These Are a FEW of My Favorite Ornaments!

The Christmas tree standing in our house this year had lots of meaning and wonderful memories for us. I wanted to write about some of our ornaments hanging on our tree. 

This is the top of our tree! This stuffed dalmation puppy dog was given to Carmelinda by DeLynn when she was being homeschooled for kindergarten. It was her reward after learning some Bible verses that were assigned to her. 

Of course, we have to have a Penn State Ornament and Ohio State Ornament! DeLynn and I love to tease each other about these rival football teams! Of course, I think DeLynn should be an Ohio State fan since he lived in Ohio last, but he's stuck to his Penn State team! 

We also have a special ornament of a picture of my mother hanging on our tree. Christmas isn't the same without her. I remember eating her wonderful German Stollen bread. We also had the tradition of making Gingerbread Christmas cookies together as a family. It's been six and half years since we've had her in our lives. I miss her very much, especially over the holidays. Merry Christmas, Mom!

My 40th birthday present from DeLynn was such a suprise. I never imagined recieving a VW Bug for my birthday!  But this past year I lost her. She died a sad death. It was painful to see her burn up in front of my eyes. I miss riding around Costa Rica with her! 

Our first Christmas with Carmelinda was SO special. She was six months old and SO cute! I remember thinking a lot about Mary and how special it must have felt to be holding baby Jesus and caring for him. For the first time, I felt like I could understand a little more how she felt. I cherish the special memories I  have caring for Carmelinda as a baby. 

And now, 13 years later, we have another baby in our home, Dylan. It's fun having a baby in the house and we'll enjoy spending Christmas with him. He's a special little boy and I'm certain God has a special plan for his life. 

Carmelinda's middle name is JOY. This word fits her so well. Her life has brought us so much joy. But we've seen that not only has she brought us joy, but others have enjoyed her joy, as well. Before we left for Costa Rica, someone prayed over her saying, "I see a light and the light just keeps getting brighter and brighter." We've seen that unfolding in Carmelinda's life and we can't wait to see what God does with the JOY that is inside of her! 

This is an ornament my friend, Laura, made and gave me. I love it because it symbolizes what Christmas is all about. Jesus is my Lord and Savior and I'm SO grateful he would have come to this earth JUST for me! 

So these are just a few of my favorite ornaments that mean so much to me! I hope you enjoy looking at them like I do! Merry Christmas!

More Than I Could Ever Imagine

I was sitting in church, when I got a call from Katherine's mom that Katherine was having contractions. I knew it was for real this time. We had had some other scares before it was time, but I knew this was it! I was so excited and nervous at the same time. We decided to wait until church was over, go home and drop off DeLynn and Carmelinda and then I would go over to Katherine's parents house, where she was staying at the time, and take her to the hospital. 

I wasn't sure how all this was going to go. I knew, giving birth in a government hospital was much different than giving birth in a private hospital, and certainly totally different than giving birth in the States. I had accompanied Katherine on all her visits to the doctor at the clinic and also to her ultrasound appointments. The doctor wasn't necessarily just a gynocologist. They didn't seem to check everything that I was checked for when I had Carmelinda. But at the same time, they seemed to know what they were doing and talked about. But I hated when they (the doctors) sent us to other places to get blood drawn or other lab work done. That's when we had to take a whole day and wait in lines, all because it was govenment related. There were many times, I was thankful for private hospitals and wished everybody could afford them. 

Katherine had asked me if I could accompany her in the delivery room. I, of course, said YES! But at the same time, I wasn't sure if they would really let me, since the hospital seemed to be stricked and since I wasn't the mother or relative, I didn't get my hopes up. So I told God that I was willing to be used however HE wanted to use me. 

I got to Katherine's parents house and she was definitely having contractions. The problem was we didn't know how much she was dialated and we knew if she wasn't dialated enough they would send us back. Well, if we were to go back, it would take us at least 30-45 min, since the hospital was in San Jose. But we decided to take her to see what they had to say. On the way, we ran into traffic, lots of it, and it took us an hour to get to the hospital. Poor Katherine was in so much pain. I forgot how painful it was! It was about 10:30pm when we finally got to the hospital.

The emergency people took her right in. None of us were allowed to go in with her. So we waited and waited and waited. As we were waiting, I went outside and prayed for Katherine and her baby. I prayed that God would bless her with a nice doctor and nice nurses. I also spent some time reflecting on my own delivery. I remember what a wonderful experience it was for me. I also remember how excited my family was to meet Carmelinda, especially my mom. Oh how I wished she could see me now! She had prayed so many times for us to be able to have another child, but it didn't happen. Now, God was giving me the opportunity to experience childbirth in a way I never imagined. This was Gods answer to our prayers. I was not only gaining a daughter, but a baby (a grandson) as well! My heart was overjoyed. 

Carmelinda at three months

 Finally, she came out and said, they wouldn't admit her because she was only dialated 4 centimeters and she needed to be dialated 7 centimeters before they would admit her. We were all dissapointed. So we decided to return to our house since it was closer to the hospital. It was about 12:30pm. 

 At about 3:00, Katherine's water broke and we knew this time the hospital would admit her! She again went to the emergency room, while we waited and waited and waited some more! I felt so sorry for her since by this time she was in SO much pain and was all by herself! Finally, someone who worked in the ER came out and told us they were going to admit her. We were relieved. We waited some more. 

After a long while, they came out and said Katherine was asking for one of us.  I went back to be with her. I was so glad to see her and gave her a kiss and hug. It was time for them to take her to the second floor where she was going deliver (or so I thought). I followed behind as they took her by wheelchair. Suddenly, they stopped me by some desks and told me I needed to give Katherine's information to the man behind the desk. And just like that, Katherine was out of sight! I had no idea where she went! My heart sank. So I stayed, gave the information they needed and found a place to sit, where they told me to wait. I got a hold of Katherine's parents and told them to join me. So we all sat there and waited and waited and waited. We had no idea where Katherine was. I asked at the information desk if she was in the delivery room, and they said no. After a LONG while longer, they said Katherine was asking for someone again. They told me she was on the second floor in the maternity ward. 

As I walked through the maternity ward, I started experiencing a million emotions. I had never seen anything like this before. There were a lot of rooms filled with beds for each mother and baby. Probably 10 beds in each room. Some of the mothers had their babies with them and some of the mothers were waiting to have their babies. There were no fathers around or other support person. The mothers all wore the same color of hospital gown and their babies all wore the same baby outfit, as well. I felt like I was in a prison or something! 

I found where Katherine was. As I entered her room, there was a nurse who was giving instructions to the new mothers on how to give your baby a bath. These babies were less than 24hrs old. They were giving their babies baths on their beds, using soap, and a little bowl of water. And of course, the babies were all crying. It was a sight to see! Katherine said, the crying was not helping her. Poor Katherine! She told me she needed water, so I quickly went down stairs and got my water bottle and took it up to her. But I couldn't stay. I was so sad I had to leave her again. I gave her as much encouragment as I could and left. 

At about 7:30am, they called me and said it was time for Katherine to deliver her baby! So I went to the 2nd floor again and found her. By this time, she was in SO SO SO much pain. She hadn't been given any medication for pain, she was on her own! But hadn't cried and she wasn't screaming. I kept telling her how proud I was of her. I gave her a kiss as they wheeled her into the delivery room. They stopped me and told me to wait until they called me. So I waited again, except this time it wasn't too long. Then they came out and told me I needed to put on my hospital outfit on! I looked wonderful! 

I was SO excited.  By this time, I prayed that God would help me as I helped Katherine have her baby. Again, I wasn't sure what to expect. As I walked into the delivery room, there were a number of other expectant mothers laying on their beds, in pain. One heard groans, but no screaming or crying. Katherine had heard that if one makes noise, the nurses won't treat them nice. In government hospital, one just doesn't know what to expect.

 I found Katherine and held her hand. They were watching her closely. Every time a contraction would come, she squeezed my hand. As I stood beside her, I sang to her, I prayed outloud and just encouraged her. 

Waiting 

Finally, the time came when the doctor said, "it's time." After all that waiting and in so much pain, it was time to meet Dylan Samuel, the special name Katherine had picked out. 
They wheeled her into a private room. We were grateful for a kind doctor. The nurse wasn't so nice, but at least she wasn't with us too long. 

As I watched Katherine give birth, I couldn't believe all that I was experiencing. Wow! It was so beautiful. An experience I will never forget.  As I saw his head emerge and as his whole body came out and as he began to cry, I was so overwhelmed. Katherine began to cry.  At 8:14am, Dylan Samuel was born. He weighed 6.5 lbs. After his mother, I was priveledged to be the second one to hold him and welcome him into this world. Katherine held strong until the end. I was so proud of her. I was with them in the delivery room for about an hour or so until she was taken to the maternity ward again, where once again, I had to leave her. 

Less than an hr. after Dylan was born 

But during the hour I spent with them, it was so special. We admired everything about him and thanked God together for this wonderful gift. And by the way, I LOVE being a grandma! 

Baby Shower

On July 29th, we celebrated the coming of Katherine's baby boy and held a baby shower. Katherine is due the 26th of August. So we are getting prepared!

At her shower she was pleased to have friends from Nicaragua that her family has known for years. She also had a childhood friend, friends from her church, a family members that came. It was a special time for all of us present. We laughed and cried and laughed until we cried! Here are some pictures of the shower!

Center pieces

Pin the pacifier on the baby

Laughing with Katherine's mom

Here we are!

Katherine's parents, Samuel and Margot

She has been blessed by so many people, from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, as well as the United States. Thanks to all of you who have given and helped us.

She told me the other day that at the beginning of all this, she was so confused and now she sees that God has a purpose and she's anticipating good things to come out of this. 

Continue to pray for her as she gives birth to her son. We ALL can hardly wait to meet this little guy! 

Praying When God Tells You To Pray!

Recently, God has placed it on my heart to pray for others when I see a need. 
This summer, when I was in Oregon, I came down with some kind of virus that took me to the Urgent Care. As I was waiting, I saw a lady come in, crying. I could tell she was in pain. She was standing there waiting for the receptionist to help her. As I sat there and watched her wait to be helped, the Lord started to nuge me to pray for her. But not just to pray from where I was sitting, but to go over to her and pray for her. So I went over to her and offered what I had, a direct access to God. She willingly let me pray for her. She said she was having a panic attack and was scared. With the Holy Spirit's help I prayed. I don't know what happened to her, but that doesn't matter. I did what God told me to do and left it up to Him. 


Then the other day, I was encountered by another situation that led me to obey again. This time I was at a clinic with another friend. While we were waiting outside, I noticed beside us was a lady holding a baby boy. I started talking with her. I found out she was from Nicaragua. She was at the clinic because her five month little boy was VERY sick. He had been sick for three days with fever, vomiting, not eating , diarrhea, a terrible cough and a cold. I could tell in his eyes he was not feeling good since they were teary eyed. The mother nor him had gotten much sleep the last few days. The mother was very worried about him. 
Once again, I knew God wanted me to pray for them. I asked if I could and she said, "of course." I layed my hands on his body and asked God for healing. 
All of us had to wait at the clinic two hours, so while we were waiting we went to the nearest "soda" (restaurant where they serve typical food) and sat and ate and talked.
These are the type of encounters I want to be ready for. Yes, it takes boldness, but I'm discovering that the more I do it, the more bold I get. I don't want to miss out on the blessing God might have for me and for the person I'm praying for. 

"Missing you, mom"

Last night I had a dream about my mom. It was a pleasant dream. That was nice.


The dream took place when Carmelinda was a baby. Apparently, Carmelinda was taking a nap and mom was taking care of her, something mom LOVED to do. I was outside playing my guitar, singing some of my favorite songs. After Carmelinda woke up from her nap, mom came outside and brought Carmelinda to me. I remember saying, "Carmelinda, shall we sing together." 


I wish my dream had lasted longer. I always do, when it involves seeing mom in my dream. I don't like it when I dream and mom is sick. That's when I wake up from my dream feeling sad. 


I miss mom, very much. It's almost been six years since she's passed away. All I can say is that grief is just hard. Actually, it's more than hard. Most days and weeks I'm good but then it hits me. And when it hits me, the grief lingers awhile. To be honest, I don't like grief. It hurts. So what do I do to get through it? Well, the pschychological side of me wants to analyze all my feelings and emotions first. That takes a few days! I go though many emotions in those few days. Sometimes, I feel lonely, discourage, sad, and angry, and the list goes on. But in the end, I do what I know God wants me to do from the beginning, and that is RUN to Him. Why don't I do that first? Probably,  because I'm stubborn and prideful. I think I can get through grief on my own. But I simply can't. Why do I insist on carrying this burden of grief? When He says, 


"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I willl give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?  Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me-watch how I do it. Learn the unforce rhythms of frace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:28-30 The Message


He's clearly telling me REST. Quit taking this upon yourself, Gloria! "Get away with me..." I think that's the key. But sometimes, I like to wellow in my sorrows! Sometimes I don't have time to get away! Sometimes it's too painful! 


But then He says to me, "But the reward is amazing, Gloria, you will live free and light." 

THANK YOU for Year 2011

If I were to be completely honest with you, going into 2012, my prayer was, "Lord, please, I don't want 2012 to be like 2011! I don't think I could live it again!" You see, "my year" just didn't go the way I thought it was going to!



Lately, I've been reading Traveling Light by Max Lucado. It's been a book that has challenged me and encouraged me so much. The latest chapter is entitled, "You anoint my head with oil." He talks about disappointments and what we do with them. "A dissapointment is a missed appointment. What we hoped would happen, didn't."


We can be like Miss Haversham in Charles Dicken's Great Expectations, when rejected by her fiance just prior to the wedding, her appointment became a missed appointment and a disappointment. How did she respond? Probably like I would have a tendency to do. She closed all the blinds in the house, stopped every clock, left the wedding cake on the table to gather cobwebs and continued to wear her wedding dress, while the dress became yellow.


But we have another option. This is the option I am challenged to follow. We can be like the apostle Paul. He wanted to be a missionary to Spain, but God sent him to prison instead! Seriously, what good could come out of that??? Paul could have made a decision to just sit there, but he took the opportunity to write some letters! Who would have thought? Letters, that today help to complete the Scriptures!


This year, I have sat where Miss Haversham and the apostle Paul have been, faced with dissapointments that have hurt. When I think about these two people, Miss Haversham chose the "easy," definitely more miserable path. Paul chose the more difficult but more rewarding path.

 Through my reading,I found out that in ancient Israel shepherds used oil for three purposes: to repel, to prevent conflicts, and to heal wounds. Sheep panic when swarmed by bugs. The shepherd covers their heads with an oil-like repellent. The frangrance keeps the flies, misquitos, wormlike larvae, and nose flies away.


That is, until mating season, when the rams try to win the attention of his "girl." The shepherd anoints the ram with a slippery, greasy substance over the nose and head to prevent injury. This lubricant causes them to glance off rather than crash into each other.


They still get hurt and are wounded which is the third reason the shepherd anoints the sheep.


But God offers His oil to prevent wounds, but not just to prevent them, but to heal them. Like the verse says, "YOU anoint my head with oil." Thank You, God, Thank You for your oil!


So even though I finished last year dreading I'd have another just like it, the Lord gave me a Psalm 138 to end the new year that has changed my heart.

From The Message



Thank you! Everything in me says, "Thank you!"


Angels listen as I sing my thanks.


I kneel in worship facing your holy temple


and say it again: "Thank you!"


Thank you for you love,


thank you for your faithfulness;


Most holy is your name,


most holy is your Word.


The moment I called out, you stepped in;


you made my life large with strength.


When they hear what you have to say, God,


all earth's kings will say "Thank you."


They'll sing of what you've done:


"How great the glory of God!"


And here's why; God, high above, sees far below;


no matter the distance, he knows everything about us.


When I walk into the thick of trouble,


keep me alive in the angry turmoil.


With one hand strike my foes,


With your other hand


save me.


Finish what you started in me, God.


Your love is eternal-don't quit on me now.