He's Coming Home

Mom called this morning and said they will be releasing daddy to come home later this afternoon. I'll be meeting them at the house to help him in. Since I'm not sure if he'll be able to get up the front steps, we'll be sure to drive around to the back of the house. Much less effort there and I'm sure my brother, John, will be there too.

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Thankful for Inhalers

Harrison has sports induced asthma. So of course he uses an inhaler for those times when he is wheezing and gasping for air.

Well, in The Original White House Cook Book, which is a book of recipes dating back to 1887, I found this relief for asthma which makes me thankful for inhalers:

Sufferers from asthma should get a muskrat skin and wear it over their lungs, with the fur side next to the body. It will bring certain relief.

If Harrison's inhaler ever stops working, I'll be sure to hunt down a muskrat.

Unanswered Prayers and Thanks, Garth!

Yesterday, I had an appointment with someone that is extremely busy and cleared the afternoon for me. While we were talking, his wife mentioned how a lady had compared him to Garth Brooks. A rather comical story, really, but it got me thinking. Garth Brooks sings a song called Unanswered Prayers where he and his wife run into "an old flame" of his at a high school football game. Someone he thought he'd be spending the rest of his life with, but it never worked out. And now he thanks God for unanswered prayers.

Does it only count as an answered prayer if God gives you what you want? Hmmm, anyway....my whole point here is not Garth Brooks and his superficial song, but for a long time, I've been praying the Lord would do something and he used my friend, "Garth," to answer that prayer yesterday. Thanks, "Garth." I pray many blessings upon you and your family, for y'all are such a blessing to ours. I wasn't sure how God would do it, but He did it and it just so happens that it was what I wanted. But even if things had not gone my way, that would have still been God's answer to my prayer. Right? OK.....

Now on to the excerpt that I promised would be posted yesterday. The first part of the excerpt is from Doris Aldrich from her Out of the Mixing Bowl column of Moody Magazine. The second part is a thought from her son, Joe Aldrich.

January, 1943
A bit of spice, the basic flour, the shortening and the milk, the leavening and the salt, the sugar and the eggs - combine to form that final [birthday cake] which we later serve with pride. The ingredients are not all tasty but all are needed, and the sifting and stirring as well as the heat of the oven are all necessary.
Every so often throughout the year, there comes a day with special zest...a bit of spice. And then perhaps a whole week of the weariness of the daily round - just some flour perhaps - and not very interesting, but nourishing and a part of the whole. And the sweetness of some days - how we wish it could last, and yet you know what happens when too much sugar goes into a recipe...it falls flat.
And what of the times when the heart is so heavy it feels like a weight? Leaven is bitter to the taste, and yet no cake will achieve perfection without it. And the One who knows the recipe-of-the-year for us never uses too much leavening lest the cake be bitter. He balances and combines it all with understanding skill. He does this for those who let Him....
[A year] is more than just 365 days. Somehow there's a recipe and it all works together.

A Thought From Joe:
Mother wrote this poem when she was just a young girl of sixteen. I think it fits well here with her thoughts about the new year that lay ahead.

The New Day

by Doris Coffin

A lovely glorious new day

Which God has given me.

I hold thee in my cupped hands,

Carefully and eagerly.

So new, so clean, so free

from stain,

As yet no spot of sin.

I dare not trust myself with thee

So give thee back to Him.

School, Blessings, Pets, and My Book

We got off to another slow start this morning, but was still able to finish school and get lunch cooked before Bruce had to leave for work.

While I was cooking lunch, the Lord lifted a heavy burden off of my dear husband and he had a very happy afternoon. So I must give the Lord praise for that!! Thank you, Lord \o/. More blessings await in 2008!

Every time I would walk by Hannah's room today, Yogi would start squeaking loudly as if to say he wanted someone to pay him attention. So Hannah brought him out with her for a little bit while she did her school work.


He sat on her school books while eating a big piece of green pepper I cut for him. He LOVES green peppers and apples.


I've been meaning to show you, for weeks now, the book my friend, Kellie, gave me for Christmas. I had my Christmas gifts from friends in a corner of my room to be put away and while I was putting them away one day, I flipped through the book reading a paragraph here and a paragraph there. Next thing I know I'm sitting in the floor and I've read 3/4 of the book. I finished it the next day and I have to tell you it is so good and so sweet.
The title of the book is Secrets of Wisdom from Mother's Heart, by Joe Aldrich. He is one of nine children whose mother, Doris Coffin Aldrich, wrote a column called "Out of the Mixing Bowl" for Moody magazine. The book is a collection of articles that were written by her.

Here is an excerpt from the Foreword....

During my senior year of high school, my mother, Doris Coffin Aldrich, was killed in an automobile accident. Mother was an extremely intelligent, highly educated woman. She studied at the University of Washington and graduated from Biola College. Married at thirty-one to Willard Aldrich (the President of Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary for thirty-five years), she bore nine children. Her clearly stated mission was to raise a godly family.
As mom's life so clearly demonstrated, the high and holy calling of motherhood is one of the most challenging assignments on the face of the earth. It is a sacred trust, a commitment to use every means possible to help each child grow up loving Jesus and embracing His agenda for life.

A godly mother counteracts the influences of contemporary culture by structuring an environment where beauty reigns. Our threadbare sofas, sagging springs, and frayed carpets did not deter us from the beauty of God's handiwork that surrounded us. Although well-used, our home was truly that - a home, not a house. Sweaty, sloppy boys fought with glee in it. Oil leaked from the oil-stove, bathtubs overflowed, food frequently ended up on the floor, tricycles clogged doorways or blocked traffic in the kitchen. More often that not, beds were left unmade. Most mornings there were wet sheets and pajamas to attend to, not to mention all the other clothes that needed to be washed and washed and washed again.
But in the midst of what I'm sure seemed like chaos, there was beauty....

Isn't that good? I'll share one of her articles tomorrow.

Sword Book

I was going through my books today and ran across this Sword book called Woman to Woman. If you're not familiar with Sword of the Lord books you should be. These are books that you do not have to worry about having things in them that you know are wrong or that you have to "read" around. You don't have to worry about the kids getting them and being falsely indoctrinated when you are unaware. They are all wonderfully sound books.

Anyway, I thought I'd give you a snippet of this book. I've read it through several times and am always impressed by some of these answers. Woman to Woman is a compilation of questions that have been asked to women such as Mrs. John R. Rice, Beverly Hyles, Gerri Hutson, April Kelley, and many other wonderful Christian women and Pastor's wives.

I chose this question because although this book was written many years ago, this subject is continually thrown in our faces today concerning hyperactive children.

Q. Do you believe that there is such a thing as a hyperactive child?

A. By Joy Rice Martin
"Yes, if by hyperactive you mean extremely active. We have six children. Two were extremely active. They were never diagnosed by a doctor as being hyperactive, but a six month old knocked the slat off his crib and crawled through four rooms to get to us! He also walked at nine months because he had to be doing things. He's the first baby I weaned early too. When he nursed he was constantly moving and he wore me out!

Of course, there are hyperactive children. I would be very cautious about embarking upon a drug routine for hyperactive children. I think most children who are extremely active need a great deal of cuddling, and mother needs a great deal of patience and prayer.

In most cases a lot of things are related to age. That little boy I mentioned above who was extremely active, is the one who last night installed our dishwasher. That same little mind that kept him going and figuring out things is the same quality that has given him today a drive in other areas.

Prayer and patience will do much. From a practical viewpoint a Christian psychiatrist from Chattanooga, Dr. Ross Campbell has a little book called How to Really Love Your Child. While you may not agree with everything he says, he has some wonderful insights we ought to heed. One chapter says one of the very best things for a hyperactive child is cuddling, especially at a stage in his life when he needs reassurance. That book would give you some ideas. But be very cautious about a drug routine unless you have very sound medical advice."

Elizabeth Rice Hanford: "Also may I add that firm, consistent discipline is helpful!!"

Jessie Rice Sandburg: "We do have to accept the fact that sometimes we do have to invest more in one child than in another. One child may take three times as much attention and care as another. But very often the difficult ones end up being leaders."

There was one more answer, but it was actually irrelevant to the question. Anyway, I thought those were pretty good. I am not totally against children needing medication for hyperactivity, but it is a fact that most children just need love and attention from their parents or a good whop on the hind end. Again, I am not TOTALLY against medication, so please don't jump all over me if your child is on something for that. This is just one of those issues where I believe that doctors have over medicated our children, and in a great deal of cases, with legalized cocaine. No wonder they calm down after taking their meds.

Anyway, the sword books are wonderful books. If you like to read like I do, they have some great ladies books. Check 'em out! If you're a man, well, they have great books for men as well.