Here we are....gathered together....

as a family and as friends bound as one.

Together we lifted our best wishes
and prayers for God's highest good for 

Kyle and Nastia.

                                                                         
Scott and Judy have continued on the tradition of always having a place where the family could
come together as one....finding a sense of belonging.

One generation back...the gathering spot was the house in the orchard.  If you "listen" carefully you can still experience the sights and sounds!


Two generations back...the gathering spot was
the ranch in Montana.

Family is a precious gift.

Nothing is more uplifting to the human soul than experiencing the love of God and His amazing family.

It is coming!..... a brand new year!....a "start over"!

The WORDS we SPEAK are as important as the WORDS WE LIVE....

so....each year I choose my "WORD" for the year with care...to be my guiding light, my mantra...a benchmark.

For 2015 it is.....JESUS

ANN VOSKAMP said it so well....

 Hey Soul? I know -- right on the cusp of a brand new year. Can be...intimidating. There will be resolutions & plans & words for the year. Needed ones, good ones, life-changing ones. And just maybe... the Cliff Notes version of everything boils down to one plan, one word, one commitment, just to keep whispering this over & over again: 

Jesus.

"He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." Colossians1:17

‪#‎NoFearNewYear‬, New Year, New You: Just Jesus....

Time with Him, keeping company with Him, walking with Him,

 resting in Him, living in Him, growing in Him, changing in Him, becoming like Him.

It's okay... deep breath. We're not going to get overwhelmed here:

 you only have to hold on to one thing :

 JESUS. 

And the grace of it is? *He's already holding on to you.*

Anticipation!

We have turned the calendar to January....2013....a brand new year.  As we do this we are full of anticipation...wondering what the New Year will bring.  It is exciting! 

How have I spent this past year? 

 Have I made the most of each new day I've been blessed with?

There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day.

Good stuff happens!.....BLESSINGS

Good stuff happens!  

Throughout this

NEW YEAR 

when something good happens, write it down on a piece of paper and place it in a jar

...a BLESSINGS jar.  

This time next year your jar will be filled and you will be amazed at all the 

good stuff 

that has happened throughout 

2013.

Good stuff happens!

BLESSINGS!

ONE little word...

Those of you who know me, know that each year I choose a WORD...just one..to be my guiding light, my mantra...a benchmark. 

I have it!...my word for 2013 is

BLESSINGS!  

Sometimes we get so caught up in chasing the "charmed life" that we forget to notice the degree to which we are already living it. 

Try this...write down one BLESSING you can see in each of the various areas of your life that is wonderful, just okay, or even not as bad as it used to be....your HOME, your WORK, your HEALTH, your FAMILY, your CAR, your FRIENDS...your DAY. You can go on and on!
In an instant, you will realize you are just tripping over BLESSINGS.....that is a charmed life.

2011...we chose JOY

We chose JOY.

In 2011, we walked a path that was new to us but God, our family and friends walked along side us with comfort and love.
These difficult times have helped us to realize and
remember how infinitely rich and beautiful life is.
Our son, Eric, passed away on May 4th from complications of his
bone marrow transplant.  He left us with a lifetime of happy
memories. Although it is tremendously hard to be without him,
 we take JOY in knowing he is enjoying the presence of Jesus.

We have found JOY...in our family….and have drawn even closer.
We have found JOY...in our friends who have surrounded us.
We have found JOY…in our church family...such support.
We have found JOY in Sam...insert smile.
We have found JOY in  each ordinary day.

“Dear God, thanks for this beautiful life.  

Forgive us if we haven’t loved it enough.”

On those ordinary days...Ben can be found in his shop building houses for the American Kestrel Falcon.  Or he can be found at  agriculture meetings  promoting his latest business, Orchard Guard....showing orchardists how to protect their crops from bird damage.

On those ordinary days, Shari can be found in her craft room
creating greeting cards that will touch people’s hearts or maybe even make them laugh. Or, she can be found along with her business partner, Nadine, promoting their business, Paper Blessings, selling their greeting cards and other paper “blessings”.

On those ordinary days, Sam can be found  at the foot of anyone  willing to give him a bit of love.

As we  welcome this  wonderful time of year, 

may our hearts celebrate 

the true reason for the season 

and may our homes be warmed by 

His JOY, peace and love.

Merry Christmas,

Ben and Shari….Sam too

I've got it!...I'm jumpin' up and down excited!

Those of you who know me, know that each year I choose a WORD...just one..to be my guiding light, my mantra...a benchmark.

For 2010, my word was PEACE.  Eric had just been diagnosed with Cancer.  I needed PEACE.  God gave me  that when I needed it most.  For 2011, my word was JOY.  God provided JOY even in the midst of our grief at losing Eric.

Now for 2012...I choose GIVE. I believe God will use this to continue to heal the pain that is ever present.

365 days of PURPOSEFUL gift-giving.  

Here's the deal...every day I will purposefully look for a way to gift someone. 

(stuff I do anyway won't count)  It has to be purposefully.  

The gift can be my time, something tangible, money...maybe even something hard to give.  

Get this picture?  Want to join me in the fun journey? 

 I am "jumpin' up and down" excited about this.  Something special is going to happen, I just know it!

'The Lord has abundantly blessed me all of my life.  I am not trying to pay him back for all His wonderful gifts.  I just realize He gave them to me to give away.'

My GIFT to YOU today is a REMINDER

We all have gifts to share 

with

someone

someplace