Friday, May 17, 2013

Be a blessing

When Chad and I pray with our kids at night before bed, one of the things we usually always mention is that we want God to help guide us to be a blessing to others.  Whether that's to give a smile to an elderly person in the grocery store (I always hope people were kind to my grandparents when they saw them in public), to pack shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, send food for a new mother in our church, help our teachers with a task at school, or whatever we can think of to be kind and thoughtful to other people.  The Lord never ceases to amaze me when I am trying to be a blessing to someone, I turn out being blessed in return!  IT NEVER FAILS!!
 
 
In thinking of our prayer lists lately, I was inclined yesterday to be a blessing to someone whom I will probably never meet this side of Heaven.  We have had several hectic days with end of the school year events including field days, awards days, speech writing, etc but I have tried very hard to remember a few individuals in my prayers each day.  The first I posted about last week, little Diva Delilah!  She is so tiny and such a miracle and I am so excited to be making my very first preemie dress at the request of her mother and I cannot wait to send it to her in Nashville and see that little precious thing in it!  The second is my sister Tracey's friend Tori.  She was diagnosed two weeks ago with leukemia and is in the Mayo clinic in Florida, already undergoing chemo therapy and will soon have a bone marrow transplant.  And last, we have 4 precious students moving from our middle school to the high school next year.  These kiddos are part of our special needs class and are truly a delight to my day at West View.  At Honors Day on Tuesday our entire student body and staff gave each of these precious kids a standing ovation as they went to the front to receive their awards.  Our lives have been so blessed by knowing them and watching them grow.  These precious people have been so heavy on my heart lately and reminding me (via my sister sometimes to eat my $11.50 staff breakfast and smile about it) that life is so incredibly short, we have no guarantees, we need to serve the Lord and be a complete and total blessing to others and quit being upset over things we cannot control! 
 
 
All that being said, yesterday I needed to do something.  I wanted to be a blessing!  I wanted to give back and I decided to donate my hair to Locks of Love.  You know, donating hair is such a very teeny, tiny, minuscule thing that I can do to give to someone that I don't even know!!  I had 12 inches cut off my hair and I am not going to lie but today I keep pulling on my hair and wondering where it has all gone! 
 
 
 

 
My hair will be sent to Locks of Love, added to other donations and created into a wig for a young child in need for whatever reason.  I am so glad to have been a blessing and I know that I will be blessed greatly in return!
 
 
Please remember my prayer list when you are praying.  Especially lift up baby Delilah, that she will grow healthy and strong and for Tori, that a bone marrow match will be found and her treatments will work soundly on her body.  Also, remember to be a blessing.  Always. 

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Prayer Request

Dear Friends, I come to you today with a special prayer request.  A sweet friend of ours, Heather Watts (we went to CNC together and Chad taught with her at WVMS) has delivered a precious baby 3 months early and they are in need of your prayers!  Delilah Watts was born on April 25 weighing only 1 pound and 3 ounces and 11.5 inches long!  This new little family was sent to Vanderbilt where the doctors and nurses are taking good care of her and her parents have gotten into the Ronald McDonald house for the next month so they will not have to pay for hotel rooms - PRAISE GOD!


You can keep up with Diva Delilah on her Caring Bridge page.  Heather will post updates and hopefully pictures very soon of her sweet, miracle baby!  Please put Delilah and her family on your prayer list and let's lift them up to the Lord!

(Caring Bridge is totally run through donation only and you can make a donation on the site!  Please help this wonderful site stay open for families in need of contact with the outside world during their time of medical need. Also, please give to the Ronald McDonald house - we have seen several families have to use this wonderful program and we need to give back!)