FRESH WATERS POURING OVER MY SOUL

I don't know why but today has been a day of brain fog, and feeling kind of meh... I don't have these days very often and busied myself with other things, like looking back at old memories and re reading some old posts. Doing that didn't really help. Then, it was obvious that I needed to refresh myself with scripture. I needed the pure milk of the word to overflow me. And THEN....
This happened!
I never just "open my bible and see where it will fall open". But I sat down and opened it, and it DID fall open to a very familiar passage that has washed over my soul many times. The first time was when I was 25 years old. I was in a very difficult situation and a few months before had given birth to my fourth son. Things in my home were terribly difficult. My then husband had walked away from Christ and embraced a life I had never dreamed could happen. But it did. My Dabba, his mother was a wonderful mother to me and a fellow sister in Christ. She brought to me my VERY FIRST study bible. It was an Open Bible, NKJ version which I loved. As I poured over the pages of this bible and learned about each of the books, the time it was written, how it relates to Christ, or prophecy, who wrote it, etc. ; I was drawn to the book of Isaiah. And then drawn to Isaiah 55.

This has become one of my favorite passages in scripture. I remember reading it and tears welling up as I read and knew it was speaking to me.

Here is the Passage: Isaiah chapter 55.


Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. YES, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to ME and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to Me, Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the sure mercies of David.
Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people. Surely you shall call a nation you do not know and nations who do not know you shall run to you. Because of the Lord your God, and the Holy one of Israel. For He has glorified you.
Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near, Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord and He will have mercy on him and to our God for He will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heaavens are highter than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down adn the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth adn make it bring forth the bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my WORD be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me void; but it shall accomplish what I please adn it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace, the mountains and the hills shall break for into singing before you. And all the trees of the fields will clap their hands. Instead of the thron shall come up the cypress tree and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree. And it shall be to the Lord for a name for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
So here I am, 68 years old being refreshed in my soul once again by the scripture that calls me to come, eat, rest and be satisfied in Christ alone.

The Natural Longing for Change: An Observation

I have been longing for it to rain. It has been over a month since we had any rain. It has been over 100 degrees for a long time. It cools down at night into the upper 80's and then comes the 100's. My desire is that it will rain and then that the temperatures will cool down. We are in the last few weeks of summer and then comes FALL!

Fall is one of my favorite times of year and I am always longing for it to arrive. It is so exciting to see the leaves change color and begin to drop to the ground.

After Fall arrives, then we desire snow. Sometimes our desires are fulfilled, sometimes not and we just get ice!

The fall and winter can cause us to LONG for the warmer days of Spring and Summer and we start all over again with the seasons!

I have been working on trying to embrace each season fully. When I am satisfied with the season I am in, I can be content in the heat as well as the cold! The same goes for the seasons of life. We have been through many seasons in our lives. Learning to embrace the season we are in is a lesson in trusting the ONE who created them all. From Birth to the End, God knows our days! Just as we can count on the sun to rise and the morning without question, we can count on the fact that our Heavenly Father placed it there and He is in control of all seasons, both in Nature and in the seasons of life.
As we learn to embrace where we are, there are many treasures to be found. The wisdom God gives us as we grow cannot be traded for earlier times. The rich blessings of being satisfied in Christ cannot be traded for our younger lives. It is often asked, "If you could do it over again, would you go back to high school, or being in college?, etc." The answer is NO!!
I love how Mike and I are growing old together with each other and in the Lord. I love our morning coffee and bible study and discussion that can go on uninterruped until he looks up and sees he is late for work. (in the back yard) :)
I love how our kids have grown up and while it is fun to reminisce, it is even more enjoyable to see them all embracing life, walking with Christ, and raising families.
This season is longer than the 4 three month seasons that divide our year up. This season can be long or short; that is up to God, but it is a season where we continue to learn and grow. It is a season of blossom and pruning. It is a cup of finely aged wine. It is a cup of reflection, but also a cup of joy. God created the seasons for us to experience and lift up praise to Him. The scripture says that the Trees of the field will clap their hands! He created our seasons in life to do the same. We clap with thankfulness and joy and we give praise to HIM, the author and creator of our faith.

Me as a young baby, a teen, and then as a new mom

REFLECTIONS ON ADOPTION PART 2

I wrote a post a few years ago here and at the end it said, "To Be Continued"... so HERE is the continue. :) Mike and I are getting close to retirement. We already qualify for Medicare, and I started drawing my social security over a year ago. He will have full benefits in February. So, I guess that qualifies us as "elderly". :) It IS however a little humorous when you ready the news and they say something about an "elderly" person and then you find out they are 8 years younger than you are!

Even our old rocking chair is showing its age. That rocker holds many, many memories and now new babies are being rocked in it. In fact, I think I have rocked almost every grand child in it. It is the place to talk, to sing songs, to read books and to pray.

As I reflect on the last 35 years when adoption touched our lives, beginning with Mike adopting all of the boys, and then 22 years ago when we began with the girls, one thing rings out. INHERITANCE! Every child born to their parents inherits their name and legacy. It is a gift from the Lord. A child is securely placed into a family and they identify with that family, that name, those grand parents, great grand parents and they take on the identity of that individual family. In our case, our children are MINICHS.
I remember explaining this to the children when they were very young; "You are Minichs! That comes with responsibility! Honor your name!:) Sometimes they did, and sometimes they didn't. :) But it didn't change who they were.
Our children, because they are OURS, and there is no distinction between biological or adopted, are inheriters of what we leave behind. That isn't just the physical, but it is what our family has built over the years. It is a legacy of love and acceptance, of memories and of a solid future built on the Solid Rock of Christ.

As Christians we too have been reminded that we have an inheritance in Christ and adoption is a perfect reflection of our relationship with God. It is mentioned in Scripture that we are joint heirs with Christ and that we can come to God the father and call him Abba, which means Daddy. He lovingly accepts us with all of our flaws and slowly and perfectly teaches us to be His children through His sanctifying work which begins at His beckoning to us to come, just as we are, and rest in His love. He'll wash us, He will cleanse us, He will guide and teach us.
Oh what an inheritance we have! So now that our children who range in age between 26-47, are grown and have their own families; some just beginning, and some are close to the finishing line,they too will carry on the inheritance of how they were raised. They will carry the good and the bad, and as we always say, "Keep the good, throw out the bad and make things even better for your kids!" And they will provide for thier children the inheritance of a good name. They have and will continue to establish their own legacies for their families; and the generations go on. This blog has taken on many topics and has been an honest look into life. We are no longer adopting, but we are LIVING and I will continue to write and reflect on our lives as I can. I don't want to start anything new, this place feels like home. I wanted to finish that reflection. So there you have it. :)
And now I will go and rock in my rocking chair. It is still a great chair!

TRANSITIONS

I was looking up the meaning of the word "Transition" in the Noah Webster 1828 dictionary to see what Noah had to say about that word. :) Quote: "Passage from one place or state to another." "Change". There were a few more definitions regarding music, or geology, but these will suffice.

I started this blog in 2007. Since then we have had many transitions. I think the only thing the same, is that we live in the same house, but even the house has had some transitions, like updates, newer floors and paint. Our parents, Ed, Lois,My mom, My Dabba have all passed away. Our brother passed away, a niece passed away recently. There have been some changes in marriage for a few of our kids. 2 of our sons now have new wives. All of the girls have married. We have 18 grand children. (including the one about to be born to Albina in a few weeks)

Our grand children are grown, many have moved out on their own. They are pursuing college and carreers and it seems like just yesterday they were digging up treasure in the back yard at Easter.

The days of Scottish Rite Hospital and surgeries are over, and the days of youth group and camp are over. We have been through many transitions in our lives and we are not far from starting a new transition. RETIREMENT. This will be a slow transition, but it is certainly one coming up very soon.

I have loved each transition, as it is exciting and I love seeing my family grow and change, not necessarily the sad parts of course, but those also are a part of life.
We still go to the zoo and the newest little ones will benefit from zoo trips as soon as they are old enough. Our Christmas celebrations are a little different with old friends and new. We started hosting a Christmas Party for family, friends and our ministry group and it has turned out to be quite fun. it is really fun to see our adult kids invite their friends they grew up with and to see all of them converge here is just wonderful!

But it is quiet here and the hallways are filled with memories of long ago. The memories make me thankful, but the memories are not all that we have. We have what lies ahead! The present and the future! While things have transitioned, it isn't a negative thing at all. It is a great adventure! Every change in life brings a new family dynamic, including health issues; aging and its effects.


So I have been writing on about normal transitions within family, but what about the transitions that have effected our sweet girls besides the growing up part. They transitioned from one country to another, from orphan status to cherished daugthers, from rejected to loved, from destitute to having a home. And they continue and will continue just as we have and the boys have to make changes in life. Each of them have already married and most have children. Our daugther who hasn't had children YET, is a fantastic Auntie to her nieces and nephews. The photo I chose for this post will always be true. If you want to make changes in the world, love your family.


The Lord has been with us throughout our whole lives and will continue to be with us in these new transitions. We have lived more of our lives than we have left. It is our intention to use the time we have left to glorify our Lord in all things. And as we move on into older adulthood, we know our children will carry the torch that was lit long ago to love their families with their whole hearts and to reflect Christ's love for us.

So What Have We Been Doing?

We've beem Staying Engaged and Busy!

After graduating all the kids from homeschooling, our church started a biblical counseling ministry. I joined. There is a lot that goes into being a biblical counselor including, a 14 week overview course, a lot of reading, a test that requires 44 short papers, and then 50 hours of supervised counseling. We also attend yearly conferences to learn more. This year we will be heading to TN.

I have learned so much through this process and donate my time to helping others. We have a good hierachy that backs us up and keeps us responsible for making sure proper HIPPA papers are filed as well as proper reporting if ever needed.
Overall, the last 5 years have been so rewarding. I love seeing people succeed in the Lord. The expereiences I have had in life, some of which I never thought could be used to help another person, have been used by the Lord.

(this is an old photo of the shoppe with a few of us in the hammock) I'm also helping Mike in the business. I am old enough to be retired, and so is he, but for now we work. :) We are doing some remodeling and planning to stay where we are. We truly enjoy seeing the grand kids and hosting various events including Christmas and Thanksgiving, the 4 of July and Easter.

We have a ministry group that regularly meets at our home and we also host the 5th Friday night Movie night. September 12 we will be hosting a party to welcome our Son's new wife into our lives. What a blessing! So this is some of what we are doing presently. I'm so thankful for the Lord's blessing us with family and friends.

The Heavens Declare The Glory of God

Have you even been in awe of the beauty of what you are seeing and all you can think about is scripture that flows out of you declaring the Lord's magnificant glory? That is what happens when I go to the Grand Canyon, or sometimes just look at the beautiful sunset in Texas.

It happens when I see the sun set in Florida.

It happens when I think about the complexity of a blade of grass.

This is a microspopic view of a blade of grass! Isn't it amazing! It looks so happy and does make me wonder if it appears differently when mowing the lawn. :)
Nature causes me to worship the creator who made it all! This is My Father's World!

Joyful Moments

These sweet girls have been together most of their lives..... AND NOW

They are together in these special moments too. :) It has been a bit since I have written and much has transpired. But tonight, I want to write about something very dear and special. When Sarah came home to us in May of 2005, she was a bundle of joyful energy. So much had happened in her short little life and she had traveled from Ukraine to Texas via a different family. Much happened in her first 10 months in America that was NOT GOOD, but GOD had another plan for HER and for US. We were NOT world travelers or very adventerous. We were just simple, living our lives folks and happened to have adopted our Anna who was distantly related through marriage. We had raised our sons, and then we were enjoying raising Anna. Sarah came to us through an email. We answered that Email and our social worker was on it! What a HUGE blessing she was to us! So sweet and funny and spunky! She could speak a very good Texan! But she didn't understand much! LOL After just 6 weeks of being home she started to talk about her best friend left behind in Ukraine. She missed her so much. So at 6 years old she was an instrument of the Lord to bring her sister, Erika home to America. There were MANY people in our lives, used as God's intruments, both financially and committed through much prayer. We were sent a photo from Papa Dima, and then we found out that she NEEDED to be adopted SOON! If she hadn't, she would have gone to an institution for the rest of her life! Why? Because she had arthrogryposis. That's it! A physical handicap can land you in a permanent institution in Ukraine with no way out. Our paperwork, for Erika's adoption appeared on the director's desk on the very same DAY that she was being sent to an institution. Her bags were packed. And then, after an email between us and the director, they were UNPACKED! She didn't know what was happening...... But God.... So, 7 months later, we went to Ukraine to get her. There is much on this blog about that. You can look into the archives. (starting with the very first post) 5 years later, we adopted another sweetheart and completed our family with an 11 year old from Russia who had been adopted 2x's in the US. Life was doing well and then we had some HUGE struggles. This post is not about those struggles. IT is about GOD's faithfulness to us as a family to bring us THROUGH them to the other side. And HE DID! We have been enjoying all of our children and grand children, watching our younger girls work through college and entering adulthood over the last few years. They are STILL room mates with a dear childhood friend Marion. They live about 15 minutes from us in an apartment and we see them regularly. We have also seen some very special young men regularly too. :) And THEY are ALL what this post is about. You see, these two young men, have devoted themselves to these precious young women and have asked to marry them. It took place about 3 weeks apart. We knew it was coming, but oh the joy that it has happened and plans are in the making. :) Our girls are so in love and committed to godly young men who cherish them. And we get to cherish them all! I am in AWE of all that God has done in their lives, how HE has woven our lives together and not just OURS, but MANY MANY lives who have been touched by God's precious and loving plan for all of us. Not only do we gain sons, we gain their loving families also. So our family becomes all the larger. What blessings they are to us! So here are some very special photos.... Donato and Erika's photos were taken by a stranger on the beach.... :) James and Sarah's photos were taken by Erika, hidden away where Sarah couldn't see her. :)

The Bread that Satisfies

Some thoughts from my brain:

As we were reading in Numbers 21 today. Some verses leaped from the pages into my heart, and then these thoughts came. I would like to share them with you. Numbers 21:5-9. In the NKJV version: And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is NO food and NO water, and our SOUL LOATHES this worthless bread.” Now God had been giving the Children of Israel Manna from Heaven for years at this point. God was feeding them, and just before, in chapter 20, water comes out of a ROCK so the people could drink! Now in vs 6 of chapter 21, the Lord sends serpents that bite the people and many are dying. They go to Moses and confess that they have sinned against the Lord. Moses intercedes for the people and The Lord tells him to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole. When the people are bitten, they can look a t the serpent and live. My thoughts went to Jesus in John 6:30-40. 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” 30 Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” 35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. The crowd was asking him for a sign and say that God sent them manna from heaven. He goes on to tell them that HE is the bread of life. He tells them if they believe in Him they will never hunger or thirst. In Numbers, the Children of Israel said their very souls loathed the bread. In Isaiah the prophecy says the same thing. 53:3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Another word for despised is loathed. We find that prophecy coming true in the gospels. Here are just a few verses: Matthew 12:14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. Luke 6:11 But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus. Matthew 21:45-46 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet. Luke 20:20 So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor. And as we know, at the right time, that God allowed, Jesus was betrayed and crucified. He was lifted up on a cross, and to all who believe in His sacrifice for our sin, we have been granted eternal life. Finding the thread of the gospel in the Old Testament is fascinating! Connecting the events is even more fascinating. This scripture was never more clear to me than it was today. Look to Christ. He truly is the only one who can satisfy deepest need. He will cause us to never hunger or thirst again. Isaiah 55:1-2 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. 2 Why do you [a]spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. And 55:6-9 Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the [b]wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon. 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts. What a blessing to serve our Lord and Savior! He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Reflections on Adoption

When we adopted our youngest daughter, she was 11. All of our adventures are still here on this block starting back in 2011.
I have watched a very seriously hurt young girl, who had more tragedy in her life than I could imagine in a lifetime, turn herself around and embrace life and choose to live it!
I had talked to her so many times and shared with her to look forward, to embrace the now, and not let the past rob her of her future. There were times when we weren't sure if we were going to make it! Her trials were too much for her little heart to bear.
BUT GOD....
Today, she is a beautiful young adult and one of the best mommies. She loves her little boy and it shows. She is living her life and loving those around her.
She has blossomed and become brave and has not just "dipped her toe into the pool of love, but has chosen to take the dive, and I am so proud of her.

THINGS WERE HARD...VERY HARD when she was younger. We were the safe people for her to take all that hurt to. I remember one of the many people in our lives at the time who was working in the court system. He tearily came out after seeing some of her art work she had presented and said, "Don't Give Up!" We had no plans to give up. But we also had no idea what the future would be either. God brought ALL of our sweet girls into our lives for a purpose and a reason; NOT just for them! But for US! We have all been changed by the blessing of adoption. Our lives brought together and mingled with the past, the present, the future and the hope of LOVE and acceptance, a purpose, a belonging, and the truth of the Gospel has changed us all.
Adoption as I have always written is a 2 sided coin. It is one of huge blessing, but the other side of the coin is huge tragedy. Isn't that like life? Part of loving, part of living, part of being in this world is Love and Pain. To fully LOVE you must be willing to HURT. To fully LIVE, you must be willing to take challenges.
A couple of our girls have asked, "Do you regret adopting me?" The answer is a resounding NO! I am so thankful that you are in my life! I am so thankful to be your mama. I am so thankful that Mike and I have walked this path together, along with the rest of our family and watched pure MAGIC and healing unfold before our eyes.

But it didn't happen overnight and it didn't happen in our timing. It IS STILL happening, and we are now watching as each of our 8 children's lives are unfolding before us.
Oh how lovely are the blessings in our lives.... Each of them Unique, each of them meant for a purpose. Each of them have touched our hearts.
Sometimes, I look at the photos I have on the walls and feel teary with joy at the memories that unfold as I walk past. Life is calmer now, a little quieter, unless you consider our Sarah is still home. LOL
BUT.... LIFE ISN'T OVER! We have much to do and accomplish.
To Be Continued...
Albina's little guy.... second generation on the horse swing. :)

Taking on January

 Well, real life after the Holidays has begun.  This morning Erika left to go back to college.
We will miss her being here with us every day, but she is doing what she is supposed to do!

But before she left, we did this!
This was a wonderful fish restaurant in our area!
It is always lovely to spend time with my sweet heart Erika.
I spent some special time with Truman this weekend also, and we had a wonderful time together. :)

 This is Truman sitting in an 85,000 dollar Tesla!

He was my shopping buddy.  Who would have thought there was a Tesla store in the mall??

Sarah is still home, but will be super busy with college and work.  I'm back to work in the office and it is just the beginning of the year and I'm already behind. UGH

We went through our closets and got out old clothing and shoes that we don't use and donated them.
I have more things to go through for donation. 

Anybody wanna guess what this is?


This nice big chunk of ginger is going to be used to fight arthritis!

Also, Erika and I are starting our exercise program.  I start swimming today.  I'll try to do 4 days a week and see if I can beat the old lady arthritis that is plaguing my body! 
TAKE THAT!

I saw a meme recently that cracked me up.....and I can relate to.....
So, let's take on January! :)  We can do this!