful day and we are exhausted!

We hope your Resurrection Day was a good one!

Opportunity of a Lifetime

I've been given the opportunity of a lifetime. As I've blogged about before, I have 5 year old friend who is fighting luekemia. Sadly, he is losing his battle. The luekemia is back for a 4th time. There's no more medically that can be done. The term 'quality of life' is being used and considered in every decision.

I've had this family on my heart since their first diagnosis. I have helped where I could, but since they live in Palm Harbor, I wasn't able to provide meals, I wasn't able to help with their younger son and I wasn't able to visit with Karen like I thought I should. I emailed her once in a while, signed the guestbook on her website and called a few times.

A little while ago, Karen asked me to come to do 'school' with Mathew. She respected my decision to home school, knew my 'teacherish' personality and knew I loved Mathew. I prepared a few things for her 'to do school' with Mathew. Due to the ups and downs (mostly downs) of his illness, I never delivered it.

Finally, this past Tuesday, my schedule cleared and Steve was home all day so I went to hospital, book in hand to entertain Mathew. It was an incredible day. I helped all day long, I encouraged, I listened, I smiled (under my mask). I rubbed Mathew's head (when he let me ), I became a wall flower when I had to, too.

Mat, Mathew's dad, offered to pay me to come back. They were so glad I was there, they were so appreciative. And it was the genuine kind of appreciation. For a couple minutes throughout the day, they could stand in the hallway and not be in 'charge' of answering Mathew's every wish. They trusted me to do that.

I went back Thursday (yesterday) to 'watch' Mathew for an important meeting that Mat and Karen had to attend. I spent all day - just helping - entertaining.

As I walked away, I finally figured it out. "for such a time as this". God calls us to serve him when/where He wants us. He didn't give me the chance to help Karen and Mat earlier because He wants me to help them now. Mathew wants to go to school. So I, the teacher, will bring school to him. We will work on academics and lessons so Mathew feels like he is in school.

While there, I will pray like crazy, I will listen and I will pray some more. It is only through the strength of the Holy Spirit that I can stand beside the bed of a little boy whose about to be called Home.

I need to add how wonderful my husband has been. He has watched the kids and not complained. Also, friends have come forward to help with my kids as I love on Mathew.

So, to me, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. Pray for me as I seek the Lord and His will as I help and for you I pray the same in your life.

Just Like Riding a Bike

Kirsten, my sweet girlie, 7 year old has finally conquered riding a bike. Thank you cousin Brennan for his 'hand-me-down" bike! She really struggled mastering balancing, turning, stopping, starting. None of it was easy.

This past week, I celebrated 1 year of doing weight watchers. I have really struggled mastering 'counting points', stopping when full, starting healthy meals as opposed to 'fast food'.

Just like Kirsten never gave up, she kept getting back on sometimes in tears, sometimes in apprehension of almost getting it. I am not going to give up. I am going to keep trying, stay focused and strive for healthy eating.

I know that whatever I do without the Lord is in vain. So, I will recommit to my healthy eating not by my own strength, but with the Lord's strength and His will power within me. He can do this through me...I can't do it alone. With His strength I will get back on the 'bike' and keep trying. Kirsten is a great encouragement!

To my friends who support me - thanks. Don't give up on me - kay?

And for your struggles... I will pray for you.

Please pray

In the past I've passed this family's name around as a prayer request. Again, I must draw attention to them and to little Mathew. Below is the website where you can get information about him. Following the web address is today's journal entry.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mathewjgliddon

We are up against the wall... The biopsies that were taken from Mathew's nose are consistent with Aspergillus. Therfore, he will be in surgery @ 7:30 this morning (Saturday) to have it all removed from his nose. What does this mean? It means that 1. he will have an unsupported nose due to cartilidge being removed. 2. Mathew will need plastic surgery in the future. 3. We are unsure about transplant now & when, not anytime soon. 4. Mathew will have open wounds in his nose that will be corrected later. Quite frankly, I am at a loss of words right now. If we wait, the tissue damage can worsen, and certainly one cannot undergo transplant with this in the body. This is a very, very bad fungal infection and it has to be sugically removed. Unfortunately, we are hitting all of the bumps in the road. NORMALCY- that is all we want.... Mathew needs a lot of prayers as well as all of our other friends who are fighting. Baby Kaylie - 2yrs old and a former neighbor next door to us on the 2 nd floor, is also believed to have Aspergillus. Currently, she is in ICU and fighting a hard battle. This is something that is really frustrating for us and although there are different types..... We are concerned.



I can't imagine going through all they have gone through and will continue to..Mathew is only 5 years old!

2 Men and 2 GPS's and 3 cars

Here we are ready to drive the uhaul truck to drop it off. We have 2 cars and 1 uhaul truck. 4 adults and 3 children. One kid per car, one GPS in truck and one GPS in RAV - the Avalon has to follow. This is going to be the easiest 'drop the truck' trip in our lives. How could anthing go wrong?

Problem #1 -
The Avalon with no GPS is in the lead. Problem. How can she know where to turn when she doesn't know where we are going? She had an idea of where the Uhaul store was, but she wasn't sure...

Problem #2 -
As mentioned yesterday, the driver of the truck wouldn't follow the recommendations of the GPS. So we are going where the driver thinks we should go, not necessarily in the fastest most efficient way.

Problem #3-
The destination in the truck GPS is NOT the same destination that is in the GPS in the RAV. After traveling for a bit, I called Steve in the RAV to check in. As we chatted, I discovered that he was heading to a different store. He plugged in the Combee store while I plugged in the US19 store. Fortunately, he wasn't far off our course so he adjusted his and showed up minutes after we arrived.

The entire day resonated with lessons from God for me.
Lesson #1
How often do I 'fall into line' behind someone in their beliefs who has no idea where they are going? Instead of following the Leader, God, I follow someone who looks like they know what they are doing.
Lesson #2
How often do I 'know' the answer for me is in the Bible, but yet decide to take my own path and ignore the instructions written just for me.
Lesson #3
How often do I minister with someone side by side and never talk with them about our 'final destination'. Not heaven, but the end result of a project. I, like Steve and I did with our different GPS's, assume everyone is heading where I am and we all have the same 'goal' in mind. Now, thier goal and my goal I am sure are similar and Godly, but if you don't communicate with each other how will I know thier "destination" and they know mine.

Once again, how cool would it be if our Bible's would talk out loud like GPS's do... I think mine would say the same thing every day...

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart..."
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart..."
"Love the Lord your God with all yoru heart..."
"Ask forgiveness AND love the Lord your God with all your heart..."

I pray today that I will follow the one true leader, I will use the Bible God had given me and I pray that I will share my vision for our kids ministry with others. And for you... I pray the same. Thanks for reading!

My Dad and the GPS

I am what one would call "directionally challenged". Seriously, directionally challenged. This is evident throughout my life but one of the silliest places I get turned around is a mall. If I walk into a store I have to look back and remember the "BIG" store on the end so I continue walking away from it. Seriously, directionally challenged.

You can imagine my excitement when GPS's came out for the average man. We bought one and it has been soooo helpful. The arguments about 'where do we go' are minimal between my husband and I. The question 'will we be there in time?' Is always answered because our GPS has an arrival time on it. I LOVE MY GPS. I will trust my GPS even when logically it doesn't make sense. It has never let me down. (Well, one time, with a McDonalds in VA).

A couple weeks ago, my family helped my parents unload a UHAUL truck for their upcoming move. It was an exhausting kind of fun where you could easily mark your success. Empty truck, full storage rooms JOB DONE. We were at the stage of returning the truck to the closest U Haul facility. We called the require number and were given 2 addresses. My sweet husband plugged them both into our GPS to see which was closer. The US 19 store was chosen.

I jumped in the truck with my daddy and son and off we went. I was holding our GPS and ready to tell my daddy which way to go...I was going to make returning the truck a cinch!

"OK, dad, turn left here".
He went straight saying, "I know a better way."
I waited while the GPS recalculated. "OK, dad, turn left here".
He went straight again saying, "I know a better way."
GPS recalculated again.
Each ignored turn, the "arrival time" added minutes.
"Ok, what do we do here?"
"The GPS says make a U turn and go back to the road."
"No, how far until the next turn and when do we turn"
"I don't know dad, the GPS doesn't know where YOU are going and which route you are taking."

We finally found our destination (10 minutes later than originally estimated) and returned the truck. I chuckled to myself when my sweet dad told my mom the GPS messed up. And then I made a Godly connection.

Isn't my dad just like you and me. We have the Instructions we need. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). The Bible is FULL of instructions we need to live a life that Glorifies God. But so often, we think our way is better, quicker, faster (it's not) and in the end we refer back to the Instructions to get us out of the trouble we are in. How cool would it be if our Bible had a voice like my GPS.

"Speak with respect to your husband"
"Show love with your words and actions"
Recalculating...
"Ask forgivness... again"

I pray today that I would use the Bible as my GPS for my life trusting it whole heartedly. And for you... I pray the same. Thanks for reading!

Happy Birhtday to Me!

What a GREAT day already...

after my hour long with friends. I was greeted at home with a Birthday Banner and attacked with Silly String! I love my family!

Yep, She Did it Again...

Beth Moore is amazing and this blog page needs to more clearly point to God than point to my goofiness on a daily basis .. so todays truth comes from Stepping Out by my friend Beth. "On this mysterious pligrimage (life), we will find that when we do meet difficulties and sorrows, they were not meant to stop us but to form character required for our great harvest in the coming season."

This quote reminds me of the famous Blackaby quote from another Bible Study, Experiencing God - "God does not form you from your past, but creates you for your future".

Personally, that means that every struggle, difficulty, obstacle I learn to over come (miscarriage, food issues, Biblical marriage, parenting) if I lean on God and learn from Him through it, I will be available to minister in His name when someone crosses my path who has or is having the same struggles. I will be able to point their gaze toward the One who helped/is helping me.

Thank you Lord that you 'find' me still usable and continue to teach me through my failures and my triumphs.