Two Beautiful Daughters

Can the blessings of being the mother of two beautiful daughters be expressed in words?  Such intimate thoughts and feelings of motherhood, my motherhood. A story of Snow White & Rose Red. Our Sarah, our Rachel.  Sarah, first born, dark hair and eyes, beautiful bronze skin.  Rachel, her baby sister, blond and blue eyed.  In the very beginning, before your births, we were connected.  You to me, me to you in body and spirit.   The gifts of God to your dad and me. And in those joyous moments, a new reality of the call of God to love, cherish and parent our precious  daughters is ever-present, an almost overwhelming mission.   Oh, God, it will be a daily walk and calling upon you for your help to guide us and keep us as we pursue you in raising these beautiful girls of ours in the way you would have them to go.  And so, our parenting journey began with your dad and I, two flawed people, who loved you both more than life itself,  only desiring to lead you to life in Christ Jesus.  We laughed and cried.  We knew deep joy and depth of sorrow.  The mountains tops and valleys. We've had regrets and needed forgiveness. But through it all, through it all, we've learned to trust in Jesus, learned to trust in God. We've learned to depend upon His word.

An imperfect mother and dad, two beautiful daughters.  Not a work of ourselves but the beautiful  grace and faithfulness of God.

 "No greater joy has any man than to know his children are walking in the truth." lll John 1:4.

My darlings, my loves, my beautiful daughters, more than I could have ever longed for or dreamed of.

Remembering Clarence

My thoughts return to years gone by as I've connected with so many lovely pieces of my family history.
The beautiful little leather Birthday Book more than 100 years old with all the special events of my family recorded in the handwriting of my Great-Aunt Mary.  Black & white photos of my ever so young looking mom & dad,  dad often in his Air Force uniform.  A celery green cut-glass herring boat we used at Christmas, the Bible my Grandma & Grandpa Gerry received from friends at the Cashmere Baptist Church when they left Cashmere after their apple orchard burned. Photos of my beautiful Grandma Ruth.  And so much more.  Such Vintage Jewels that took me to an unexpected place as I began to re-discover, memories, vintage memories of family and friends so much a precious part of my life and history.  Laura and her family have been in my life for 55 years.  We lived in Poulsbo and our time together is a journey from childhood to present.    Times of sharing joy and sorrow, the best times and the most difficult of times.  Clarence was Laura's father.  It was always June & Clarence.  June, with her big smile and huge laugh, Clarence, a handsome Norwegian/Fin fisherman in Alaska.    I remember the day the call came  from Laura like it was yesterday.  June was gone in a twinkling of an eye.  "Absent in the body, present with the Lord."  That same day Clarence began his lonely journey without his June who he had walked with for almost 63 years.  But God's plan was already in place for Clarence as he peacefully passed from life unto death on that Sunday evening in March.  "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."   Celebrating the life of the father of my forever friend, Laura.  Amen---

Joy & Sorrow

 And so March 27 has come again this year with the familiar tug at my heart strings.   I find myself  days later deep in thought about living in the present with joy and sorrow, such extreme emotions.  Happy-sad day, has captured me once again.  It was joy that arrived in our home on March 27, 1952 with the birth of my brother John Robert Gerry Jr.  He had beautiful blue eyes and a cubby round little face that no one could resist. We called him Bobby.  Bobby and I, with our white blond hair and big blue eyes,  dressed in matching outfits, big sister and little brother.  And so for 25 years our family celebrated the birth of our Bobby on March 27th.  That date--joy, love, celebration.  So how could it be that our day of celebration, the date of my brother's birth, became a day of sorrow--the very day our beloved father died.  It was all so unexpected.  Dad---a heart attack?  Death had arrived before we did---- our father was gone.  "Absent in the body, present with the Lord," John Robert Gerry Sr.  Sorrow, pain, depth of grief.  It wasn't meant to be this way.  I adored my father.  I needed him.   We all needed him. He was the grandfather to my baby daughter Sarah. Depth of loss not to be expressed in words.   I miss my father everyday.  But then the Joy. My brother Bobby for 61 years. Joy & Sorrow, Sorrow & Joy, we will forever live together with the ever-present knowledge that all things past, present and yet to come are working together for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.  May it be so----