Restoration
Recently my husband and I discussed what I believe is one of many promises in God’s word. I’m not a Bible scholar by any means, but I have read, memorized, and clung to bible verses through the years. The one verse in particular I’m referring to is:
Deuteronomy 30:3
“God, your God, will restore everything you lost; he’ll have compassion on you; he’ll come back and pick up the pieces from all the places where you were scattered.”
Another verse that comes to mind in Job 42:10 states:
“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.”
We are watching this unfold in our lives again. God fulfilled this promise for me years ago, and even today I see His hand at work in different areas of our lives.
It may seem like evil is winning and we have lost this or that. We are told in God’s word the devil came to steal, kill, and destroy. Here’s the thing. GOD will not allow the enemy to win. What the enemy tries to take from you, GOD will restore and give you back MORE! I am a living, breathing, walking, talking testament to this promise from God.
My whole purpose in coming here today was to write to encourage you. If you are feeling stuck in a situation, just know you are NOT alone. God is with you! Evil will NOT win. God will make sure of that!
Do NOT lose faith and don’t give up hope.
Oh, dear one, God will restore to you everything you lost, and it will be greater than you could ever imagine when it happens. And it will happen. Cling to that until you see it unfold in your own life! God’s restoration!
Graduation
My youngest daughter’s graduation is this Thursday. She is getting ready to step out into this cruel world, and she needs our prayers. All those graduating do …
They hear it from the older generation, “These are some of the best days of your life.” They nod and smile but have not grasped the truth of our words. In years to come, they will. Right now they are carefree for the most part. They don’t have responsibilities or the weight of the world like most adults.
Graduation day brings with it so many different emotions.
They did it!!
Moms, Dads, Grandparents, & Siblings – be proud!! Just as I know you are!
They studied hard, they made the grades, and now they are walking across the stage in their caps and gowns – high school graduates!
Little visions of them with their kindergarten caps and gowns fill our heads. We see them as such … not as the grown 18-year-olds they are now!
As they embark on their dreams, we pray for them and for their future. We pray for them with the heartache they will face as everyone does, as well as the great love and happiness they will have as they walk into adulthood and throughout the rest of their lives.
We ask for God’s hand of protection over them now and in the days to come. Father, bless them in ALL that they do! Shelter them and go alongside them. Comfort them in times of trouble, and wrap Your loving arms around them when they need it the most.
When they are unsure of themselves and what the future holds, remind them of Jeremiah 29:11. You have great plans for their lives, and we trust in YOU, Lord, to show them the way.
We pray they will always seek to honor and bring glory to YOUR name.
Be with them now and always, Lord. May they be filled with love from You and know their families love them very much.
Remind them that no matter what happens, they can always count on their families and no matter what, they will have our love …
Always & Forever!
Prom 2023
With this being my youngest daughter’s Senior year, I could not let her high school days end without her attending Prom. Her private Christian school did not have a Junior Prom last year for her class, although there was a discussion with her teacher about prom. The staff had ample time to plan such an event for the students; however, they did not. Not wishing for my daughter and her friends to miss out, my family and I sprung into action planning Prom 2023!
Four years ago, my husband and I purchased a home on approximately 33 acres. It was our desire to share it with others, and this was such an occasion to do just that. After planning and hosting my oldest daughter’s wedding in 2021, we certainly knew what it would take to provide a prom for my daughter and her Senior class. Once she was on board with the idea, I purchased items for the decor and backdrop.
Canva has a free section on its website of invitations. After searching, I found an elegant invitation in black and gold. It was fancy, which set the tone of the evening for it would be a formal event!
While there are an array of picturesque spots in our yard near the pond or flower gardens, we chose three locations for natural light pictures. Our oldest daughter has launched her photography business and graciously agreed to be the prom photographer!
It was all coming together nicely!
Everyone knows there is a “traditional” backdrop at prom for pictures. It wouldn’t be prom without it! I searched Pinterest for ideas before trying my hand at designing the backdrop. Let’s just say, I don’t think there were any in all the internet pictures I scanned quite like this one!
~smile~
I was proud of my design!
Why? Because my DAUGHTER seemed to appreciate it also!
The day of the Prom was approaching when, much to my surprise, she asked if her father and I would accompany them to dinner on the night of their prom. While the prom started out originally for her Senior Class, we opened it to the Junior class since there were only three in that class! One of the Junior’s was dating a Sophmore, and his parents would not allow him to attend the prom without chaperones for the entire evening. Since my husband never had the opportunity to attend his Junior/Senior Prom, we were excited to share in this moment with them in dressing for the occasion!
When the day arrived, we had as much decorated and displayed as possible before we dressed and then set out for dinner with the excited group of teenagers. Dinner out at a local Japanese restaurant was my daughter’s idea, followed by desserts, pictures, and dancing at our house! It worked perfectly so we didn’t feel a tremendous amount of stress with providing a meal for everyone.
The evening could not have been more perfect – except for if the wind wouldn’t have been ripping, threatening to toss all of our outdoor decorations into the nearby shrubbery and pond! Aside from that and moving some of the decorations indoors, everything was divine!
My daughter was dressed in an elegant floor-length emerald green gown! She was the prettiest one there, in my humble and unbiased opinion! We knew the dress was “the one” the moment she tried it on. Her eyes lit up, and a sweet smile formed on the corners of her lips, unlike with the other dresses she tried on. We must have tried on every style and every color in the store when I took her shopping. Her sister took her on another day, and she probably tried on just as many that day with her, too. Ah, but it all came back to that emerald green dress that made her eyes pop, sparkle, and shine!
Her friends all abided by the dress code, which thrilled our hearts! While they didn’t have to go “all out” with purchasing tuxedos, some did! Others rented tuxedos. Meanwhile, a few made do with some dress pants, a borrowed jacket, and a bow tie. Whatever works, right?! The men were quite snazzy, as well as they should have been with the ladies purchasing their ballgowns! In the end, they ALL looked so nice that evening!
Pictures were taken, desserts were brought by some of the students and sampled by all, and a few even danced as the day turned into night. Our yard is surrounded by solar lights, and it becomes a magical place when all of the lights along the pond start to come on at dusk. It was the perfect setting if I do say so myself!
Here’s to Prom 2023 and to making memories to reflect on in years to come!
