lots of treats...

on saturday afternoon our church had a harvest festival with games, food and hayrides. the weather, which had been perfect all day, started to change as the event began... but not enough to keep the crowds away. i didn't get a picture but the best costume was a dad as the man with the yellow hat and his son dressed as george.

afterwards we headed home to trick-or-treat our neighborhood. i will be the first to tell you that this is NOT my favorite day because of what it can stand for. (and not because i could never have a birthday party on my actual birthday). but our neighborhood has gone to great lengths to ensure a safe place for children to have fun, so we participate along with everyone else. most of the neighbors sit at the end of their driveways and hand out candy... some have crock pots (with extension cords) filled with hot chocolate for adults... some turn their garages into haunted mazes... we also have off-duty police officers close off roads to cars and assist with security; others ride on bikes around the neighborhood. we handed out over 600 pieces of candy... one piece of candy per child; of course i did eat a few pieces along the way and apologize to the last few children that we had to turn away. i just could not resist!

happy birthday me

these pictures have nothing to do with this post (they are actually from a family reunion that i have yet to blog about) but they show me NOT acting forty-two.

how much is silence worth to you?

little man: "will you please be quiet?"
m1: "no"
little man: "I will give you a quarter from my piggy bank if you will just stop talking"
m1: "no i have lots to say"

death and new life

my mom called as we were walking in from church this morning. my uncle joe (her brother) had suffered a heart attack while at church; they were taking him to the hospital but she feared he was already gone. a while later she called back to confirm his death. in one instant our world was changed. numbly i continued fixing lunches while talking with my sister. her family was just getting ready to walk into church when mom reached them. they were turning around and heading to the lake. we decided to do the same and quickly got everyone back into the car. we drove for two hours and arrived at the hospital soon after my sister and her family. we spent about 30 minutes at the hospital with my aunt and cousins. and then it was time to go home.

uncle joe was a changed man from his youthful days. he grew up in church but God did not really take hold of his heart until much later. the past ten years he and my aunt were very involved in church. he was a softened man, tough with a tender heart. he loved me and showed it by teaching me to ski, bait a hook and fish, how to drive a boat. he loved my children and showed it by hugging them, and asking them questions. he loved my husband and showed it by playing cards with him and talking carolina basketball.

he is in a better place now. i just liked the place where he was... he lived at the lake. it will never be the same.

in the midst of all the driving and conversations with the children, the subject of heaven was freely discussed. questions were asked and answered. later in the evening as jd was praying with m1 she expressed a desire to ask jesus into her tender heart. this was not a new thing with her, she had asked before but when questions were asked of her, all of the concepts were just not there. this time they were. john david, m1 and myself held hands as she prayed and asked jesus to come into her life and clean her of her sins. fresh tears were flowing down my cheeks. this day will never be forgotten.