Thank you SO much Cathy-it has worked so now I know I can post and I am really so very EXCITED!!
Will be back in a few days to post and I am very happy that the bible is in England!! Please do send me the next address. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.
I am so hoping that this will work and post! It has been a long journey to get this link and to post on the Sisterhood Of The Travelling Scarf.
I am blessed to have met you all and to be able to participate here! I look forward to telling you all a bit more about me and also to share my testimony.
I am going to post this now and please bear with me over this holiday period as I will be back to post about me! I just do not want you to think I have forgotten to post.
..today is rebecca of manitoba's birthday and most of the pictures that i found of her were sunny and warm...like THIS one and....
THIS one...just FULL of sun rays and little sunbeams!
well....this is actually what a manitoba[my beloved manitoba!]looks like when someone has a dec 28th birthday and so rebecca dear this is where i have put you!..too bad i couldn't find a warm coat to put on you but them are the breaks when i couldn't fine a proper picture of you with a warm coat on. to put into this, your birthday card..
here is a cake with burning candles that you can warm your hands with....and you can warm your whole body with all of the warm wishes from your sisters as they wish you a very happy birthday.........HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
Hello Sisters! Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! I was having real trouble trying to get linked to the blog...and then all of a sudden..I saw the "Sisters" blog control in my dashboard! So....here I am! Yay!
What a blessing and as always, perfectly timed. Our Father knows what we need and when we need it!
Isn't He just the best father a girl could ever ask for?
I'd like to give you all a poem I found here on this website.
today it is vicki's birthday...she was her mom and dad's bestest gift that they ever received one snowy? christmas day!...i wonder if they used the christmas day to conserve on christmas presents..i mean, like they used the same gifts for christmas AND her birthday!..ha! kill two birds with one stone[only expression i can think of..not nice to kill any of god's creatures with a stone, especially a little bird!]
anyways happy birthday merry christmas vicki! now that this christmas birthday girl is a gramma, i just bet she gives these sweeties lots of presents and lots of love!...after all she sure does gives her scarf sisters lots of love...she is OUR bestest gift too!..all through the year! and now!..i really have a good excuse for googling over this birthday cake vicki...you see as i can't bake and as all of the stores were closed and i couldn't buy one, i just HAD to order this from my favourite bake shop....google images!...i hope you are willing to share with all of your sisters...just a tiny piece each, as we are all filled with turkey and stuffing and mince pie!
this song and all of the flowers in it are for you especially, vicki..
god bless you so much today and we hope that you got the christmas miracle that you were so desiring to have...god is on the throne and he is the bestest giver!
we all love you and pray that you have a great christmas and a great birthday and an even greater news years.....love from all of your sisters!
Luke 2: 7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
My blog friend John Cowart presented the Christmas story out of a little tin box. A friend from Texas sent me a tiny creche in a cardboard box and I made a video with it. Here 's my way of wishing all my sisters a very joyous and happy Christmas and New Year.
From Haugesund with love to Scarf Sisters all around the globe. This is the only Christmas card I will send this year.
I wish you a blessed Christmas and a New Year with more of the good things we've been sharing. The Gospel, joy and sorrow, hope and despair, in everything, love. Love for the Lord, love for each other. The valuable prayers are the greatest gifts anyone can wish for. My hope is that nothing shall keep us apart from continuing travelling together towards our common goal. Your Sister Felisol
december 8th and it is felisol our dear sister's birthday...and so all of the sisters wish her a very happy one!...i think that felisol is the third oldest sister...miss patty is the eldest and i am the second eldest!...ha! but none of us feel old at all. we are young inside and OUT!...and we are ALL princesses in the kingdom of god...birthdays are always a welcome sight...the time that we can enjoy all of the cake and ice-cream that we like..and so here i have googled in a huge cake that is enough for us all[if we each have just ONE big piece!]
dearest felsiol..here is a special birthday greetings from us all!
we love you felisol!....HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!......love from all of your sisters from united states, canada, india, england and philippines[and norway?]!
Today I remember my husband Ernie in a very special way.
It is the third anniversary of his homegoing.
And although it's been three years since I last saw him alive, there is still a void, a huge gap in my heart that will forever remain empty.
The only comfort I can hold on to is the thirty years' worth of beautiful memories that he and I made together.
Many of these memories are still fairly recent, and can be easily pulled up from where they are filed. Many others are buried under many layers, and may soon be forgotten.
Because this is a day I never want to forget, I wanted to make sure our family had a special way of remembering a very special person.
We went to the memorial park, placed some stones on his grave, then had breakfast at his favorite breakfast place.
In the evening, family and close friends gathered for dinner at a downtown hotel.
Many pictures of these events were taken and are now safely stored in my laptop and in a back up file in an external hard drive.
Now that Ernie is no longer around, I never ever want to forget him... his goodness as a person, his kindness, his generosity, his servant heart.
Others will never know him the way I did - and for me, that is the greatest privilege I have as his wife.
But even as I write these words, the question comes to my mind, "How long will these memories last?"
The truth is that I really cannot hold on to mere memories for comfort. There are still days when I miss Ernie very much - and I must be honest in saying that the memory of him, no matter how beautiful, can never undo the reality that he is no longer here. Memories of his kindness can never replace the warmth and the security of having him by my side.
It cannot be denied... there is pain in remembering.
In a real sense, I now walk through life alone to face and confront the issues of my present circumstances.
It helps when people are kind and thoughtful... but I cannot live the rest of my life expecting others to be good and considerate toward me.
No, that would be such a selfish way to live!
God has designed us in such a way that we learn and we grow and we mature through the painful experiences that we go through.
And after all is said and done, I now realize that my greatest comfort comes in knowing that heaven is a place where our beautiful memories are never forgotten! I just do not have the words to describe what my spirit tells me about heaven... but really, I believe that in heaven, our memories are not passive, like faded pictures in albums that have gathered dust through the years. In that place, there is no past... no future... just an eternal sense of timelessness, and memories, good or bad, take on a redeemed interpretation, and we see them from a heavenly perspective!
It is hard to put into words, but nevertheless, the thought brings much comfort to my pain.
Heaven is a place where God will wipe every tear from our eyes, a place where there is no sorrow, no sadness, just everlasting joy.
And today, as I remember Ernie, I am truly grateful for that thought!
---0---
Pictures from 2008, the last year we spent together in Chiang Mai, Thailand:
Our dining table in our flat - many happy memories of meals and conversation shared together
steps leading to our flat - for a year, this place was a haven of rest for us
dusk photo of Ernie, taken with his new camera after his return from Maui, Hawaii
in front of Maejo University, after we had gone shopping for a few essentials
taken on a Saturday, at the forest park behind our flat, on our way to downtown Chiang Mai, something we always looked forward to
sometimes I think that I can never have this kind of smile on my face again
One of the many farewell parties given for Ernie and me, on the last week of our stay in Maejo University. Chiang Mai, Thailand
Pictures taken today, as we remember Ernie, with thanksgiving :
At the memorial park
At his favorite breakfast place:
A special thanksgiving dinner shared with family and close friends to celebrate Ernie's homegoing anniversary:
This is me with my dear friend Maggy, the owner of Sea Breeze Hotel, posing at the now empty buffet table. She is a gourmet chef... she lovingly prepared the delicious food that we all enjoyed this evening!
here is our birthday girl, diane sporting the fancy hat that she has made with her own deft hands..isn't she a cutie?
Never in my wildest dreams did i think that i would ever meet my friend sister but because of another of my sisters, donna, i was able to make the trip to miss patty's michigan homestead and meet diane and eight more sisters!..for sure! and what a happy day it was!
Diane who bade farewell to her bloved husband such a short while ago has gone on hand in hand with her lord...here i have copied something from her blog which tells us exactly the godly lady that she is!
"I don't consider myself a rich person. I have a modest income and my monthly bills are paid. I can buy the food I need to nourish my body, plus some of the things I just want or enjoy. I have clothes to keep me covered and warm, plus some of those shoes I drool over! My car isn't new, but it's in good running order and paid for. My house isn't grand, but it keeps me warm in the cold, cool in the heat, and dry in the rain. And, it's almost paid for! I can't take extended dream vacations, but I take getaway trips to relax and regroup almost any time I want. All in all, when you stop to consider it, I'm much more wealthy than first thought.
Yet, with all that, the things that bring real joy to my heart can't be bought and sold. No financial sacrifice could restore my husband's health once it was gone. Heaps of money shoveled to various medical providers could not deliver me a baby when I so wanted one. Even all the money saved and ear-marked for that adoption couldn't buy my health in order to make me feel dependable enough to care for a child. When the people I love are hurting, mountains of money can't stop their pain.
My one hope, my sustenance, in all of that is the Lord. Without Him, I would be hopeless and helpless. I often find it ironic that we run about our little lives so desperate to make money, only to find that all that money can't give us the things we need or desire in order to live with quiet contentment and a peaceful countenance.
As I age and as disease takes more of me each day, I find strength and encouragement in the gold only Jesus Christ can give..........a quiet spirit, a contented heart, a peaceful soul and sure hope for the future. Oh that each individual could but realize money is only paper, but Jesus is eternal LIFE!"
and so sweet sister diane all of your scarf sisters are wishing to you a very happy birthday!!...and don't eat too much cake because several of us sisters are still trying to lose all the pounds that our beloved cook, margie-martha-mary put on to us!..one piece of this googled in cake and that is ALL miss diane!!
Some prayer requests
1, Pray for tent revival meetings we are having on our church campus.
Nov 11-13th each evening between 5 -9 pm.
We are expecting a huge crowd. Many people from non- Christian
backgrounds. A group of churches and house groups is organizing this.
2. Please pray for a young girl named Roopa age 20. She was in her
second year of college when she had a brain haemorrage. She has
lost sight in one eye and can see very little with the other one.
Roopa had to stop her studies. She is looking unto Jesus for help.
She is such a beautuful girl.
3. Remember Gauri , another collge student about 20 years old.
We shared the Gospel with her and gave her some literature. She
trusts Christ only. She wants more instruction and teaching. I have to
visit her. She lives outside the city - quite far. I am unable to
contact her by phone.
ever since that i have met mrs. mac, it has been the standing argument between us that i do not like the snow and she would chide me about this...so i named her the snow queen of idaho... one cold blustery and icy day, i made this carving for her in the back yard and by the shores of lake ontario. she reminded me when i met her at the scarf sisters reunion in michagan of this post and so i am pasting it here for her to read again...
jan, 2007[i think]...this is what i wrote for mrs. mac
"This last week when we finally got the snow storm that Mrs. Mac has been wishing on us for the last two months, I thought I had better go out and make that snow ball that I have been promising her. THE snowball that I have been planning to throw at her! No such luck though. The snow was dry and fluffy, and way too dry. It was just the same texture as the snow that used to fall in my beloved Manitoba. It was a rare snowball or snowman that we could make THERE! Well with a forgiving spirit, I decided that what I would do for Mrs. Mac was to carve her name on the snow laden back yard of the palace and here in the first picture, you can see it. One thing about being at my client's place, there are no neighbors... Nobody around to see a crazy white haired lady playing in the snow! Playing in the snow with no boots on! Only the squirrels, chipmunks and birds could see and they are quite used to me by now! Besides I had told them ahead of time, that if they let out the secret, there would be NO MORE seeds, and peanuts for THEM!! So Mrs. Mac, you can stop singing that song that you love so much, "Let It Snow, Let it Snow"!! Your wish has been granted!"
and THAT is why, i have put a snow picture of mrs. mac and her darling into their anniversary card. if you notice, mrs. mac has the wound of a large snowball that i finally threw at her..notice the cold white stuff over her right eye! maybe, when we finally get some snow here, i will treat her again, eh?..ha!
mrs. mac i really do wish to you and mr.mac a very happy albeit belated anniversry..thirty one years of happiness and your little grandson is the fourth generation! i am putting here a little poem that mrs. mac put on her blog for her 30th anniversary..i thought it was so beautiful.
Old Irish Blessing:
"May God be with you and bless you May you see your children's children May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in Blessings May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward"
did you know that mrs. macs has won for many years now the title of "miss idaho mother of the year"?...well she most certainly deserves it..her children are the living proof of how she and mr. mac have raised them and taught them of the lord..this is one blessed family.
this is the reason that it was so hard to finish this post sooner..mrs. mac's beloved "miss holly" passed away and this has broken the heart of mrs. mac and the whole family..i just wonder how it has affected mr.and mrs. mac's "gift"[little nathan}..i am sure that the lord will send the whole family his comfort, because he knows their hurt.
Luke 12:6 "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?" please accept our deepest sympathy mrs. mac..
and please accept our wishes for a happy anniversray..we truly love you and mr. mac and your whole family.......the sisters ALL wish to you a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!! and we shall wait until the spring when you will relinquish your "snow queen" title and pick up your "lilac princess of idaho" title!........
photo source
..today is rebecca of manitoba's birthday and most of the pictures that i found of her were sunny and warm...like THIS one and....
THIS one...just FULL of sun rays and little sunbeams!
well....this is actually what a manitoba[my beloved manitoba!]looks like when someone has a dec 28th birthday and so rebecca dear this is where i have put you!..too bad i couldn't find a warm coat to put on you but them are the breaks when i couldn't fine a proper picture of you with a warm coat on. to put into this, your birthday card..
now that this christmas birthday girl is a gramma, i just bet she gives these sweeties lots of presents and lots of love!...after all she sure does gives her scarf sisters lots of love...she is OUR bestest gift too!..all through the year!
and now!..i really have a good excuse for googling over this birthday cake vicki...you see as i can't bake and as all of the stores were closed and i couldn't buy one, i just HAD to order this from my favourite bake shop....google images!...i hope you are willing to share with all of your sisters...just a tiny piece each, as we are all filled with turkey and stuffing and mince pie!
From Haugesund with love to Scarf Sisters all around the globe.
Our dining table in our flat - many happy memories of meals and conversation shared together
steps leading to our flat - for a year, this place was a haven of rest for us
dusk photo of Ernie, taken with his new camera after his return from Maui, Hawaii
in front of Maejo University, after we had gone shopping for a few essentials
taken on a Saturday, at the forest park behind our flat, on our way to downtown Chiang Mai, something we always looked forward to
This is me with my dear friend Maggy, the owner of Sea Breeze Hotel, posing at the now empty buffet table. She is a gourmet chef... she lovingly prepared the delicious food that we all enjoyed this evening!
My grandson Matt... Ernie's lookalike!
ever since that i have met mrs. mac, it has been the standing argument between us that i do not like the snow and she would chide me about this...so i named her the snow queen of idaho...
mrs. mac i really do wish to you and mr.mac a very happy albeit belated anniversry..thirty one years of happiness and your little grandson is the fourth generation!
this is the reason that it was so hard to finish this post sooner..mrs. mac's beloved "miss holly" passed away and this has broken the heart of mrs. mac and the whole family..i just wonder how it has affected mr.and mrs. mac's "gift"[little nathan}..i am sure that the lord will send the whole family his comfort, because he knows their hurt.