If you've been left behind...

With all the unrest, falling away and economic crises in the world today, I believe we are approaching the time of the end.   I have been praying about creating and leaving behind this written testimony.  I wish for two things – my first wish would be that people who don’t know the Lord might read this and come to Him now.  My second wish would be that anyone who finds themselves left behind will find answers and salvation.  I don’t claim to be an expert, but I love the Lord, and embrace this opportunity to open a door to His Kingdom for  others.  May He be glorified.

Photo by David Castillo Dominici, courtesty of FreeDigitalPhoto.net

In the movie Home Alone, Macaulay Culkin gives a humourous portrayal of an innovative and precocious little boy who takes on a number of challenges after being left behind by his family. Viewers are able to laugh light-heartedly at the antics depicted, knowing it will all end happily for Kevin. In reality, being left behind is a different story. Being separated from our companions; missing a plane or bus – these are occasions if not for panic and terror, at least for worry, as we try to figure out how this will affect our overall goals and plans.

There is one occasion in particular that will have devastating consequences for anyone who misses the boat, and that scenario could be played out at any moment. I am referring to the event known to Christians as the “Rapture”. Rapture is actually a more modern-day term for the incident; you won’t find that literal word in the Bible. It comes from the Latin raptus, which means “a carrying off” or “seizure”. It coincides with the Greek word harpazo, which is the term for being “caught up” or “taken away”.

Harpazo is used in the King James Bible in I Thessalonians 4:17 – “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Although the same word is not used here, another verse used to describe the same event is I Corinthians 15:51, which states, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed…” In other words, there will be some people on the earth who do not die, but are simply carried away to Heaven and changed into incorruptible and eternal beings.

The Bible teaches that at some unknown point in time, all the born-again Christians will be caught up in the twinkling of an eye. One second they will be here, the next second they will be gone. Forever. When this takes place, the world will never be the same. Following the Rapture, the Bible predicts a seven year period of great tribulation, the like of which has never been experienced. The Tribulation will be the direct wrath of God, poured out on all who oppose Him and have refused to accept the free gift of salvation offered through His Son. The purpose of this post is not to get into the semantics of how a loving God could do such a thing, or any other such questions. The fact is – He is God. He is holy and, beginning with Adam, man chose to sin. We are a fallen race of people, and the only way we can approach God is by being made new in His Son. He offers that gift to everyone by His grace. Those who don’t choose to accept this offer will not be allowed in His sinless presence. Upon their death, they will spend eternity burning in a literal hell. However, those who find themselves left behind after God’s people are raptured still have a chance, and that’s what I want to address.

The bad news is things will be rough. The sudden disappearance of millions of people will wreak havoc upon the earth. There will be devastating crashes when drivers of cars, pilots of planes and air traffic controllers vanish. There will be fires and explosions when meals are left cooking or power tools left running. Most likely, there will be power outages, and anything else you could think of that would naturally follow such a calamity. There will be grieving and stunned disbelief when people realize that many they cared about are gone. That is just the beginning.

The book of Revelation lists the judgments and events that will occur during the Tribulation; one of the first will be the advent of a man who will appear to be a savior. He will have answers amid the chaos and mourning. He will, no doubt, offer a plausible reason for the disappearances. This highly charismatic individual will deceive many by the use of signs and wonders; he will in fact be the very antiChrist, or beast that the Bible warns of in II Thessalonians 2:3-4. For three and a half years, he will bring a pseudo peace to the earth, even in the Middle East. He will pretend to be Israel’s ally, and assist in the building of a temple for the Jewish people to worship Jehovah. However, everything will change when this leader is suddenly assassinated. Millions will mourn his death, but after three days, he will rise from the dead. When this feat occurs, he will be physically indwelled by Satan himself, who will be bent on destruction. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time”. Revelation 12:12

There will be earthquakes, war, famine and much death. At some point in the Tribulation, the beast will demand that all worship him. There will be a statue made of his image, and people will be required to bow down before the statue in homage of the self-proclaimed god. Many people will do so gladly, having been blinded by the miracles they have seen. II Thessalonians 2:11-12 says, “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

The beast, or man of sin will also institute some type of mark, either on the forehead or right hand; probably a combination of a tattoo and biochip. Most people are aware of the connection of the number “666” to the antiChrist. The fact is, however, this mark will probably be something more subtle than that. It will seem harmless. Without the mark, no one will be able to buy or sell. Those refusing to worship the beast or his image and who refrain from taking the mark will be in danger of martyrdom. However, the Bible is quite clear that EVERYONE who takes the mark or worships the beast or his image will suffer eternally for that choice: “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Revelation 14: 8-11

Please believe and take heed to these words! As I said, the miracles and power of the antiChrist will sway many people. Millions will truly believe that he is a divine being. Others will be subtly brainwashed by what they see and by the influence of those who choose to follow him. Taking the mark will seem so “right”. After all, without it, one can’t provide for one’s family, and everyone else is doing it… But don’t be fooled – for whoever takes that mark, there is no turning back. These unfortunate people will be identified with Satan forever, and will suffer with him in hell.

There will be many who see the light during this time, and give themselves to God. Revelation 7 mentions the servants of God - 144,000 Jews who will be His witnesses. These are sealed for their protection before the angels carry out the forthcoming afflictions, although some of the effects of the judgments will touch everyone. I’m not sure if all the judgments will be supernatural, or if perhaps they will be caused by nuclear war. The Bible says there will be hail and fire, mingled with blood, which will destroy a third of the trees and grass. There will also be a great mountain burning with fire cast into the sea. This will turn a third of the sea to blood and destroy a third of the ships and sea creatures. A great burning star will fall from heaven upon a third of the rivers and fountains of waters, turning the fresh water into wormwood, and many will die from the bitter water. A third part of the sun, moon and stars will be smitten. In what the Bible refers to as the first “woe”, the bottomless pit will be opened. Amid air-darkening smoke, stinging locusts will emerge, along with the king of the bottomless pit. Shortly thereafter, four demons that are currently bound will be released. I’m not sure if people will actually see these beings, or if the effects will be delivered through weaponry or some such, but it will be sheer agony. For five months, these creatures will hurt people. The four demonic beings will slay a third of the remaining men. The last judgments will include grievous sores upon all those who bear the mark and worship the beast; all the sea, rivers and fountains of waters turning into blood; the sun scorching men with fire; darkness and pain in the beast’s kingdom; the Euphrates River dried up to make way for “the kings of the east” and the final great earthquake, in which every mountain will tumble. In the midst of a last, bloody battle, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will return in glorious victory, and destroy those who oppose Him. He will then establish His Millennial kingdom.

I’m not really qualified to explain any of this; yet I feel led to share my meager knowledge in the hope that someone might read it and believe. I wish everyone would believe now, but obviously that isn’t going to happen. Some may read this now and scoff, but I pray that one day, if these things begin to unfold, they will remember these words and repent. Like I said, if you are alive after the Rapture, there is hope! However, you would have had it so much easier if you had believed sooner. I am writing this during the dispensation of grace – the Church age. All I had to do was to believe in God’s grace and provision of His Son to cleanse me from my sin. Once that was done, I became “born again” as His child, and was indwelled by His Holy Spirit. I cannot lose my salvation. After the Church is raptured, everything changes.

The best way to explain the difference is to emphasize the fact that basically, everything revolves around Israel. They are God’s chosen people – He made a covenant with them many years ago, and it was through them that Jesus Christ was born. Jesus was the Messiah, or deliverer promised to Israel, and was predicted in over 100 prophecies. However, when He came, the Jewish people rejected Him. He wasn’t what they were anticipating. There were even prophecies stating that the Jews would reject Him. One of the most noteworthy scriptures to help explain the subject is in the book of Daniel. During Daniel’s time, the Israelites were in captivity as a result of abandoning their God and practicing idolatry. Daniel remained faithful, and was visited by the angel Gabriel, who told Daniel that the Messianic Age (the time when Messiah will rule the world) would take place in “seventy weeks of years”, or 490 years. The angel then went on to add that before the completion of the allotted time, Messiah would be cut off and the temple destroyed. When Jesus was crucified 483 years later, the clock was paused. Why? To give more people the chance to be a part of God’s kingdom. Since the Jewish nation rejected their Messiah, God extended the invitation to ALL people. It was His fervent desire that people from all nations come to know Him and experience His salvation. II Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. The future Church was a mystery to the Old Testament prophets – basically, Christians are “adopted” children of God, while the Jews are His natural children. God used the gap between the 69th and 70th “week” to create a new people, saved by His grace, but His ultimate purpose was to get the attention of His chosen nation. They are still His people, and the clock begins ticking again once the Church is taken up to Heaven, ushering in the remaining “week”. The 11th chapter of Revelation refers to the “two witnesses”, Moses and Elijah. When Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets) return, then Old Testament times return.

Even before the Christian era, God granted salvation to proselyte Jews, and the same will hold true during the Tribulation. If you are reading this after the Rapture, the first thing you need to do is worship the God of the Jews and accept Jesus as God’s Son and the chosen Messiah. Unfortunately, the dispensation of the Law is back into effect, so your salvation will be based on faith PLUS works, not just on faith alone, as during the age of the Church. In Matthew 24:13, Jesus was speaking of this time when he said, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”. That means you can’t give up! It will be hard. Besides a very real fear for your life, you will not have the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower you. But please persevere! Know that God is real and that you can still spend eternity with Him. You will be persecuted – Revelation 12:17 says, “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ”. The woman referred to in this verse is Israel, and the remnant of her seed are the ones who keep the commandments and have a testimony of Jesus during this time. In Revelation 14:13, an angel tells John (who wrote the book of Revelation) to write, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them”. Cling to that! Let it inspire and encourage you. If you have access to a Bible, you should read Hebrews, James and I, II and III John, which contain rich doctrinal application in regards to being obedient to the Law of Moses. Being obedient involves living in authentic faith, being poor (because of rejecting the mark), and suffering while abiding in Christ.

God temporarily allowed Israel to be blinded, as pictured in II Corinthians 3. Similarly, all others who reject God’s Son may be blinded. Verse 15 says, “But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart”. What this is saying is that Israel is blind to their Messiah. If you have been left behind, you may be blind as well. The solution to blindness is found in the very next verse – “Nevertheless when it (Israel’s heart) shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.” That’s a promise! Turn your heart to God, whether you can see Him right now, or not! Be willing to do whatever it takes to identify with HIM!

Revelation 7:13-17 is a beautiful picture of those who will be saved during the Tribulation. As previously mentioned, there will be 144,000 Jewish evangelists, and there will also be a great number of Gentiles, who listened to their witness. No doubt others will be saved when they remember things they were told before the Rapture, or from reading accounts left on earth by Christians. The Gospel preached during the post-Church age will not be that of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ; but rather the Gospel of the Kingdom, as Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come”. What a cause for rejoicing – an everlasting Kingdom is about to be established by the Lord Jesus Christ! This will be a literal, political Kingdom, where He will physically reign from His throne. There will be no more socialism, capitalism or any other factions, and there will truly be peace on earth.

Be strong in your faith, even if it means forfeiting your life, and do NOT take the mark of the beast or worship him or his image. Some might be inclined to think that they will be able to openly comply with the beast’s demands and secretly be a believer, but it doesn’t work like that. If you take the mark or worship any other than God, you will spend all eternity in hell. Period. There will be no turning back. Please believe me and heed these words. Remember the story of Noah? Noah is a type of a believer during the Tribulation. Like him, if you want to be saved, you will have to go against the current of the world. You will suffer now, but I promise it will be worth it in the end. In Luke 12: 4-5, Jesus told His followers, “Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him”.

I have prayed while writing these words that they may touch someone’s heart. I hope that this text may inspire someone who has been left behind and give hope. If you read this, I pray that you will be saved and that I will see you one day in Heaven.

1. Worship Jesus as your Savior and Messiah
2. DO NOT take the mark!
3. Obey the commandments (read Hebrews and James)

Amaranth Creations is born!

With God’s help, I’ve reached a milestone.  Five years ago, I enrolled in a diploma program in web design.  I had hopes and dreams of all the money I was going to be making; no more demanding, menial jobs for me!

Hmmm.  Life has a way of throwing curve balls at us, and I don’t always manage to hit or dodge them.  About the time I was graduating, I was newly re-married, and my husband had been laid off (long term).  We found ourselves scrabbling for money – there were most definitely no extra funds to spend on launching my portfolio site to promote myself.  Before making the decision to attend school, I had scanned local job postings.  I found a wide selection of career opportunities in the design field.  However, once my training was complete, the economy had plummeted.  The few jobs I saw listed in the want ads were too far away from where I live.  A couple of people I knew who owned businesses were interested in having a web site, but by that time, I was working two part-time jobs, seven days a week.  The last thing I wanted to do when I got home was work some more. 

Eventually, Roger got a good position somewhere else, and I was able to quit one of my jobs.  I talked about maybe getting back into web design, but it’s kind of funny how we often become content in the midst of our discontent.  Life was hard; it was not fun, but it was comfortable.  It was what I knew.  By that time, I realized that I had forgotten so much of what I had learned anyway.  I kind of shrugged it off – oh well, school was fun, even if I never use any of that stuff again.

A few weeks ago, someone my daughter Camille knows was looking for a web designer.  I began with my excuses – “I have forgotten so much…”; “I don’t have much time to spend working on it…”.  The client insisted that she just wanted something simple and she didn’t care how long it took.  I agreed to give it a try, but I’ll admit that I almost dreaded the thought.  It all felt so foreign.

But guess what?  Once I started working on the project, I began to catch the fever again.  Yes, I had forgotten a lot.  And I do mean a lot.  I pulled out old textbooks and looked up codes on  projects I had done in school.  I searched helpful web sites.  I spent hours at a time trying to come up with a php code that would send an e-mail form.  When this was finally mastered, I experienced such a sense of jubilee!

Tonight, I finished the site.  The client approved it, although she mentioned some changes she might like in the future.  She also told me that she referred me to someone else who is starting up a new business.  Wow – things may be looking up! 

A hug amid the storms...

Never take being able to hug your kids for granted.  At this moment, I have two sons that I desperately wish I could throw my arms around. 

I won’t be able to hug Matt again until I get to Heaven, and I long for that day.  It has already been five years since I embraced my oldest child, and this loss cuts to my soul.  

Now I have another son that I can’t hug.  Nick was taken back to jail tonight.  It was his own fault; he deserved to go.  But as his mom, this is painful.  When I see any of my kids being hurt from their bad choices, I share their pain and bear some of their guilt.  A mother’s natural instinct is to hold her child and make all the bad things go away, although sometimes we fail miserably at that.

My heart breaks for my son.  Besides the fact that he is reaping very unpleasant consequences, we had plans to go see his son in just three more days. 

The next time I see Nick, there will be thick, bulletproof glass between us, and no opportunity to hug.  I can only hope that these events will lead him back into God’s arms, which are always open and available anywhere, even in a jail cell.  I pray that the truth will make him free – truly free.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation, by Candy Spilman

I have kind of a summer tradition.  Every year, my son Beau and his wife, Carrie, who live in another state, attend a church-related marriage retreat.  Since 2007, when it was just little Becca, I have tried to work it out to be available to babysit in their home while they are gone.  I’ve missed a couple of times, but for the most part, Grandma Candy has had the privilege of watching Becca, and now also Moriah during this event.  It’s always a great time – especially when I can stay a few extra days to enjoy time with Beau and Carrie as well.  They are so great about trying to think of things I might enjoy doing while there, and it's just nice to be able to sit and talk to them, listen to Beau play his guitar, see Carrie's latest craft projects, et cetera.

This year, having a week’s vacation from work, I made the five hour drive after first stocking my car with enough snacks to feed an army and enough CD’s to launch my own radio station.  Besides the modern Christian genre that I usually listen to, I brought some old rock tunes – U2, of course; Moody Blues; Train; Tracy Chapman and the like.  The ride was enjoyable, and when I pulled up in front of their house late that afternoon, there was a little face at the front window, watching for me.  A moment later, I was inside exchanging hugs with Becca, Moriah and Carrie.  Beau was still at the church, where he works as an associate pastor.  Almost immediately, one of the girls delightedly squealed, “You have puppy dogs on your toes!”  She was referring to my “memorial pawprints” that I had gotten painted on my toenails in honour of my dog Mavourneen.  

We had homemade pizza for dinner the first evening – I must say that Carrie is an excellent cook.  I already knew that, of course, and I admit, eating her cooking is one of the things I always look forward to when I visit (and their guest shower, which has a much stronger spray than ours does… aahhh, bliss…).  After we ate, we went to a nearby parking lot so that I could see the girls ride their bikes.  Becca had just recently begun riding without training wheels, and Moriah was just learning to ride one with training wheels!  We watched the Olympics that night, when the US women claimed the gold medal in gymnastics.  I hadn’t watched any of the events up to that time, and found it exciting.  Along with much of the rest of America, I fell in love with Gabby Douglas – aka the Flying Squirrel.

The next day, Carrie, the girls and I went to the pool.  I hadn’t been swimming at all this year, so that was a nice treat.  The pool in their town is incredible – big and L-shaped.  Besides diving boards, there was also a vortex slide, which the girls enjoyed.  Becca slid down over and over on her own, but Moriah was a little more cautious.  Carrie had to catch her every time; even so, she made a number of trips on it!  We also spent time lounging in the baby pool, which was about a foot deep.  Although we used sunscreen, Carrie and Becca ended up getting a sunburned scalp where their hair was parted.  Mine was pulled straight back, so I didn’t have that problem, but I didn’t quite get my lotion all the way to my hairline, leaving me with a little strip of sunburn.  Still a fun day, though, and I managed to come home from vacation with some tan lines!  That night (after delicious homemade tenderloins, which is one of Roger’s favourite foods, so of course I had to text him and tell him how good they were…) was our annual Scrabble game, which Beau won.  He was also the scorekeeper… hmmm…

On Thursday, we went to one of my favourite places – Innkeeper’s Coffee House.  Beau even got to go with us, as he needed to do some errands for the church in preparation for the marriage retreat.  Before hitting the establishment for coffee and dessert, we went antique store shopping.  Carrie got a good buy on some old brooches, and we enjoyed just looking around.  Beau had suggested that, since he and Carrie both had errands to run at such mundane places as Staples, I might enjoy just remaining at the coffee shop relaxing and reading my book while they finished up.  I have to admit, it was nice!  The only disappointment of the day was not being able to find a collector spoon anywhere I looked.  Michelle had given me a spoon rack a while back, and I was looking forward to adding to my collection of states.  Maybe next time!

Friday afternoon was when Beau and Carrie left for their retreat.  There happened to be a HUGE car show in town that night, so after a supper of hot dogs, the girls and I walked up there.  It was a lot of fun, and we even got to see some NASCAR cars.  We didn’t cover the entire  area, as it was just too hot.  We ran into some local cheerleaders who urged us to attend their facepainting booth, whose proceeds would help send them to camp.  I told the girls that if we happened to come across the booth, they could do it, but we never did see it.  Before going home, we found a shady spot to sit and eat funnel cakes.  Well, Becca and I did – Moriah, who is allergic to milk and eggs, ate trail mix that Carrie had previously prepared for her.  This little girl, who is only three, is so amazing.  She knows exactly what she can and can’t eat, and never complains about not being able to have something.  

After getting back to the house, we watched one of my favourite videos – “Hotel for Dogs”, and had popcorn.  Moriah looked at me at one point and said, “This is making me sad!”  I assured her that the movie would end happily, and didn’t tell her that I had, in fact, cried at that very part the first time I watched it.  After the movie, we played Barbies until it was time for the girls to go to bed.  We played Barbies again the next day.  Becca had her art class on Saturday morning, so we walked her to the building, which was just a few blocks away.  Upon returning home, Moriah asked me if she could paint her fingernails with her Hello Kitty sparkly nail polish.  I told her yes, but got a little worried when, a total of three times during the process, she looked up and me and said, “Thank you for letting me do this!”  I hoped I didn’t end up getting us both in trouble!  Her sparkly polish apparently came with sparkly lotion and sparkly lip gloss, so she applied those products as well.  After her makeover, blowing bubbles in the back yard and looking for items in a book similar to “Where’s Waldo?”, except that the hidden character’s name was Lisa, we went to pick up Becca.  She had made clay animals, and a bendable wire sculpture during her class.  This child has so much talent that she inherited from her mother.  In the guest bedroom where I slept was a painting that Becca did of a fruit bowl.  Quite good for a seven year old.

I love this one-on-one time of getting to know my granddaughters better.  I found out that Becca prefers to be called Rebecca.  However, when I told her I would try to remember to call her that, her response was, “No, you don’t have to – there are some people that I don’t mind calling me Becca, and you’re one of them!”  She told me how she learned that a person can pray to themselves without closing their eyes, and demonstrated it to me.  The countless little facts and conversations with both of them were priceless.  I hope that these times will be memories that the girls treasure as well.

After Beau and Carrie got home Saturday evening, we watched UFC fighting – something I had never done.  I was surprised that I actually enjoyed it.  That may have also been the day that I played Angry Birds for the first time, introduced to the game by Carrie, on her Kindle (Now I play it on Facebook!). 

Sunday, of course, was church.  Roger and I – indeed all of our family who has ever visited Beau and Carrie – always look forward to the service there.  A person attending walks into a casual, welcoming atmosphere, complete with a coffee house (regular and specialty coffees and often baked goods – all free).  The main pastor usually preaches in jeans.  It is a Bible-believing church that is serious about serving the Lord and reaching the world for Jesus.  In fact, this Sunday, a young couple from the church gave their testimony regarding their plans to leave soon for Papua, New Guinea for a four year stint as Bible translators. 

Later that evening, we got take-out pizza and went to the lake.  After dining at a picnic table, we went fishing, which I hadn’t done in years.  Carrie was the only one who caught anything – a bluegill, which was thrown back.  The girls had fun being the "worm suppliers" and running around.

All too soon, Monday arrived; the day I was to return home.  The time always goes by so quickly!  Beau went in to work late that day, and Carrie made us pancakes, eggs and sausage for breakfast.  I left late morning, and took a different route home.  I waited about 100 miles to get gas, where I knew/hoped it would be cheaper (It was!), and remembered that once before, Carrie had told me where a Starbucks was located in that town.  I couldn’t remember exactly where she said it was, and didn’t see it, so just bought a cappuccino at the gas station.  What did I see as I was headed back toward the highway but the elusive coffee house?  I couldn’t believe I had missed it! 

I made one more stop after I crossed back into Missouri – I had done some online research and found the location of a souvenir shop that would not be much of a detour from the route I was driving.  I decided to stop there and try one last time for a spoon.  I found the shop just fine, but it was closed!

I made it home before Roger had to leave for work, and we were happy to see each other.  My dogs were happy as well!  I always feel so bad when I leave my furry babies.  I missed Roger too, of course, but at least he knew what was going on, and I could talk to him on the phone or text him.  I do talk to my dogs any time I leave and tell them where I am going and when I will be back, an!d I think they understand to a degree, but I worry that they feel abandoned.  I have been told that they usually don’t eat or drink the first day or two that I’m gone.    

But I do so cherish time with family.  I always have, but even more so since losing my son.  I wish I could spend more time with all my kids and grandkids.  If I ever have an extra week off work, what I would love to do would be to go see granddaughter Tiphanie, then head up to Ohio to spend time with Cindy, Alex, Tyler, Valarie and Jake, and then go to Beau and Carrie’s.  I did make a little jaunt to attend great granddaughter Bailey’s birthday party the Saturday after coming home, and Cindy and Valarie were also there, so it was nice getting to see them.

I don’t even get to spend enough time with the kids I live near… Elisabeth came up with an idea the other day.  One of these days, when we’re both free on like a Friday night and Saturday morning, we’re going to have a slumber party!  I can spend the night at her house and we are going to do fun things and just spend time together.

Did I mention I love my family?