Happy Birthday Sweet Emily !

Dear Emily,

A new morning has arrived and with it new opportunities. I sit curled on the sofa, coffee in hand, and watch as the bright orange sun sends it's rays through the tall trees in the front yard. I reminisce and remember another August 3rd of many years past.

This August morning begins much like the day of your birth with bright sunshine, clear skies, and a mom deep in thought and busily making a list before sleeping children awake anticipating a new day of adventure.

On the day of your birth I woke up, had devotions, made a long grocery and errands list, and prepared for what I THOUGHT the day would be like. I was, once again, well past my due date, but that was normal. I dressed myself, your sister, and your brother. My plan was to go to my regularly scheduled o.b. appointment, run a few errands, and then stop by the grocery store before returning home. I wanted the pantry and fridge well stocked before your arrival and although I knew the big day had to arrive sometime soon, I didn't expect it to be THAT day. I wanted everything to be prepared and perfect for your arrival, and I'd convinced myself I'd have to wait a little longer to meet you. Also, we were low on perishables, and I expected this to be my last opportunity to shop before your birth.

Well, during my o.b. visit I was asked why I hadn't come in earlier. I was puzzled. The doctor ordered a wheelchair, told someone to take me over to the hospital, and informed me I'd be having a baby in my arms that very day! I told the doctor of my plans to grocery shop, run errands, and of my need to make arrangements for my four year old and two year old. I asked if this could wait until the next day since I felt so good, was so unprepared, and really didn't believe I could possibly be about to give birth. I thought surely I'd have time for a quick trip to the grocery store and time to get the other children situated. The doctor said that my shopping could wait and wondered if my children would be bothered by the site of an I.V. being administered. I told the doctor that they would not be bothered and would actually be fascinated since the I.V. would be going into my arm and not theirs. So...there I was with a four year old and a two year old, and I'd told your dad that morning that I felt fine enough for him to go to a business meeting an hour or more away. Tiffiny and Jordan labored with me until your dad arrived and then Miss Dottie arrived to pick them up for an afternoon of play at her house. Having children in the room wasn't common at the time, but the staff didn't seem to mind. The time passed rather quickly and I mentioned to your dad that I thought I was in transition. He received a phone call at about the same time from your concerned Papa and told him he thought we'd have a birth in a very short time. The doctor overheard and chuckled. He told your dad that if I delivered within an hour he'd buy him a pizza. I delivered with plenty of time to spare:) Pizza! Relief! Joy! And what a beautiful sweetheart you were and are. Your dad prayed, gave thanks, and we cried. What a miraculous and awe inspiring event it is to witness as God ushers new life into this world.

Emily, you are such a steady, kind, conscientious, consistent, and diligent young lady. How I thank God for your life and pray His richest blessings on you today and always. You are a blessing, and we all love you dearly. Happy Birthday!!

Love,

Mom

P.S. We received the SWEETEST surprise today. During the early morning hours while writing this post, it occurred to me that I might not have any newborn pictures or pictures of Emily as a child. Emily gave me the mail sometime before lunch, and can you guess what my sister-in-law from Florida sent? An envelope addressed to her and my Tom's mother in my handwriting, a card, and a NEWBORN hospital picture of EMILY:) It was the EXACT one I sent to my mother-in-law shortly after Emily's birth!!! And it arrived exactly on her birthday!!! Thank you Lord, and thank you sweet sister-in-law!

P.S.S. Emily and I spent a happy afternoon lingering over lunch at a favorite Mexican restaurant. We also did a little shopping, and we had plenty of time for reminiscing and for long conversations.

P.S.S. I'd hoped to scan the newborn picture of Emi and post it today, but I do NOT know how. Anyway, I'm so happy to have it!

A Very Tardy Update !

Greetings! Just wanted to give you all a quick update this morning. We've been quite busy these past weeks with the usual trips to physical therapy, doctor's offices, and the like. The above picture was taken of the little ones in the van. Music c.d.'s and Bible story tapes are fast becoming familiar friends as we still spend lots of time on the road.
Libby is taking advantage of an opportunity to read to Judson while standing in the front yard of our lovely temporary home.
Baby boy learned to ride a borrowed bike since moving here. The sweet family who own the home left a few in the barn, and Hannah Joy taught Judson to ride. We forgot the small but important detail of teaching him about brakes until someone realized he was coming to a stop by running into a tree:( No injuries:)
Jeremiah found his father's hat and wears it all the time. He also discovered his old navy uniform in a bag returned to us by some of the dear friends and even sweet strangers who collected clothing and other items found amongst the rubble. He treasures these items, and we're very grateful to have these memento's.
Oldest son spends much of his time at work these days and tries to catch up on auto repairs, work in the valley, and other things on his days off. Much to do and so little time.
In the vehicle again...I lovingly refer to it as my "rolling office". Much work is accomplished here and many phone calls are made and returned while parked and waiting. A large bag of folders and work projects are kept at hand.
I'm hearing sweet music again, and we're trying to get back to some semblance of a schedule.

Miss Emily is standing on her own now! She first used a wheelchair, then a walker, a cane, and recently she passed the cane to Tiffiny!
We've had quite a bit of rain lately, and we've been out in a vehicle during stormy weather on at least three occasions since the tornadoes. On one occasion, trees fell on side roads and limbs hit our vehicle and fell around us. Power was out in all the stores. One of the younger children requested that we listen to James Spann, a local weatherman. The National Weatherman came on and suggested people in the area take cover because of potentially high winds and lightning. Everyone became very quiet. I had to concentrate on prayer and maneuvering around fallen tree limbs and traffic. Audible prayers went up. Emily opened her bible and read scripture, another started singing a hymn, and all eventually went well. We finally made it off the tree-lined streets and arrived home safely. We're definitely more aware of impending bad weather, and I believe there is a dread of having something fall from above our heads. But God is our ever-present help in time of need, and we are thankful for the comfort that brings.
We've shared lovely meals with sweet friends. Our Bible Study recently resumed in the home of our teacher and his lovely family. They made the beautiful salad above and have been so gracious to open their home and delay their own work projects for the sake of helping with the work going on in the valley. Actually, many families have delayed their own projects. Thank you, thank you!!!

Miss Tiffiny still applies ice to her leg frequently and continues to experience swelling. She especially swells after traveling in a vehicle, but she has improved greatly, and we are thankful:) She will be on the blood thinner until Christmas, but she no longer has to go to the hospital lab for a weekly blood test. She now goes every six weeks:) She and Emily still go to physical therapy twice a week. What a blessing:)
As you can see, she now stands on her own and is walking with a cane. She can walk without it and prefers doing so, but her wonderful therapist has other ideas, and she must obey!
More beautiful salads prepared by Mr. and Mrs. T and family:) Yum!
Josh, Jacob, and Johnathon spend most of their days out in the valley working on the railroad house. Jacob is seen here putting away some tools. He saw the neurologist recently and received a very good report. The only noticeable thing left to clear up is one eye blinking more rapidly than the other:) Tiffiny and Emily also received a good report. Tiffiny will go back in December.
Our temporary home has a great driveway for riding bikes. It makes a circle all around the house.

There's a very nice playground for the children, and they made a ramp for the girls to get into the house more easily.
Judson caught as he awakens from a nap in the van.
Some of the family talking to a sweet friend about "Old Blue". We have a 51 Ford truck which was bought new by Tom's father. The children hope to someday repair it, and Mr. W is just the person to know about such things.

Abi planted some flowers. She's longed to work in the garden or in the flower beds. Since those are gone, she decided to plant some flowers and a few fruit bushes in large pots.

Please know how very much we appreciate your prayers and acts of kindness. We're busy writing thank you notes, but we have a long way to go. Many addresses we do not have. Please accept our sincerest thanks for all you've done and for every prayer and sweet note and lovely gift sent. God bless you all!

Blessings,

Sherry

Happy 4th of July !

The following are some quotes from George Washington, often referred to as the Father of our Country:

"I am sure that never was a people, who had more reason to acknowledge a Divine interposition in their affairs, than those of the United States; and I should be pained to believe that they have forgotten that agency, which was so often manifested during our Revolution, or that they failed to consider the Omnipotence of that God who is alone able to protect them."

"I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an "Honest Man."

"A government is like fire, a handy servant, but a dangerous master."

"Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected."

"I earnestly pray that the Omnipotent Being who has not deserted the cause of America in the hour of its extremest hazard, will never yield so fair a heritage of freedom a prey to "Anarchy" or "Despotism."

"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action."

"It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible."

"The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained."
____________________________________________________________________
The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Have a blessed and happy 4th of July!

Blessings,

Sherry


If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. II Chronicles 7:14

Sunday Hymn: It Is Well With My Soul

It Is Well With My Soul

Horatio Gates Spafford
Born: October 20, 1828, North Troy, New York.
Died: October 16, 1888, Jerusulem, Israel, of malaria.

Written by Horatio Spafford, a Chicago lawyer, in 1873 after hearing news from his wife of the tragic death of their four daughters.

Horatio and his wife, Anna, were close friends of D.L. Moody and well known in the Chicago area.

Their troubles began in 1870 with the death of their only son who died of scarlet fever at age four. Then the Chicago Fire of 1871 occurred and fire destroyed his vast holdings in real estate on Lake Michigan.

Mr. Spafford decided to take his wife and four daughters on a much needed holiday to England where they would rest and also meet the famous preacher, D.L. Moody, on one of his evangelistic campaigns. A last minute business development delayed Horatio and it was decided that the rest of his family would go on as planned. He would join them later on. Nine days later, he received these words from Anna, his wife: "Saved alone."

The 'Ville de Havre' collided with 'The Lochearn' and sank in twelve minutes. Anna and her daughters stood clinging to one another and then felt the force of the waters upon them. Only Anna survived and at first she felt utter despair. She then recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

Horatio joined his wife. During his voyage, the captain told him that he believed they were now passing the place where the ship wrecked. Horatio Spafford went to his cabin and penned the now familiar words of "It Is Well With My Soul."

His family's tragic loss has given hope to countless numbers of people who have sung the words to his hymn for more than a hundred years.

The words are as follows:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

___________________________________________________________

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. Psalm 46:1-3

Blessings,

Sherry

Music was written by composer Philip Bliss.

Birthday Remembrances !

Birthday remembrances of our beloved husband and father, Tom. A follower of Christ and devoted husband and father.

Happy birthday, Tom! We miss you so much but we are grateful for the years we had together and for the legacy you left behind.

A trip to Charleston, S.C.
Shooting skeet:)
Always a hard worker:)
Collecting wood for a future house or barn:)
Trip to Polyface Farm in Virginia to learn more about farming techniques.
Your love of working with wood and building things blessed so many:)
So often seen with a little one at your side or sitting on your lap.
May the lessons you taught - reverence for and devotion to God, hard work, respect for others, and sacrificial love - remain and be lived out, by God's grace, in our lives and in the lives of all future generations.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalm 90:1

"For we know that if our earthly house, after this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." II Corinthians 5:1

A Puritan Prayer

Fill the garden of my soul with the wind of love,
that the scents of the Christian life may be
wafted to others;
then come and gather fruits to thy glory.
So shall I fulfil the great end of my being -
to glorify thee and be a blessing to men.

June 2, 2011...Happy Birthday to Johnathon !

Dear Johnathon,

I vividly remember the morning of your birth and the joy and relief that came when the labor of love was complete.

Our week had been very busy, and the days leading up to your birth included helping out with a rehearsal dinner by feeding and hosting approximately fifty children belonging to those who were members of the wedding party. We prayed that your birth would come either well in advance of the scheduled evening, or after the happy event. I was very late, as usual, and you didn't make your grand entrance until after the wedding. We helped host on Friday night, attended the wedding on Saturday, and we attended church on Sunday. I hardly had time to think of my *lateness*... you were born early on Monday morning:)

You were another home birthed baby, and I was a bit puzzled as to why I labored longer than was usual for me...I was very eager to finally meet and hold in my arms this little blessing for whom I had long awaited.

Our wonderful midwife and your father decided not to tell me when they saw what was delaying your birth... you had one hand resting on your cheek. They guessed that you were trying to get your thumb to your mouth, and they also realized that your entry into the world might take a bit longer because of it! You were, of course, finally ushered into the world, and you weighed close to ten pounds. Needless to say, you didn't wear the newborn clothes:)

We rejoiced, your brothers and sisters rejoiced, and your father offered up a prayer of thanks.

We love you very much, Johnathon. I thank God for your life, and I'm blessed to be your mother. May God bless you all the days of your life, and may you serve Him with gladness.

Blessings,

Mom

In Celebration

Hey!

( This is actually not Sherry writing, but one of her daughters ~ I hope it's not confusing )

Mom doesn't know about this post, but . . . . I just wanted y'all to know what a wonderful couple my parents were, and what a wonderful marriage they had. Today would've been their 31st wedding anniversary. And even though dad is no longer on earth to celebrate it with mom, it seemed like this day was still one to be remembered. It is still the anniversary of the day that God began a new family, through the marriage of a man named Tom and a girl named Sherry; none of my siblings or I would be here except for that day and that wedding. So today's still an important date for us to remember.

I am so grateful for the years God gave me to witness my parent's marriage. What a privilage to grow up watching such a godly couple in action! To see their steadfastness, their faithfulness, their commitment to one another -- their love and honor for one another. Quietly, contentedly, steadily they walked through life together. I couldn't ask for better parents.

And so this post is meant to honor my dad and mom for the last 30 -plus years of love and devotion to one another. To celebrate what God has done through them. Praise the Lord for this marriage, this couple, these parents.

Because of Him,
Emily
for all of the Lee children