The Portion of my Inheritance

The minute the shoe box was opened her eyes lit up and she expressed her great delight with a loud squeal. “High heels! Oh, they are gorgeous!!! I love them!”

There was just no way of getting around it, she had to have them. Her very first pair. All throughout the store, to anyone who would stop long enough to look, she would show them her new beloved high heel shoes.    

As soon as we settled in the car, she was ready to put them on, along with a new dress she had picked out. I cut off the tags between stops under her watchful eye and before we went into the next store she had changed her clothes and put on her new shoes.

“Oh mammy! I look just like a super model!” she exclaimed, her eyes dancing with excitement.

Both mommy and mammy agreed, “Yes you do! You look so beautiful!”   

She climbed out of the car and started walking across the parking lot in her new strappy heels, hunched over, scuffing and dragging her feet as she went. Her little toes turned white each time she took a step from trying to grip the shoes and hold them on, for walking too fast caused the shoes to fly off her feet. She looked like a little old lady as she walked slowly along and her mommy and I exchanged several amused looks. The laughter was swelling up within us and it took great effort to contain it.

I imagine that this is exactly how I look trying to walk in my high heels, so this mammy understands that it is not so easy.    

But oh, how she loved her new shoes!   

Our day moved at a much slower pace from that point on and after a couple of more stops we were on our way home.   

She sat in the back seat, looking thoughtful, then she said with great disappointment in her voice, “This super model thing didn’t work out so good.”

“Why? What do you mean Aria?” We both wanted to know.

“Well, I have a new dress and my new high heel shoes and no one told me that I look like a supermodel.”

We tried the best we could to assure her that even though they didn’t say it, they were thinking it.   

And later on, at mammy and gumps house, her gumps, being the amazing grandfather that he is, and with some coaching from me, saved the day.

After she made him close his eyes so she could position herself in front of him, he opened his eyes . . . looked amazed . . . and said . . . “WOW! Aria, you look just like a supermodel!”   

The delighted, happy look on her face told us—mission accomplished!      

The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.  Habakkuk 3:19

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“Mammy, would you fix my hair before we read the bible?” she said to me with a lisp.   

“I want it to look beautiful! I want two braids.”   

“And I need to put on my princess dress, That’s what little girls do when they do their bible study.” 

She continued on with a British accent, “After all, I am royalty and I am from another kingdom.”      

She settled herself in and began to read (quote from memory) the account of Adam and Eve.   

And I sat too, listening to her as she read on.

And thank You God for such a wonderful day. The weather was perfect and the breeze gently blew as we sat under that tree, sharing in God’s word.

And these treasured moments that can only come from Him are the cherished times that linger on in my heart.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.  Genesis 3:6

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Spring time in Texas can only mean one thing to so many. Crappie fishing!   

After Martin and his daddy return home from a successful trip on the lake, their catch is inspected carefully.

This is the prize catch of the day!   

Each fish is counted and transferred over to the bucket to get cleaned. The conversation is centered around the fishing trip.   

It was a good afternoon for father and son!   

Times that get less and less as the years pass on, as the busyness of this life interferes with what really matters.

And these are treasured times that will carry on with time.

And pops leaves the fish for us, and we save it for the weekend, when we can extend the blessing with our own children, the third and fourth generations of the tradition. 

And it’s a celebration, for time together for all of us gets less and less as the years have passed on, as the busyness of this life interferes with what really matters.

It’s a group effort, everyone sharing in the preparations, working side by side.

The feast is on, and we not only feast on the fresh catch but on the company and presence of each other.

And these are treasured times that will carry on with time.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Matthew 7:7-11

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The years have slipped by so quickly, with much ease. Quietly . . . gently pushing through, with an abundance of joy and gladness.   

It has been 29 years since I have been given a most treasured gift from the hand of God.   

“Bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh”(Gen. 2:23a), hearts beating together as one. Us, merged together within the dwelling of my womb, growing and expanding under the shadow of  His wings.  

 And the most beautiful sight I have ever been witness to has been the blessings of watching this gift blossom and grow.   

From baby to toddler into beautiful girlhood.   

Gracefully unfolding into the radiance of woman, wife and now . . . mother.   

And you have grown into this ‘gentle and quiet spirit which is precious in the sight of the God. (1 Peter 3:4)” And we have also grown together through the years. Mother and daughter, friend and prayer partners, sharing our hearts, dreams, delights and the very great joys and victories of this walk.

 And we have been carried along this stream of life, always moving and branching out, extending and growing, flowing together, moving as one. Being carried tenderly along on this spiritual journey by the One that holds us all together.   

 And it’s a retracing the heart leaping moments and resurfacing the still frames of time through the faces and laughter of your own treasured gifts. A look . . . an expression . . . a gesture, precious smiles and contagious laughter and I have traveled back these 29 years through my granddaughters, the extension of His gift, that plunges deeper and wider still. You are my infant daughter once again through Aniyah’s toothless grin and my little girl as I hold Aria in my arms and see you, her momma looking back at me.    

This gift goes on and on and on through the mercy of our Lord, and “He crowns the years with His goodness and His paths drip with abundance.(Psalm 65:11)” And I am the recipient of these amazing gifts, and “every good and perfect gift come from the Lord.(James 1:17a)   

 And you, my dear daughter have been a joy and a delight to me from the very first instant I beheld you. I have learned so much from you and I am a much better person because of you and my heart has known and held the sweetness of a daughter’s love through the joy of you.  

Happy Birthday to my beloved Andrea!  

Rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 1 Peter 3:4

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“Ready or not here I come!”

And as I entered the room, this is what I saw.   

I spent several minutes walking around the room calling out, “Where could she be?”   

And her laughter rang out into the room, giggles bubbling out from under gumps’ pool table and I could see her right there.   

And how funny are children? When they can’t see you, they think that you can’t see them and I have a hard time containing my own laughter.

And I lean over just enough for her to see me and she squeals with delight!

And she has been found.   

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.  Proverbs 8:17

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Toys are thrown everywhere and one doll looks just like the next for the most part. But not to her.

The pick of the week is always the most special to Aria. And in the midst of the mess it is easy to misplace that one most treasured doll, and the hunt is on.

“Mammy, I can’t find my favorite bratz doll”, she tells me with a hint of concern in her voice.

“Well . . . where did you last have it?”

“I think it was in the playroom.”  So off I go in search of her treasure, to no avail.

As I started to explain to her that her doll was nowhere to be found, she said to me, “Excuse me mammy, you interrupted me, I was praying about my doll.”     

“Oh, I am so sorry that I interrupted you.” And she bowed her head and resumed her petition.  

I turned to leave her with her Lord and immediately my eyes fell upon a heap of messy hair, laying on the desk.    

Her doll.   

I picked it up and held it up in front of her and as she lifted up her head and opened her eyes, there was her beloved doll.  

But more importantly, her answered prayer was before her! 

Oh, to have the faith of a child!

“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”  Luke 11:10  ~~Jesus~~

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Guess who is rolling over and lifting herself up?

Aniyah Grace!

She is now 3 1/2 months old.  

She is such a happy baby, but sometimes she gets a little upset.   

But it never last too long.  

As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.  1 Peter 2:2

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 Aria getting a piano lesson from uncle Kory.

Therefore I will play music before the Lord.  2 Samuel 6:21b

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She just loves these little weeds. In her eyes they are a beautiful, bright, buttery flower one minute,

and a magical wish maker the next.   

Our yard is full of them, much to her great delight and in my kitchen window you will always find them resting in a glass of water. Brilliantly on display because of the thoughtful hands that picked them and so sweetly  bestowed them on her mammy. 

And on this day, after a hand full of these little gems had been gathered and  after all the magic had been blown away, scattering those little seeds deeper into the soil, we gathered the remnants of what was left.   

We popped off the tops of the taproot and I was transported back into my own childhood as we set out, together, to create a timeless treasure. . . . 

a dandelion necklace. 

And we stuffed one end into the other and diligently worked on making a chain of these amazing little wonders.   

The chain grew with each addition and we pressed on,

refusing to give up until this jewel was safely displayed around her neck.  

And one of my favorite quotes is about a dandelion and it is also my prayer for this treasured one of mine as she journeys through life.   

“My favorite flower is a dandelion . . . . 

because it refuses to stop growing.”   (source unknown)

Grow little one . . . . GROW!

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.  Song of Solomon 2:12

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I have been wanting to do it for years, so this year I decided to celebrate Passover with Aria.  

It is my desire to learn more about the life of Jesus, in every way. To learn more about the Jewish people and their customs.   

We have been teaching Aria over the past several weeks about Moses and the Israelites and how God delivered them out of bondage from Egypt.   

But mostly we have teaching her the significance of the blood of the lamb that saved the Israelite people at that first Passover. And most certainly about the Blood of the Lamb that saves us from our sins. It took on a whole different meaning for us as we did this feast because Aria asked Jesus into her heart this week. A celebration indeed was in order!  

With the help of Scripture Adventures-Passover for Christian Families I gathered up what I could over the past couple of weeks to prepare for this special feast. You can get a copy here:

http://www.scriptureadventures.com              

With step by step instructions and a written script we had our Passover feast and we loved it! 

We started with a bone to represent Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

Unleavened bread represents the bread that the Israelites made and ate in haste. Remembering that Jesus is the Bread of Life.

Bitter herbs to remind us of the pain and bitterness the Israelites suffered  because of their slavery.  Also for the bitterness of sin.  

Charoset to remind us of the mortar the Jewish slaves used to make Pharaoh’s bricks. It is also sweet to remind us of the sweetness of the hope for redemption through Jesus.

A mix of nuts, fruit and honey.  

Parsley reminds us of new things growing–new beginnings. It is dipped in salt water to remind us both of the bitter tears of bondage shed by the Israelites and the consequences of sin.  

A roasted egg to represent the Passover sacrifice made in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Dipped in the salt water it reminds us of the miracle of resurrection that came through the tears of our Savior.  

Salt water–bitter tears.

We also set a place for Elijah.

I lit the candles and read the prayer:

Bless art Thou, O Lord our God, who asks us to light the candles of Passover. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, who has given us life and allowed us to celebrate this joyous occasion.

We started with the story that happened nearly 4,000 years ago, when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt . . .  

Then as I read each plague, Aria dipped her finger in her grape juice and removed a drop of juice for each plague.   

Then as I read, she ate:

Matzah–unleavened bread

Bitter herbs  

Charoset

Parsley

Egg

The bone for the Passover Lamb

Then it was time for the feast, but not until we thanked Jesus, for the food and for all He has done for us.    

Our meal

We drank four glasses of juice, 1-physical freedom, 2- intellectual freedom, 3-spiritual freedom and 4-to encourage each other to tell others about Jesus.  

I finished it a little different than the script has said. A friend had gone to a Jewish Passover and told me how they did theirs and I loved it and so did Aria.

We talked about how leaven symbolizes sin and the sin is deep inside us and the only way to find that sin is to shine Jesus’ light in us. So I hid three pieces of leavened bread and she got a flash light and she searched for the bread.          

He reward for finding all 3 pieces of bread was a piece of fudge.  

And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment; I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.  Exodus 12:11-13

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