Praise Him!!

I have been so blessed lately even more than usual because the Lord is ALWAYS blessing me. Each day I live is a blessing. :o)
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My new van has been a HUGE blessing!! I can't believe I've put 3,000 miles on it already and haven't even had it 2 months!! YIKES! lol But as my brother says, At least we don't have to worry about me breaking down anywhere especially on trips. Thank you Jesus!! I even got my oil changed already.
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Then in April I was elected to be Chairperson for our CAC thru our county SELPA. Its thru our County Special Ed dept. I knew with my disability's and also disorganization I had to fix somethings and I NEEDED a desk to help get some things in order and keep track of stuff. But knew I didn't have it in my budget. BUT I prayed!! God hears our prayers. Saturday I was in the office here at the club and was just looking at their computer desks and there was two and they were slightly different. I was comparing the two. I figured one of them was like the one I would need or would work. Then Saturday night I was driving home with Adam and Noah and there on the side of the road was a computer desk and two bikes that said FREE!!! We got out and checked it out and the desk was in pretty good shape. The keyboard shelf would fall when pulled out but the cabinet doors shut great and it wasn't to scratched up. It was also still sturdy and not falling apart. BUT I didn't think I could get it in my minivan ESPECIALLY having two boys in there already and my walker.. I tried calling a few people but no one was up. I had to go home and prayed I could get that desk..
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My brother came over the next morning to fix our swamp cooler (THANK YOU JESUS)! It was suppose to be 106 on Sunday. He has a Toyota so I knew it wouldn't fit in his car. He was going to do my weed eating also but he ran out of string right after he started.. :o( By the time he left, I had enough time to get showered and get ready for church.
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Sunday night after my older boys were home, I went to go check out and see if the desk happen to still be there.. I kinda doubted it but prayed.. I drove by and THOUGHT I saw it so I did a u-turn.. I then didn't see it.. I decided to go into town even tho it was 11 pm and get me something to eat and drink. I kept telling the Lord how I NEEDED that desk or A DESK. All the way into town I kept looking for another desk.
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I stopped at 7-11 and got me a tea and donuts and headed back home since I had only had 3 hrs sleep... I kept checking the road and when I got near where the desk HAD been I drove slow again... IT WAS THERE!!!!!!!!!! I pulled right over!!! With killing my back I got it in my van by laying the seats down. I brought it home and Nathan helped get it in the house! Last night I got it all set up and my computer and my back/leg are happier to not have to sit sideways on recliner to use computer. :o) Thank you Jesus!!
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God also provided an extra financial blessing to help hold me this month. :o) He knows our needs and supplies our needs. Not always our WANTS but DOES supply our NEEDS.. It's just in HIS timing and not always OUR timing!! lol
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God is always working in our lives even when we don't know it. We don't know how many times he may have saved our lives and we didn't even know it. Maybe he had stopped a car from hitting us or someone from attacking us and we didn't even know because Him and his angels are always watching over us.
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God says if we don't praise him the rocks will cry out. I love to praise him!! He gives me breath and life and JOY!!
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Psalm 150:6 Let everything that hath breath, Praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord!!

What are you Thankful for?

This being the week of Thanksgiving, I just thought I would talk about being Thankful. I have SOO MUCH to be thankful for. I have a house over my head (needs so much repair but its standing) :o). I have food to eat.


Thankful for my four miracle sons (even tho right now I'm gaining gray hair daily from them) HEY doesnt the bible say you get more and more PATIENCE thru TRIALS?... NO WONDER I have so much PATIENCE!!! All the TRIALS they put me thru. lol Thank you Lord for the Patience but... NO MORE PLEASE!!! lol



Thankful for my pets.. THO sadly I have lost TWO of them this past three weeks. One, Ashley, my pet cockatiel of 21 YEARS passed away. I had him longer than my kids, my house, EVEN my marriage!! He has been thru EVERYTHING with me. He was my buddy! Here is a picture of Ashley and my big male cat "Baby". It looks like they are talking about something... lol Also a picture of Adam and Ashley together.

The other pet I lost was my precious German Shepard Pup "Grace". She didn't die tho. We gave her away. She just got so strong and big for me. She was VERY smart and needed more training than I could give her. We rescued her and helped bring her thru Parvo and parasites and worked with her for 10 months. Now was time to find her a better home where she could play outside and get a lot more exercise. I miss her and Ashley so much. I still when I get up to go to another room or the bathroom still think Grace is going to get up to follow me but she doesn't because she isnt here. She is living with Nathans (my oldest) girlfriends family. They have a chihuaha and a dog park right up the street.
Here are some pics of Grace first when we got her all sick and skinny and then on her birthday 8 months later..

And here is Grace on the last day here laying by me while I sorted books. Looks like she was picking out a book and then I put a picture of her and Nathan on his bed.

Now we are down to 2 cats and a kitten that a youth that stayed with us left here when he left and Nathan's pet mouse. I had thought of getting another bird but cockatiels can live up to 25+ yrs.. that would put me at about or almost 70 YEARS old when the bird could pass on and I dont know if I will live that long!! lol I think I will stick with my cats. lol My oldest cat right now is about 14 (Myacis) and I dont know how much longer she has.

I'm also thankful for my disease and sicknesses. I have met a lot of precious people and children thru it and online and without it I wouldn't have met them or been able to help them.

I'm thankful for Camp Wonder!! It's an AWESOME camp for kids with skin diseases to go for a week and be "normal". It's full of activities for the kids like swimming, baseball, boating, camping, rockwall, date night, festival and LOTS more. My two youngest sons Adam and Noah go to this camp and I tell you!! The day they are leaving camp they are already counting the days til the next camp (a year away). Today they were saying "Mom, 7 months til camp!! I cant wait til camp mom!!" Camp Wonder can use all the donations and sponsors they can get to help sponsor a child to go to camp. It doesn't cost the campers ANYTHING because of all the cost of their medical care all thru the year. Their site is at http://www.csdf.org/ . If you can help sponsor a kid. IF You know any kids with a skin disease (EB, BCCNS, etc) contact CSDF and they will do what they can to help you.

Im also thankful for our soldiers who are fighting for freedom and a lot of them are away from their families. They are risking THEIR lives so that WE can have ours. I salute our military!!! THANK YOU for all you do!!! HUGSSSSSSSSSSS

Im thankful for the freedom to be able to serve the Lord and go to church!! We dont have to hide our bibles or be afraid for our lives (at least not at this point) to talk about the Lord.

And MOST OF ALL!!!! Im soooooooooo THANKFUL for the LORD!!! THANKFUL for ALL he has done for US!! Thankful for calvary and salvation!! Thankful for ONE LORD, ONE FAITH and ONE BAPTISM!!! The Lord Jesus is my BESTEST, MOST FAVORITE FRIEND!!! I couldn't make it thru all these trials without the Lord holding my hand and walking by my side!!!

So what do you have to be thankful for? We live in a country that is so full of everything including blessings!! I want to post more but my eyes keep closing.. Maybe tomorrow btwn church (which Im thankful I can go with a rental car because of my van being broke down for 2 months). Think this week on all the things you are thankful for and REMEMBER to Thank the LORD for them all. ALSO I've learned to THANK HIM for the bad things also.

Blessings and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
Gina Marie

Happy Vetrans Day!!

HAPPY VETRANS DAY!!

I want to salute our vetrans (serving now, retired and those who have gave their lives)!! I want to thank you for ALL you have done for our country. You have gave everything you have. You have put your lives on the line and many have GAVE their lives. So many of you like those who served during Vietnam came back to people spitting on you and critism. THAT was WRONG!!

I hear so many people talk about how this war is wrong and how we should pull out.. BUT I have seen and heard the GOOD we have done there THRU our military. YOU (our military) see the smiles on the childrens faces and the people there that thank you for giving them their freedom. You are helping keep OUR freedom!! I cry when I hear people talk bad about the war and how how we shouldn't be there and the negative about our military.. I give you HONOR and PRAY for you all!!!

Again.. THANK YOU TO OUR MILITARY FOR ALL YOU DO!!! Lord protect our military and bring them back safe to their families!!!

Here is a beautiful story someone sent that I want to put here. I hope it touches you like it did me. :o)

The Sack Lunches

A tribute to the virtues which have made our country great! The Sack Lunches I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq. '

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the ti me. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago .' His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq; it's almost like you are doing it for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks.'

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars! Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.' Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a praye r for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check Made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in This country who no longer understand it.' All too often we just send jokes, either off color or clean and we forget to send the ones that mean so much. God Bless.

"...pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."James 5:14