Amazed and So Grateful...

 Not often am I left speechless...

                    

However, this morning I am. I got up early as always, went to get my coffee and said my morning prayer from my beloved Pastor Rev. Himes, "Let Jesus be my first cup of coffee." Then I

went through my prayer list and thanked God for so many blessings, even if the "now" has some hard spots to it. 

Then, I went to my blog as I  intended to do a post. I saw that there was a "draft" there. Immediately I laughed thinking, "Oh my goodness, I must be slipping. I don't remember doing that."

I opened it up.

There were the amazing pictures of my loved ones, the ones recently taken by a photographer. The ones we have waited for in anticipation. My daughter, Amy, put them on my blog, knowing these photographs would make my day...even my week or my month.

These photos are of my precious family!

There was my daughter Amy, who is not only my daughter, but my precious friend.

Amy is the most giving, loving and courageous person I know. Amy is my role model for saying "Yes!" when God calls. She reminds me daily

of God's love and promise and to repeat, even in hard times, "Thy will be done."

There was Glory Sihin, my precious granddaughter adopted 51/2 years ago from Ethiopia.

 We recently took her to Whitworth and helped her set her dorm room up. There are no words to express how much we love her. Her "off to college time"...well, that's for another post.

There was Jacob, oh Jacob, who just started high school. He holds our hearts,

Bert's and mine. We were there when he was born and have loved him

with our whole hearts all of these almost 15 years.

There was amazing, love-filled Jenna, a new 4th grader. How life-giving, truth-telling, and love- giving she is. She is the best, best, best big sissie to Annora Grace. 

There was our newest miracle, Annora Grace, God's answer to so many prayers,

This sweet baby whose smile lights up all of our lives.

There is so much love in this family who has also suffered such loss, but that is my daughter's story to tell some day. As she says, "We are like a puzzle, each of us with our own story, each of us blessed by God, a reminder of God's love and promise, and because of God's grace...we fit together perfectly."

I am so amazed and grateful for my family! They fill my heart with such joy and love!!!

Bert and I love them all to the moon and back!

God Bless!

Love, Linda