Mama's Birthday

I know most people think of today as just St. Patrick's Day and wear their green. But, this day always has bittersweet memories for me. My mom would have been 81 today. She died at the early age of 48 (33 years ago) when I was 24. She never got to see me happy in my marriage to Randy or hold her grandson, Travis. I pray that she and Trav are watching over us now and have embraced each other in God's presence. My mom was a very generous Christian lady. She made a point of attending worship services with my brother and I even when my dad would not go with us. We changed churches several times when I was a child to encourage my dad to join us. He never quite found the place that he liked better than being on the lake on Sunday mornings. ( I know this is where Trav got his love for the outdoors.) She always put others first in her life. I guess that's what I remember most about her is that she always provided for my brother and I before she considered anything for herself. She made her own clothes and often sewed clothing for me. At the time, I was not very grateful, because I wanted store-bought clothes like everyone else. Pretty selfish, huh? Now I wish I'd appreciated her efforts more and learned from her a very useful skill which she often tried to pass on to me. I love you, mama, and miss you daily. Forgive me for often being ungrateful for all of the wonderful things that you did for me and love you gave. I wish we'd been able to communicate better while you were still here with me. That was my fault totally. Until I became a mom myself, I never realized the amount of love and compassion you had for Bill and I. I truly understand now the many times you suffered from our bad choices and painful experiences. I know you were always there for me. Take care of Trav until I get there, please.

Sincerely,

Suzie

Meditation

I've been meditating on these two verses today, so I wanted to share them with you:

Hebrews 10:36 "Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised."

Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen, it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."

Hopefully, you will be comforted by these words in your own lives.

Love you,

Karen

Busy Weekend

Saturday evening we attended the Team-Monavie monthly seminar. The speakers, Chuck and Nancy Cullen, were very engaging and informative. Every day I feel stronger that we will be able to make our business grow as others have done before us and build a legacy in Trav's name. We are determined to have our son's life remembered through preservation of our beautiful state and its natural resources that he loved so much!

On Sunday afternoon, Necon, Jeni and Tasha had planned a surprise get-together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their parents, Manuel and Beth. There were many of their extended family members and friends there to share their love and happiness. It was a special event for two very special people. The picture above is in Kansas City when we were there for a national baseball tournament. I also added a collage of some of the memories we've shared. The twenty years we've known the Warriors has gone by very quickly and has been an adventure filled with lots of love and fun. Travis loved the Warriors like family and enjoyed every moment he spent with them.

Hope all of you have a wonderful week.

All of my love,

Karen

EMERGE

EMERGE was the title of the Women's Conference at the New Life Church on Sunday, March 7th. I attended with Freddie Neal and Nancy Porter. The music and dance performances were outstanding, but I came away with several thought provoking scriptures that I wanted to share with all of you.

Isaiah 49:16 reminds us that God has a plan for each of us.

In Ephesians 6:13-18 God has given us the tools we can use in the midst of our battles: "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil......after the battle you will be standing firm....Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

Psalms 118: 17 "I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the Lord has done."

Romans 8:18 "Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later."

We were reminded that we are daughters of the King. We should become a force on the Earth.

"Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."

Love to you all,

Karen

Today

I have been really busy lately with work and haven't taken the time to write. Randy has gone to Hot Springs this evening to watch the Trojans play basketball. I've finished reading my second Karen Kingsbury book today. I'd never read any of her books before, but I really enjoy her writing. Even though it's fiction, she expresses her faith throughout the stories. Lloyd and Hazel gave me a Kindle for Christmas. I'd never heard of one, but looked it up on the web and got really excited about its arrival. It was back-ordered and finally arrived at the end of February. If you've never seen one, look on Amazon and see what it's all about. They let me order my first 10 books on their account and I've been reading at every opportunity.

I hope everyone is doing well. I've missed seeing you.. All of my love.

Karen

Everything is Gonna Be Alright

This precious video and song is filmed in Jamaica. Travis loved it there. He planned to return someday to visit. I know this is a sweet message from my baby. Enjoy Connie Talbot. She is darling!
Karen

TIME FLIES

The month of February is going by quickly. We had a fun group here for the Super Bowl. Freddie, Jerry, Neil, Caralee, Darin and Cindy came to visit and chow down together. Sadly, Jeremy, Meredith and Parker had to decline at the last minute because Parker didn't want to spend his birthday that way. Can you imagine? :)

Happy Birthday to Becky! She turned 57 on the 10th. She doesn't look that old does she? (GOTCHA, BECKY!!) I tried to call her at home and her cell, but she must have been partying somewhere. Either that, or she was avoiding the "birthday song". My cousin, Randy, will turn 57 on the 27th of this month. WOW!!

We got to see Laura and Jess at a Trojan game. It was wonderful to see the two of them together. It seemed like forever since we'd seen Laura. Randy also went to the Trojan game at Jonesboro with Laura last Thursday night! I'm jealous. Some of us can't get up for work without LOTS of sleep. However, I DID get to see Jess' wedding gown. She modeled it for me at Proposals. She looked GORGEOUS! I also love the dresses they chose for the bridal party. Jess has planned everything so perfectly.

Believe it or not I have made NO pictures for a month now. Sorry. We've really missed seeing the Warriors, the Singletons, the Jius, and the Porters. We haven't really heard from them much since Christmas. Josiah was dedicated at the Mosaic Church last Sunday. I wish we had been able to attend. Tasha invited us the night before, but we already had plans. I bet the kids are really getting BIG! They won't even know who POP and OG are if we don't see them soon. Maybe everyone's schedules will slow down a little. Becky and Steve have been assigned "baby" duties at his sister, Betsy's, house. They've welcomed triplets into their family. She and Vic now have four little ones! Sharon's busy making wedding plans with Abby. She'll be getting married in October. It's a destination wedding. Randy hasn't said we're going yet. GO FIGURE! (I think he needs to sell an extra house soon!!) I've been meaning to call Nancy, but I haven't yet. Randy did get to have lunch with Buddy not long ago. Buddy celebrated a birthday this month, also! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BUDDY!!

I'm giving Jess a bridal shower on May 3rd. Since I've never had any girls of my own, it's been a long time since I've planned a wedding shower. HELP!!! Meredith has agreed to give me some input, but I'll need all the help you can give me. Love you all!!
Karen