The Circle of Life

The circle of life..,

I'm unable to comprehend it.

It was just yesterday, wasn't it?

And now she's 6 months old!

It was just yesterday, wasn't it?

And he'll be 3 this month.

And very soon, our newest baby girl, Harper 

will be here, a dream come true.

The circle of life.

It's sobering.

It's mind-boggling.

It's down right scary sometimes.

This little angel

is now this angel.

This little monkey

now has a monkey of his own.

I am now the age that my mama was when my baby girl was born.

I look at myself and I see wrinkles.

I told Mr. H this weekend,

"I don't like my body and the extra weight, 

but I don't hate myself for it.

I don't think I'm beautiful but I don't cry or feel ugly either.

But I don't like these wrinkles!

Because, I feel no more than 35 really, 

in my head, that is.
My face tells a different story. 

This is probably the last picture made of my son with his granddaddy.

When did my son grow up and when did my daddy get old?

This is my son with his grandma, 

my husband's mom.

She's always been a spunky thing!

This was taken 4 years ago

and her steps are now slower and she isn't able
to make the trek to Nashville to see the little ones.

This is the last photo I have of Daddy fishing.

This is his great grandson, Parker,
my brother's first grandchild.

Makes me sad to think that my parents
will never know my grandchildren.

I'm so melancholy tonight.

This was 10 years ago.
It seems like yesterday.

The two little ones above?

This is the baby girl now, my niece.

This is the ring bearer now, my nephew!

Can you believe?
Thus goes the circle of life.

Please forgive my moodiness.

Just one of those days,

Bonnie:)

I'm linking to Ivy and Elephants: What's It Wednesdays

Waiting...

Probably won't be checking in for a few days. 

Sitting on ready for a baby 

and waiting...

for the call.

Probably won't get there before the baby 

is born, our son says WAIT.

(Sighhhhh!)

I'm sitting on pins and needles.

May leave tomorrow without the hubby!

My daughter says I can come;)

It's strange how roles change 

when they are grown 

and who tells who what to do.

Kinda melancholy today.

Thinking of the home place.

Thinking that probably mama's amaryllises 

and azaleas are blooming.

Thinking that soon the grass will be green

around the pond. 

Sweet memories of Daddy fishing 

with the grand kids 

and Mama in the kitchen making 

hushpuppies, slaw and french fries to go with the catch

while she waits.

Knowing that  gloom will turn to joy at the sight of new life!

Waiting, 

Bonnie:)

.

A Friend of Youth

It seems like yesterday,

almost 36 years ago, 

I started life with this crazy man.

Yes, he's a goof ball.
He still makes me laugh.

Thirty-five years of loving me,

loving youth, 

loving the church,

and 32 years of loving our children
and he's still funny.

From the first moment David laid eyes

on this little girl, he was "Daddy."

Christy enjoyed special time with her daddy on youth trips.

Whatever the role, 

A husband, a daddy...

(ooo.  He looked so young!)

A friend...

 a Grandy...

He is the best!

On his 50th birthday,
we surprised him with a reunion
with all the youth he had taught.

There was a full house.

Some of our former youth now have children of their own,
  second-generation youth.

Some of these guys stayed with us
more than they did at home.

We laughed.

And we cried.

It was this man's dream, my daddy's,
to have a building of outreach for the youth of our community
a place to belong, a safe place to have fun.

For a few years, we had a house, The Naz Shack.

This came after our children were grown.

The wall in the game room was the youth Wall of Fame.

And not one youth came through the doors
without leaving their mark-
on the wall,

and on his life.

Then it was time to tear it all down.

From the top to the bottom.

And raise a new building,
The J. Emory Lindsey Outreach Building,
in memory of my parents who started the
church 60 years earlier.

The ground-breaking was an emotional time.

It all began because one man
made an impact on another man.

(David on the left and my daddy on the right)

The building is now completed.
Daddy is gone and David is taking a lesser role.
However, the legacy continues.

(New Building and Photos to follow.)

Both men,
A Friend of Youth,

Bonnie:)

Daddy's Legacy

The project in this post is not new.

Since I have made new followers and friends, 

I thought I'd share one that I treasure. 

I call it, "Daddy's Legacy."

Daddy kept many of his sermons in hopes

that one of his grandchildren would be 

a preacher-boy.

(Didn't happen!)

Although, he may have a great-grand who will!

There were notebooks and notebooks

and pages after pages of 

sermons that absolutely no one 

who decipher.  

So the idea came to me to find a way to preserve them.

I took a canvas and brushed on mod podge

and sermon notes.

I chose sermons from each decade of his service,

from 1950-1997.

I found the cross on clearance at Hobby Lobby.

I chose this one because it was broken.

It represents what the cross symbolizes, 

the broken body of Jesus.

As Jesus was broken and spilled out, 

so was my daddy's life.

He lived and loved and exemplified a life of service. 

That is truly a legacy.

Thank you Daddy for Leaving a Legacy, 

An Inheritance More than Money

Bonnie:)

Lessons from an Old Church Pew

I love an old pew.

There are stories
hidden within the wood
of an old pew.

One story goes like this...

Daddy was the preacher man and
Mama played the piano.

Mark Lowry said,
"Mama would be playing and singing,
' Oh, victory in Jesus,
my Savior forever,
then she'd spot me in the balcony'."

Like his mama,
Mama would clear her throat
and you could hear it above the singing.

One particular Sunday, Mama's
watchful eye caught me undressing.

Yes, right there on the
second row, piano side pew.

What can you expect
from a three-year old dressed
 in lace from head to toe?

First, the hat came off,
then the white gloves,
then the socks,
then the shoes.

Before I could finish,
she had snatched me up
and taken me to the dreaded
"back Sunday School room,"
and commenced to "wear me out."

I learned to be quiet in church...

OR

be pinched.

Whew!  Mama didn't just pinch;
she dug her nails in, twisted and pulled.

Can I get a witness???

I guess that was better than
the thump on the back of the head
that my brother got for going
to sleep on the front row pew.


It was under the church pew
that I "spit that gum out."

It was on a church pew that
I learned to talk without being heard,
The pre-cell phone, note-passing trick.

We only got caught once.

In his pulpit voice Daddy said,
"I know two teenagers who
are gonna get it when they get home."

We knew who "they" was
and "get it" we did!

But most importantly,
it was while sitting on a church pew
that I first felt the call of God.

It was from a pew like this that
I walked forward and gave my heart to Jesus.

This pew has eternal significance.

It was from a church pew and a preacher-man daddy

and a piano-playing mama

that I learned to be quiet, not chew gum or

pass notes in church.

More importantly, it was here that 

I accepted and learned to love Jesus.

Blessings in Abundance, 

Bonnie:)

Rebecca at A Gathering Place: A Tribute to Her Father and My Tribute to Mine

My heart is so full tonight.

I've been viewing 

Rebecca Nelson's Tribute to her father 

http://rebecca-gatheryeroses.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-note-of-thankstribute-video.html 

at A Gathering Place.

It is a heart-wrenching video

of the life of man who loved

His Father, His Faith and His Family.  

Reminded me so much of my dad.

A Fisherman

A Fisher of Men

He loved his family.

(Like Rebecca I have my hand on his shoulder)

His sweetheart for 59 years.

They lacked one month making 60.

Mama went first 

and Daddy was gone six months later.  

I can already see that far away look in his eyes. 

He loved his God.

He loved people.

He loved their babies.

He started out as just a young preacher boy of 17, 

and 60+ years later his legacy continues.

In the video Stronger, 

Angela Thomas tells a story of Charles Spurgeon 

and his preacher grandfather.

Charles who is to speak was a little late for the service

and his grandfather starts preaching.

Charles comes in and his grandfather insists that he preach.

As Charles is preaching his grandfather,

prods him on saying, 

"Tell 'em again, Charles, 

Tell 'em again, Charles, 

Tell 'em about God' grace."

With tears streaming down my face, 

I could hear my daddy saying, 

"Tell 'em again, Bonnie,

Tell 'em again, Bonnie, 

Tell 'em about God's grace.

Rebecca was a Nazarene PK.

There were four children

and she was the second girl.

We've shared our stories of growing up 

in a strict evangelical home,

but we also share the love of our father.

The anniversary of Daddy's death is this month

March 12, 2011

and my brother Brian

March 23, 1975.

Rebecca, my prayers are with you, my sweet friend.

Bonnie

Be good to yourself.

Allow yourself time to grieve.

Grief is different for us all.

God is faithful.