Happy Anniversary! Our Sweet Jennifer put this together for us

Family

For those of you not on Facebook, here are a few pictures to update you..

Cameron and JB have both had huge growth spurts this year!

 

This photo of my #3, Lyndy Lou, and #2, Jiff...was taken just a couple of days ago. Jon Abram's family is still living in Washington State. I haven't seen these two sweet girls in two years....way too long.

 Melinda loves hats just like her great-grandmother Sowers.

 A typical Saturday morning at Nanny and Papa's house.

 I love this picture of Jon Abram's family taken last fall.

 Our dear son, Jon Abram

 Just before Christmas last year, Melody flew in to visit us. We were so happy.

Saying a sad good-bye! Since then, Melody has taken a Nanny job with a church family and is now in Canada...

Hope you enjoy these.

Erica's Homecoming

 Just a couple of weeks ago, Erica had her Senior Homecoming. She was so wonderfully surprised when her Father, Mark, flew in and showed up to walk her in own this most important occasion.

 

 

 

 

Erica and her parents, Mark and Amy 

 

Her paternal grandfather and her step-grandmother, Francis. 

 

Erica with her mother and step-dad, Joey. She wished her step-mom, Chris,and her little sisters could have been there.

 

Erica and her mother.

 

 

Erica and JBc

 

Erica and Cam

 

As you can see, Erica has a lot of family and is dearly loved by all.

 

On Our 45th Anniversary.. Feb. 19th, 2016

Jon  sat in his chair this morning and read from the beautiful Psalm 91.. It has always been one of our favorites we have shared. He read it aloud for our devotions the night we were married...almost 45 long years ago... Then we were young and strong. I watched him read now... oxygen hose aiding his breathing, his hair thinning and gray around the edges.... The beautiful words flowing over my soul....filling my heart afresh and anew...
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of... the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." our prayer for our life together...
That is the first verse....
But this morning it was the last verse that just grabbed my heart...
"With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.."
It was as though I took a book and with my thumb, fanned the pages from beginning to end, almost feeling the gentle breeze from the pages...time fleeing before me..
These two verses seemed to be book ends...from we SHALL... to He HAS.. We have dwelled under His shadow...and He has given us long life... But the long life isn't really the most important thought here... it is that HE HAS and even now DOES SATISFY!!!
A couple of days ago I got our our love letters, now yellowed with age.... The pages were filled with our longings to follow Christ... A journey we could never imagined.. one that has been more wonderful than we ever dreamed... A Christ who has shown us His salvation!!
If you haven't tried my Jesus.... I promise you He will never be a disappointed you...all the days of your life.
I so love the words of this song...which expresses my feeling so well:
Well, I tried Him and I found His promises are true
He’s everything He said that He would be
The finest words I know cannot begin to tell
Just how much He really means to me
For He’s more wonderful than my mind can conceive
He’s more wonderful than my heart can believe
He goes beyond my highest hopes and fondest dream
He’s everything that my soul ever longed for
Everything He promised and so much more
More than amazing
More than marvelous
More than miraculous could ever be
He’s more wonderful
That’s what Jesus is to me

"I Shall Return.."

Blessed good Sabbath morning, dear friends and family!

 

How about a history lesson....moving from A.D. 33 to 1944....?

 

In 1942, General Douglas MacArthur was forced to retreat from the Philippines to Australia. As he left the island, he made a promise to the Philippino people, "I shall return!"

 

As the war raged and the Philippine nationals suffered greatly(90,000 civilians died) the people pressed on...fighting bravely and holding on to a hope...a promise by a great man they trusted...General Douglas MacArthur!! They held on, believing he would surely keep his promise to them!

 

On October 20th, 1944...hope became sight. Since no landing craft was available, General Douglas MacArthur waded ashore....and once more stepped on the Philippine island! There he spoke his famous words:

 

"People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil..." A promise kept...after two long years!

 

Jon and I are reading through Acts again... This morning we were listening to it on our dramatized audio Bible. We hadn't gotten through chapter one before my heart was just slammed with His Presence!!  I remembered another promise!  One made by the greatest "man" of all time!  One who ALWAYS keeps His promises!!!!

 

In verse 11 we see the disciples gazing up into the heavens into which Christ had disappeared... they then spoke to the disciples who have must have been still rather awestruck...with the fact that Jesus was gone from them...and with the supernatural way in which He departed!  "Why stand ye gazing up into heaven. This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven!"

 

In John 14, Jesus had earlier given this same promise to His disciples..

 

 "Let not your heart be troubled:ye believe in God, believe also in Me.

 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.

 I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN,      and  receive you unto Myself: that where I am, there ye may be also!"

 

So this morning while listening to Acts...my heart just overflowed... this same Jesus WILL COME AGAIN!!! General Douglas MacArthur was a great man, but ONLY  a man!!

 

This man Jesus, the divine God man, Jesus, has NEVER... and NEVER WILL  fail to keep His promises!!  He said, I shall return....

 

How much greater is our source of hope than the one the dear Philippine nationals had... Yet they fought on...never surrendering. Never 

failing... because they KNEW their "savior" would return.

 

We can trust Jesus!!! Coming again, coming again... Oh, what a wonderful day that will be.. Jesus IS COMING AGAIN!!

 

Fight one faithful friends....look up... it could be today!!!

A Return to the Past.. On to Tomorrow

 I'm back, dear friends!!! I've missed you! Like so many others, when one moves to Facebook, they disappear from their blog... Sad.. For sure. Facebook has its perks, but it has its down side as well...
Having said that, I'll move on.
I think I may feel a little freer to write here because I know only those truly interested will be here. Although I must admit, for some time now, although my devotions still inspire me and I often feel the urge to write my thoughts down, I just don't seem to have the strength to do it anymore. So you may now find mostly pictures on this blog. Be that as it may, it will just as assuredly be from my heart.
My Critters inspire me. I'm having a harder time keeping up with them as well! But they are still a great comfort to me!
That's all for now, folks! Pictures to soon  follow!!