He Is So Good To Me

I came across this poem this morning and I wanted to share it with everyone.

He is so good to me, this Jesus of Galilee,

He is so merciful, compassionate, and true,

He is so loving, yes, He died for you too.

He is so good to me, He shed His blood on Calvary's tree,

He is so good to me, my Lord, the King of kings,

He is so good to me, laid down His life for all humanity.

He is so good to me, broke all the chains of misery,

He took my life, all the broken pieces, and mended it, miraculously,

Oh, if He can do all of this, and so much more, why would anyone,

Close Him off, from entering their heart's door? Yes, He's everything,

And so much more!

Author: Lisa Beth Jenkins

Something That's Been on My Heart

1 Corinthians 13:4-13: 'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. . .And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.'

Cousins. Cousins are special people. On my daddy's side of the family, there are 16 of us cousins. Most of us are about the same age so I have wonderful memories of us playing together, going to the lake, watching Bama ballgames, spending the night with each other, and crying together. I even went to school with my cousin Tammy on her last day of school just for the fun of it. We had some wonderful times together and I will always cherish those moments. As we grew up, we all had different lives and started going our separate ways. We still see each other on holidays, but sometimes it feels we don't really know each other. We talk and all of those wonderful childhood memories start coming back to me. Sometimes I cry because I wish things could be as good as they were back then. I guess that's what happens when we all grow up and some of us move away. I will still cherish every memory that we created together. I love my cousins, you will always have a special place in my heart!

On my mother's side, there was only me and Jeremy. We were only a few months apart, but unfortunately, he and his mother moved away when Jeremy was very young. We did not have a chance to get to know each other the way I knew my other cousins. I always knew about him and would see pictures of him from Uncle Kenny, but I still did not know him. I remember one day in the summer, I think I was 15 or so, my Mama told me that we were going to get to meet Jeremy for the very first time. I was so excited! I finally got to meet the guy that I have heard about all of my life, my only cousin on my mother's side. He came to my mother's house with his beautiful mom and sister. We visited a while and took lots and lots of pictures. It was so nice to finally get to meet him. Well, it came time for them to go back home, to Titusville, Florida so we had to say our goodbyes. I think he kept in touch with Mama and Kenny some, but he went into the Marines and we didn't really have a chance to talk to him much. It wasn't until Uncle Kenny passed away, 2007, that we really started getting to know Jeremy better. He came up for the funeral for a few days and stayed with Mama and Wesley. We of course, spent the night, too. At that time, that is when the bonding started. We got to know each other a lot more, it's like we had a lifetime of catching up to do and I think for the most part, we did it. We shared our life stories with each other and before he went back home, I felt like I really knew him. During Spring Break of 2008, Bill, Madilyn Grace, Nana, Papa, and I traveled to Titusville, Florida to visit with Jeremy and his family. We had a wonderful time visiting and making some of our very own memories that we can cherish for a lifetime. Since then, he's come to our house at Christmas time to visit, we met at Destin for a few days and visited, and he's coming to our house on Thanksgiving Day to visit. Even though we don't have childhood memories, what memories we do have are very special and I will never forget them. I am looking forward to making many more memories as we continue to make up for lost time.

I have a poem that I found that I wanted to share with all of my cousins:
We’re from the same shoot,
The same family tree,
Into this world we sprouted
Call it destiny!
It’s cousin to cousin
A special thing
A closeness to which we’re tied,
And you’ve always been there
To laugh with me
Or even when I’ve cried.
Anyway I think it’s fantastic
That you were meant to be
A part of my life, my cousin,
You’ll always be special to me!

You all have a special place in my heart. I will always love you!

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

Thank You Mama!

Today I had to be at Brookwood Hospital to re-take my blood sugar test at 8:00. I have always taken Madilyn Grace with me and she has always been a good girl, she just needed a little more attention than I felt like giving and we had to make several trips to the bathroom every time we went. Mama happened to be off of work so she came down to ride with us to the doctor's office. She had to leave a little before 5:00 to get here in time for me to beat the traffic on 65. I was able to sit and just relax while there, Mama (Nana) did just about everything else. I am so thankful that she was there. I was more relaxed than usual. I passed the tests, by the way. I guess I just needed my Mama with me, too. Now I know how Madilyn Grace feels when she "just needs her Mama."

After my appointment, we went to lunch with Bill, and then came home. I was very tired after spending a few hours at the hopital. I'm sitting here watching TV with Madilyn Grace and my Mama is downstairs cleaning up. I feel bad that she is doing what I should be doing, but she insisted. I had mentioned how much of a hastle it is to clean house now, and we have a bathroom downstairs that Bill had to do some work on, so it was very dusty and needed a BIG cleaning up. Again, I am very thankful that she is doing that for me. What a Mama!!

I would like to share a quote from Washington Irving: A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. Thanks Mama, not only for what you've done today, but what you've done all of my life. I love you with all of my heart!!

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

What a Wonderful Wednesday!

I got some much needed rest last night, which made for a wonderful Wednesday. I woke up this morning, fixed my daughter and myself some breakfast, and ate breakfast with her at her little wooden table that Santa brought her. The table is right in front of her window so I opened the blinds to let the sunshine in. Wow, what a beautiful day it was going to be! The sun was shining brightly and there was a black bird sitting on the top of our mailbox. Madilyn Grace pointed it out to me, I would have probably never noticed it sitting there. After we ate breakfast, we got a shower, she loves showers, and then we got ready to go to the babysitters house to swim. They haven't seen Madilyn Grace since May 22, so Mimi (that's what MG calls her) was badly wanting her some MG. We got over there and Madilyn Grace gave everyone a BIG hug. She missed them, too. We swam for a few hours, which by the way was relaxing to me, because MG played with the kids. They had a blast, and so did I. When we came back home I had to tutor for 2 hours and Madilyn Grace was just as good as she could be. She played by herself, until the kids had a break, and then she played with them. She loves it when we have company come over. It gives her someone new to play with besides mommy and daddy. Now, she is trying to nap, and hopefully mommy can get a quick one in, too. Tonight is church and Madilyn Grace loves going to church. Again, I hope she will always love it. I am thankful for this beautiful day and the wonderful time that I had with my daughter. Life is so good! Let's serve the Lord with gladness!!

Psalm 100:2 says to "Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs."

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

What Father's Day Means to Me

Psalm 103:13
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him

Father's Day, the third Sunday in June, is a special day for me. I'm lucky to have four men that I call fathers in my life (three of my very own) and I remind myself of this often, especially on Father's Day. I'll start with my own dad. He's a simple man, works hard for a living everyday. I do mean everyday, 7 days a week. He's a construction worker so there's not a day that goes by when he doesn't have something going on. My parents divorced when I was very young, so my mom raised me, until she remarried. Dad was around every other weekend when he could be. I remember playing with him on weekends, going to the lake to camp, or just lying around the entire weekend watching movies. He would have me rub his back and then he would fall asleep. I think that was in his plans all along. At night, I would get home sick and have to call my mom. She had to talk me into staying with him just about every time. Don't get me wrong, I loved (and still do) my dad, but when it was bedtime, I wanted my Mommy. She was all I really knew. As I got older I got closer to my dad. He started coming around more and wanting more to do with me. We've really gotten closer since I was pregnant with his first granddaughter. Deep down I think that he is making up for lost time, time that he couldn't spend with me because he stayed so busy. I'm okay with that. Better late than never. Thank you dad for loving me and blessing me with all of the fun memories!

About 20 years ago my mom remarried to a wonderful guy whom I admire now. At the beginning, I wasn't too easy to get along with. I didn't want my mom to be with anyone but me. I mean, at the time, it had just been her and me my whole life. I was NOT willing to share. So I made it my every intention to run this man off. He did not go anywhere, so I finally came to the conclusion that he loved my mom and was going to stay with her no matter what. My mom was happy and so was I. I don't know if he knows this or not, but he's the one who influenced me to go to college. He had his master's degree and I thought that was the coolest thing. Nobody in my family ever went to college. I was going to go so I could be smart like him. He taught me to drive and helped me to get a better understanding of why men like to hunt. He also introduced deer meat to me, which by the way, he can fix some awesome deer meat. Not to mention, deer jerky. Ummm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. He was also on one side of me, my dad on the other, the day I walked down the isle to marry my wonderful husband. Thank you Wesley for all of the things you've taught me and all of the love you have shown these last several years!

In 2002, I was given another father through marriage. The father to my husband, that is. This man is one of the most Godly men I know. I haven't experienced that much in my lifetime, so this is another man whom I admire. I've never heard anything negative come out of this mans mouth. He helped to raise a wonderful family who loves and cares for people the way everyone should. There's nothing that this man desires more than God and family. To me, that is amazing. I see the future of my husband through this man and that makes me so happy. Thank you Butch for being a Godly father-in-law and a wonderful role model for my husband.

Now, this leads me to the man that I call The Greatest Dad. This man has been wonderful since day one. He has never let me down. He enjoys being with his little "princess" and she enjoys being with him. He's there for her when she cries, and when she does something she should not do, well, he's there for that, too. He helps her to understand why she should not do that again. Reading to her is something he does a lot of and teaching her things with her cards like the alphabet, colors, and counting is something that goes on almost daily. I enjoy sitting back and watching them bond like they do. That is something that I don't know much about. I hope she has great memories of her daddy. Not only just memories, but I hope that she learns things about life, and that she sees how much her daddy loves the Lord and will hopefully apply those things to her life. What I found in three different men, Madilyn Grace and soon to be Natalee Brooke has in one. What a wonderful blessing that is. I am so proud of you Bill! I love you with all of my heart! You've come a long way!!

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

So Much to Do, So Little Time to Do It!

Since I am out of work for the summer, I have a lot of time to sit and ponder about things that need to be done. I'm not talking about house cleaning, I do that just about daily. I'm talking about preparing for our new arrival.

I know each pregnancy is different, but Madilyn Grace came at the end of my 36th week. If this one is anything like the first one, I only have about 10 weeks left, give or take a few days. We've only bought a crib set (bedding sheets) for Natalee Brooke and that's it. Her room is just as bare as the day we moved in. As each day passes I get more stressed out. I can't do anything without my husband because it's either big pieces of furniture that needs to be moved or something high that needs to be hung up and I am NOT supposed to be lifting heavy things or stretching too high above my head, according to doctors orders. Bill works everyday and when he comes in I don't want to ask him to do too much because I know he's had a long day. It seems like every weekend since the summer has started we've had somewhere to go or someone to see out of town. We don't have family here in Calera, so when there is a birthday, we have to travel at least an hour or more to see everyone. But, we make do. We love it here in Calera and wouldn't change it for the world.

I know if I just pray about it, things will come together in time. I have OCD and I have to have things done as soon as possible. But, when you can't do it on your own, there's really nothing else you can do about it but wait for help. So that's what I am doing, waiting. In the mean time,
instead of worrying and complaining, I will pray and read the Word of God. Romans 8:25 says, "But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently" and Romans 12:12 says, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Pray for me as I apply this scripture to my daily life. Thank you for joining me today.

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

Our Last Vacation With Just the Three of Us

On Sunday evening we were returning from a week long vacation from Destin, FL when I was thinking the whole way back home that the next time we did this we would have 2 kids to keep up with. One child nearly wore us out, what in the world would we do with 2? There again, I was thinking about people we know that have more children than we do. Why do I complain and worry about what I have or about what is coming? Some people would just be happy enough to get to go to the beach. I'm sure you don't hear them complaining.

Well, the whole time we were there we wanted the trip to be all about Madilyn Grace. So each day we did something fun for her like, go to the beach and play in the sand (3 times a day), play in the ocean as long as she wanted to (for hours), swim in the pool (as long as daddy played with her). One day we even took her to The Track to ride on the rides and play games for tickets (as long as she got a toy with her tickets). We also let her eat whatever she wanted instead of me saying, "No you don't need that." That's what vacation is all about right? But this time the focus was on her, not us. Well, for the most part.

Let me tell you, going to the beach at almost 7 months pregnant is NOT much fun. My husband had to carry just about everything down to the pool or the beach himself, along with helping me because I was waddling like a duck because my legs were rubbing together. Not to mention, when I sat down he would have to help me back up because I was unable to get up by myself. Towards the end of the week, he had to use both hands and all of his strength to get me up. The heat and the sun made me swell up like a hot air balloon. I felt so horrible!! Even through all of my griping and complaining, he told me that I looked beautiful to him. Sometimes we just need to hear those things.

Vacation was fun and it's always sad to leave, but once you walk through the doors of your own home it's nice to be home. There's no place like home!

In closing I would like to quote the Bible: Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever (Psalm 107:1) . I am truly thankful for the time that I had with my family. We made memories that will last a lifetime. I am looking forward to many more memories to be made with my happy little family. Thank you God for blessing me with my precious gifts!

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

Our Happy Little Family- A Little Personal

I hope you have read what I wrote yesterday first, because everything sort of fits together.

Well, after a hard 2 1/2 years of marriage, we decided that we wanted to start our own little family. In October of 2005, that decision was made and in December of 2005, we were pregnant. We were so excited! Trough all of the nausea that I was experiencing, I was still very excited to be starting my own family. We finally knew that this was God's plan and we were ready for whatever was ahead. We knew right away that we wanted our children to be raised up in a Christian home and we had already started on the right path by being active in a church that we called, and still call, home. I could not have asked for a better husband during that time of my life. Bill was awesome! He cooked for me, cleaned house, washed clothes, and even rubbed my back when I wasn't feeling well. I knew that this was going to be a wonderful experience that we were going through together and thanks to him, we made it. On August 19, my water broke, and since I was not hurting, I was able to get dressed up, yes make-up and all, to go to the hospital. I did not know what lied ahead, but I was sure going to look my best at whatever was going to happen. I got there, they checked me in, and nothing. No labor, nothing. So they had to enduce me, and then bam, right away I felt my first labor pain. Fortunately, I was able to get an epidural, so very shortly after, I wasn't feeling any pain. I pushed for 2 hours and my baby girl could not come out. She got stuck in my pelvic bone and no matter how hard I pushed, she was not coming out. So, I had to hear what every woman for the first time dreads hearing, "You have to have a C-Section." So they dressed me up and prepped me for surgery. I was ready to see my little girl so the tears only lasted for a few seconds. They were just tears of fear and excitement of knowing that when I left that room, I would be a mother for the first time. So I kissed my mother goodbye, who was with Bill and me the whole 2 hours of pushing. She could not be there to see her first grandchild being born. My family waited patiently for about 50 minutes to see our precious little Madilyn Grace. At 2:14 am on Sunday August 20, 2006, Madilyn Grace braced us with her presence. Since then she has been a joy to be around. She is now almost 3 years old, where does the time go? I love my little princess. I rush out the door of work everyday at 3:15 to go and pick her up. Even though she wears me out with all of her energy, at the end of the day I thank God for my little miracle. I pray that she will always be happy and make the right choices in life. She loves going to church and we as her parents hope this continues for a lifetime.

In May of 2008, we decided that we wanted another child, so we started trying. We wanted our kids to be about 2 to 3 years apart so it was time for another one. Eight months later, we found out that we were expecting again. What joy we felt! Madilyn Grace was going to be a Big Sister.

I've got to admit that during those 8 months I was starting to lose all hope. Looking back on it, I feel guilty now because we have so many friends who are trying and have been trying to conceive for years now, 8 months was nothing. I pray that when the time is right, everyone that is wanting to become parents will. It is such a blessing!

Well, the first 16 weeks were horrible for me. A lot worse this time than last. My doctor had to give me meds for nausea just so I could go to work. I was sick all day at work, all day at home, and all night in bed. This time I had to care for a 2 1/2 year old, so it was much harder for me. Again, I mention my wonderful husband. I just thought he was wonderful last time I as going through this, he has been phenomenal! Although the house didn't stay as spotless as I would have liked, he spent time with our little princess and that was something that I just could not do. They truly had a Father-Daughter bonding moment every day for at least 4 months. Although I was sick to move around, my heart was filled with joy to hear and see them bonding like they were. Thank you Bill for all you've done and are still doing. You are an amazing husband!

I am now almost 26 weeks pregnant and anticipating the moment for our second daughter, Natalee Brooke, to arrive. However, I am a little stressed because we don't have her room decorated yet. By this time when I was pregnant with Madilyn Grace we were ready, clothes were washed and hung up, but not this time. We are waiting on Madilyn Grace's new bed before we can pass down the baby bed to Natalee Brooke. Hopefully by the end of the summer, we will have everything ready to go. Just pray for my patience because I don't seem to have much right now.

I hope I haven't bored you with all of my personal notes, but I think I have just about caught everyone up. Do you feel like you know us a little better now? That is my plan, to share with you about "Our Lives," where we've been, where we are now, and where we are going. Please join us each day.

I would like to close with this:
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6 NIV)

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya

How Our Lives Together Began

This is something that I have wanted to do now for a long time. Now that I have the summer off, I am going to start our own family blog. Hopefully this will be something that people will want to follow. I know I have a lot of catching up to do as I have been keeping up with several of our church families blogs. It's only fair that I start from the beginning of "Our Lives" as the Wilson's.

Bill and I met at Central Alabama Community College in Alexander City, AL in February of 1997. We dated for five years. During those five years, Bill attended and graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He majored in Civil Engineering. I attended and graduated from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and majored in Elementary Education. We married on June 8, 2002 at Union Baptist Church in Rockford, AL. We were both very happy then, or so we thought. We were told by close family that marriage could be hard at times, but we just knew that we had it all figured out. Bill was raised by a happy Christian family. I was raised by my wonderful mom for about 10 years all by herself, until she remarried and she had help from my step-dad for 10 more years, then I moved out to go to college. I was determined to have a happy marriage; I was NOT going to have a broken home. Well, here is where the story of our lives really begins.

I'm going to make a long story short, but hopefully getting the main message out so that this will all make sense. Here it goes. In the summer of 2004, I ALMOST lost my husband to a divorce because of BAD choices that I had been making. Notice the "I's." It was all about me, and we were married. It should have been us, us, us. No, it was me, me, me. The bad choices lead me to 3 months of separation. I had to move out of our first home to an apartment because my husband could not stand the sight of me. During that time, I talked daily, almost hourly, to a dear friend that I had not spoken to in a long time. That friend was God. I found myself praying for His forgiveness and spent more time reading in the Word more than I ever have before. It's crazy how we tend to lean on God in times of need and sorrow. Well, at the same time, God was working in Bill's life, too. Bill was doing the same thing I was, reading and praying to God. We knew that we wanted to be with each other and we vowed through good times and bad. Well, these were surly the bad times and guess what? God was there. He helped us through our tough time. Not all at once, but he surely turned a light on and we followed where he led us. We decided as a couple to find a church family because we did not like the life we were living. We knew that God had better plans for us so we started talking about churches we could visit. The very first church we visited was Calera Baptist Church. The church really did make us feel like we were at home. We enjoyed Bro Hal and we said we wanted to give it another try. So we continued to go back to the same church for several Sunday's. One Sunday in February of 2005, we made the decision to join CBC. We are still waiting to renew our vows, but wow what a day that will be!

Since then, our faith has grown and our love for Christ is burning within us. We have overcome! It was in God's plan after all. Maybe not exactly what happened, but he knew that we would go through trials before we completely and fully trusted in Him. We know things happen for a reason and our reason was to get us back into the church where we belonged, to find Christian friends, and to have our own little Christian family. So far, we are on the right road.

I want to share with you something that I came across just recently:

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there... to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be but when you look eyes with them, you know that every moment that you are with them, they will affect your life in some profound way. And sometimes things happen to you at the time that may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, will power or heart.

Everything happens for a reason! Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, injury, love,lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere, safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet affect your life. The successes and downfalls that you experience can create who you are, and the bad experiences can be learned from.... In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them because they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally not only because they love you, but also because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to little things.

MAKE EVERYDAY COUNT! Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people who you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, even if it doesn't seem right because you are too young or too far, just follow your heart. Surround yourself with those who make you smile, laugh, and make you happy.

Break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life then LET GO and LIVE IT!

Author Unknown

In closing, I would like to share from Ecclesiastes 4:12, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Now apply that to the marriage relationship. Three cords – God, the husband, and the wife. Wow! Can you even imagine the power in that? It means that you are bound together in your marriage with the Creator of the Universe. There is enough power to overcome all obstacles, to love unconditionally, and to have a marriage that you cherish. That is where we stand right now. I hope you have enjoyed visiting with me. Please keep in touch!

Still Growing in Christ,
Tanya