miracle man

He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
Job 5:9

Doesn't it seem that when you least expect it, life can turn, shift, and twist, taking you completely off guard! One such time happened to me a year ago July. It was a time of sadness, pain, joy; and yet a true lesson in the gift of miracles.
 
The summer pretty much was a normal summer, that is until a call came one July morning. It was from my mom. She had called to let me know that my brother-in-law had been rushed to the hospital with a massive stroke. His condition was grave, his hope for survival was grim. My first reaction was pure shock! But, as I got off the phone with her I instantly felt what I needed to do. And this was to ask God, through prayer, to help my brother-in-law in this great time of need.
 

Miracles seldom occur in the lives of those who do not consider them possible.

                                                          -Neale Donald Walsch


The calls from mom kept coming pretty regularly that morning; filled with updates as to what was happening and what could not be done. In one recent call she had indicated that the stroke had been so severe that it had made him brain dead. He only had a 4% chance to live. He would not recover from this. Hope was draining.


                                              Don’t believe in miracles, depend on them.
                                                                      -Laurence J. Peter


I got going! I started to phone friends. I sent emails out. I asked for all I the people I could think of to pray. Pray for a miracle. Pray for my brother-in-law. Just pray!

          God opens ways where to human senses there is no way.

 Ask the help of your  higher power.

                                                                  Keep your faith.

                                                               - Catherine Ponder

A day later, with hope not looking up, and without much of a second thought, my family and I got in the car. We started to drive the hundreds of miles to Texas. We drove there anticipating an impending funeral. We drove down there in heavy prayer, wishes for a miracle, and much, MUCH, hope in our hearts. We would not give up, never!


And... little by little,


 mile by mile,


 as we got closer to their town the "miracles" had already began to occur. My brother-in-law began to make signs of life! His eyes opened up. He lifted a finger. He was still with us!!

            And Jesus beholding, said to them: With men this is impossible: but with 

 God all things are possible.

- Matthew 19:26

The day we arrived down at my sisters, he began to respond even more...one blink for yes...two blinks for no. He could speak with his eyes... an amazing thing to see.


When we visited him in the ICU he suddenly began to lift his hand, he had feeling in his feet!


The prayers continued and the miracles kept coming...


He began to move his neck. He began to try to talk!


Against all the doctors odds of hope and life. With a diagnoses of "brain dead" and "you should consider pulling him off life support". Through the power of prayer, never giving up hope, and the gift of God's miracles, my brother-in-law had beat ALL odds of being alive!

This past Christmas, my brother-in-law drove his family, all the way from Texas to the midwest for Christmas! Not even 6 months after his brush with fate, he is able to drive, talk, walk, LIVE! This truly was the greatest Christmas gift of them all!

Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, And looks to God alone; Laughs at impossibilities, And cries it shall be done.

- Charles Wesley

I truly believe that I have witnessed a miracle first hand. And, it wasn't just me! My family has witnessed that same miracle.

Never give up hope!

God can make things happen.

Pray and always believe!

Amen!! Amen!!



inspiring!

I just read an article about this woman's beautiful conversion back to her faith.  Truly inspiring!http://andamazinggrace.blogspot.com/2012/01/share.html?spref=bl

 

http://www.leahdarrow.com/

the first 12...

It is hard for me to believe that my oldest child will be turning 13 this year! Yikes, really? Already?? The thought of him becoming a teenager brings both an odd feeling of dred, and yet at the same time, a curious feeling of "bring it on!"

My life just seems to keep moving along at a constant speed of fast-forward lately. Where has the time gone? Wasn't I just changing diapers yesterday? But, as I slowly allow myself to creep ahead, I also have decided to take this time to look back on the past. That is, my past twelve years of me being a parent. That special gift God gave me of being Mom.

So many times I catch myself looking back at the "what-I-should-have's".. or the "why-didn't-I's" of the past. (Most often these occur in the middle of the night when I can't fall back asleep!) Too often I find that I can get caught in the negatives and wrong doings I have made. But, what I really should be doing is rejoicing in the positives! All of those accomplishments. The important milestones and wonderful achievements. All the mini-loving life lessons that I have nurtured in each of my three children. Yes. I am a good parent and darn it, I deserve to give myself some credit!

So after all this time, this is what I have learned (SO far). This is what I think is important. This is what I think will matter  most!

1. GFF. 

Nope, not BFF (best friends forever), GFF. It stands for God, family, friends. I had once heard this term and it really hit home. So I have tried to instill this in the "everyday living and thinking" of our kids. The order of priority, before anything else, is God first. After that, our family comes next and finally friends. Without God first, the other two would not even exist.

                          "Weave in faith and God will find the thread." ~Author Unknown

2. Yes, Birthdays DO matter.
Growing up, a chid may not remember what gifts they received for each birthday. What creates those memories are the feelings of "mattering" and being recognized on the day your precious self arrived on this Earth. God's special miracle was created and we should celebrate that, if nothing else. So pull out that cake mix and light up the candles. You are very worth celebrating!

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." ~Dr. Seuss

                                              


3. Be a Nature Nut!
Even before our kids could walk on their own two feet they were introduced to the idea of nature. Whether it be a simple stroll around the block in the stroller on a fall day, or a random  hike through the woods to look for snakes, it was a natural rhythm for them. I used to express to the kids that we were "nature nuts" and had always hoped to create t-shirts fashioned with the title. Well, I haven't quite gotten around to that yet. But, our nature nutty-ness is still alive and active...even after all these years.

 "Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair." 

                           ~Kahlil Gibran

4. Travel, travel, travel!
I will always remember my mom telling me what her dad would always say to her, "Travel. See as much as this world, that God created, as you can." Well, you don't have to twist my arm twice! I was born with the travel bug. It doesn't matter where or how I get there. It is just the pleasure of seeing a new sight, that is important to me . As a family we try to go somewhere, anywhere, every year. My thinking is that those sights, sounds, smells and tastes will weave a special spot in each of our kids souls and enliven their own travel bugs when they get out in the real world. Whether is be a well-thought out adventure or an impromptou Sunday drive, the idea is... just GO!

       " For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move." – Robert Louis Stevenson

5. Easy does it!

The point that I have STILL not fully gotten myself, is to not take life SO seriously.This is a hard one for me, but I am always working on improving myself...step by step, day by day. I guess, since I tend to take MY life so seriously, I tend to find that I expect that in my kids. Well, I really do see that there is value in the craziness..the sillyness...the down-right quirky events that shape each of us as God's special children. After all, none of us will ever be perfect. So, I need to take it easy on myself and in my children.

"Some days are simply meant for playing."

- Mary Anne Radmacher

6. Be happy.

Ever since my kids were little, I had only one simple rule for them to aquire, and that is to be happy. My thought is that if a person is truly happy, then anything in life will be possible. The right job will come your way. The right friends, spouse, life, will "correctly" form all around you. How many people in this world are truly happy? Sure, good grades and a well-mannered child is important, but, a happy child is most essential for me.

Smile.

Today would be a wonderful day not to take life so seriously.

Today may end up the way you prefer - and it may not.

Happiness is not about being a winner -

it's about being gentle with life -

being gentle with yourself.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie



amish Chili Verde?

I have two favorite cookbooks, and both of them are Amish. Those Amish sure know how to cook, I guess!
One of my and my family's favorites, is from the cookbook Wholesome Sugarfree Cooking. The recipe is for Chili Verde (Green Chili Enchiladas). It is fairly easy to assemble and can be made ahead of time if you choose (actually, the flavors are better is you do so!)
So, here is the recipe.

Chili Verde

Sauce:
1/4 c. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper ( I don't add this)
3 cups chicken broth
2 (4oz) cans of green chilies, diced (now, you can buy them already diced- I buy mild ones)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt ( I leave out)
2-3 Tablespoons flour

10-12 flour tortillas
8 oz. Monterrey jack cheese

Heat oil in saucepan. Add onion and garlic; cover and cook on low for about 5 minutes. Raise heat to medium, stir in flour, cumin, and pepper. Stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually pour in broth, whisk to remove lumps. Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Cook on low and simmer for 30 minutes. The finished mixture should be fairly thick. Allow to cool slightly. Drench tortillas in this mixture (if you want, add refried beans, cooked chicken, etc. at this point!) and cheese. Roll and place in baking dish, side by side. Cover with remaining sauce and cheese. Cover ends to keep from drying ( I foil the entire dish, after 10 minutes remove the foil to brown slightly).
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

amish pumpkin bars...yummy!

When we lived in Ohio a few years back, we would frequent the local Amish community. We would enjoy going there as a family and just spend a lazy-day exploring.
One of our stops would be Yoder's Amish Home in Millersburg Ohio. They had THE BEST baked goods!! One of the last times we were there I bought a cookbook from them...Amish Home Cooking with Elsa. I can honestly say that I have tried many of the recipes inside and they have all been really good!
This time of year I go to one of my familys all-time favorites, the pumpkin bars. Now, they are not the healthiest! But, they are easy to make and they are THE best!

Amish Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups can pumpkin
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
dash of salt

Mix first four ingredients together. Add last four. Spread into greased baking sheet (jelly roll pan) with sides.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Let cool.

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese (fat-free or Neufchâtel can be used)
1 stick of shortening
vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar (more or less to taste) * original recipe calls for 1 pound...too much for me!

Mix together and spread on cooled bars. Enjoy!