Saying Goodbye!!

I have avoided this space for quite some days!
Partly because I am not exactly sure how to say what I need to here and partly because in my own mind this space here, my blog, is really an extension of my heart, my home and my life.

I wanted to write about what is happening in our life here, the funny things the children are doing and the everyday life that continues on but I can't ignore the fact that I was not sharing one of the most significant moments that has happened in our lives lately.

Sharing that event here makes it so much more real in my own mind and heart and I so very don't want it to be true, even though I have welcomed the support and love of those who have known both online in my other places and by texts and phone calls.

Even now I have found myself clicking away, avoiding the reality of the situation trying to not let it be said - all finished - with and therefore a record of the pain we have endured as a family these last few days.

I am sure some of you may have guessed by now and I know some already know but sadly, Oh, so very sadly, we have lost our precious little baby that we were so very excited and thrilled to announce not so long ago.

A baby we have longed for, a baby to hold and love, to be part of our day to day living a part of our very beings.
A baby that even though we have known for such a short time has become an intimate part of our lives, such that the loss has changed our family for ever.
So much so that this sorrow has taken hold of our lives, all our lives, the children too and rocked us terribly.

Not only is hard to bear my own pain at the loss of 'what might have been' and all the things I had planned to make and do for our precious baby but it has been hard, so very hard to see and be so helpless at the pain and suffering of our other precious children who had so welcomed this baby into their hearts too already.
Our children already saw this baby as an ongoing part of of their lives. They would say goodnight each night and  pray our goodnight blessing over my tummy.
Each morning I was greeted with a sea of smiling faces not only saying good morning to me but also  to the new baby.
They talked to the baby and prayed for the baby throughout the day.
Yes this baby was truly a part of our lives.

Saying goodbye has never been a strong suit for me, I get teary all the time.
Seeing each of the children say goodbye and grieve in their own personal way has also opened my eyes to the depth of their grief as well.
We (Stephen and I) have received little gifts of notes and pictures of the baby and mummy and Daddy, notes to say how sad they are about the baby dying and we have had many hugs and tears shared together.
Vellvin has shared here and here.
Eden wrote the most beautiful poem and shared it with me.
We have had much love, yes continued love from our dear children as they see me struggle with the loss of our baby.
I can not say how much this means to me the solidarity of love over a shared grief.

I find my self avoiding other people as I am so not ready to deal with the reality of this. I find myself avoiding 'life' by not fully engaging in the here and now- I admit to a fair bit of book reading in an effort to not think about the loss and devastation, that I know awaits me as I surface to real life.

I know there are others who have undergone this tragedy before and many women will again in the future.
In fact we lost another dear soul over 20 years ago!

I am not sure that I truly appreciated that little baby in the way I should have.
I am not sure that I grieved enough for that baby, as I know that I did not have the great support of other like minded and loving people.
I am absolutely sure that I was encouraged to just get on with life, to move on to the next thing and because that was the community I lived in - I did.

Now however through the support of other beautiful mamas I am encouraged to: yes be sad and upset over this event as it is indeed devastating.

I know I did not feel this tremendous tiredness and physical weakness last time that seems to consume me at the moment and I admit it has caught me totally unprepared.
And I know it has nothing to do with my age!
I do know it has to do with the knowledge of how precious and blessed each little baby is and the blessing that I have been given in each of these beautiful gifts from God.

I know it will take some time and I still find difficulty talking about it even with my husband and children.
I know that I love this baby as much as any of our other children and that every time I think of what will never be I start to burst into tears.
Just as well this writing isn't in pen and ink or it would be all smudged :)

Again as I have learned to accept the love and grief (for me and my family) of those around me I pray that I can over time be better at helping my own dear family to accept this part of our lives.

I am so eternally grateful to those dear friends who have taken the time to send me a short note, text or left a comment on those online pages I shared on already.
It is this community of friends that I draw and rely on, not only for this but in other aspects of my life that I have shared  previously.
I do believe these friendships are as real and important as the new IRL friends we have made over the past year as well as the very old and dear friends from previous parts of our lives.

I pray that we will continue to remember the wonderful gift of life we were given even for such a short time in our baby.
Our baby whom we have named Cinnamon Grace - now in heaven but who will live for ever in our hearts.
A treasured gift from God!

Friends shared this verse with me and while I acknowledge the beauty and wisdom of this verse, at the moment it does not ease the pain or sorrow - perhaps over time!

"My Lord, the baby is dead!
Why, my Lord—dare I ask why?
It will not hear the whisper of the wind or see the beauty of its parents’ face—it will not see the beauty of Your creation or the flame of a sunrise.

Why, my Lord? “Why, My child—do you ask ‘why’?
Well, I will tell you why.

You see, the child lives.
Instead of the wind he hears the sound of angels singing before My throne.
Instead of the beauty that passes he sees everlasting Beauty—he sees My face.
He was created and lived a short time so the image of his parents imprinted on his face may stand before Me as their personal intercessor.
He knows secrets of heaven unknown to men on earth. He laughs with a special joy that only the innocent possess.

My ways are not the ways of man.
I create for My Kingdom and each creature fills a place in that Kingdom that could not be filled by another.

He was created for My joy and his parents’ merits.
He has never seen pain or sin.
He has never felt hunger or pain.
I breathed a soul into a seed, made it grow and called it forth.”
I am humbled before you, my Lord, for questioning Your wisdom, goodness, and love.
I speak as a fool—forgive me.
I acknowledge Your sovereign rights over life and death.
I thank You for the life that began for so short a time to enjoy so long an Eternity"
. -- Mother M. Angelica

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

HAPPY FATHERS DAY (belated post)

Fathers Day comes only about a week after our oldest son/child's birthday.
To me Fathers Day has always been a very special event as it came so soon after our first baby's birth and then his Daddy was celebrating the joy in a more formal way in the celebration of 'Fathers Day'

Of course the  joy of being a father is a year round thing and I know the Daddy in our home treasures the role of Daddy much more than all his other roles apart from husband.
It is often noted by his children, and me as well that the longer he stays away from home the crankier he gets.
This was certainly noticed those years he lived and worked interstate from us and it still takes it toll as Stephen does NOT like to be away from his family for even an overnight trip.

This Fathers day started fairly relaxed as we had decided to go to Mass on the Sunday evening so we could all enjoy a little sleep in.
However Trahaearn and I were up early so we made the 'Breaky in bed' that Daddy was expecting and Trahaearn decided he would have a little plateful too and sit up with Daddy in bed to eat it too.
A treasure memory for him and his Daddy.

The other children slept in and it was so nice to relax after a very busy week.

Now you know of course the most important thing to do on Fathers Day is to go to Bunnings to buy the materials for the long awaited wooden swing set and platform  that we have planned for so very long.
Naturally some of the younger children, in fact all except Myffwyn decided they really needed to come to Bunnings with us to buy the said supplies.
I think they thought the swing set would be very quickly put together and obviously the timber and bits and bobs they saw us buying looked nothing like a swing set.
You can see that of course they would become very bored very quickly as we measure and decide on what timber to buy and other fittings we needed.
I think they thought the swing set would be very quickly put together
Thankfully Eden came and she was a great help with the children.

You know how these days go don't you?
We have plans and then we have reality.
The Plans- A quick trip to Bunnings and shopping then coming back to have a BBQ lunch on Stephen's new BBQ he received for Fathers Day have a relaxing afternoon and then off to Mass.

Of course it didn't go like this!
Reality - Stephen decided to wash the car at the car wash and the engine got wet somehow and so we spent a good 45 mins sitting in the car wash trying to get the car started again.
This obviously delayed us on our way to Bunnings and this took far longer than we had anticipated and then we needed to buy groceries fro the lunch.
Talk about well prepared hey?

So we finally arrive back home with some very hot, tired and out of sorts children.

Braedon and Anna-Lisa arrived not long after, just in time to help put the BBQ together.
Anna had brought a lovely Chocolate cake for sweets which was wonderful as  mine was still in the process of being created.

We did managed to get the BBQ cooked and sat down for  a very late lunch together (minus Kynan and Autumn, sigh!!) nearly all the children at home.
I seriously guess this is how it will be in years to come.

Anyway we had our lunch enjoyed the cake and then realised we needed to be moving very quickly to get to Mass on time.

Mass was beautiful and we stopped on the way home for an ice-cream and off home for an evening together and a quiet end to the day.

We love you my heart
Love F and the little ones
xxxxooooo

Happy Birthday my Love ♥

Some birthdays are bigger than others in our own eyes. Those we see as more significant and  there for memorable.
Some years ago the children had started  planning this birthday.
They had thought of all the wonderful things we would do together as a family.
The special meal, the celebration, the activities that we would share. The people they would like to invite for their Dad.

Then life continued to step in!
The older ones continued to grow and guess what??
Some of them moved on with their lives and actually aren't living with us anymore.
They have pursued their own lives and dreams and  so can't be so fully here in the actual physical space with us.

So they were not able to actually be here in our home for this birthday.

By being away from home  and living more individual lives that are not so actively involved with our own it became obvious  the closer it came to Stephen's birthday that this would not be how we had imagined it all those years ago.

Yet this still was a birthday that needed celebration.
So those of us still at home gathered together and had a brainstorming session.
We helped choose the meal and special additional items and we planned the gifts and the cards and made the special birthday preparations.

It turned out that this was simply a family affair and that minus some of the most special people in Stephen's life.
It turned out that even though our lives are different to how we had imagined all those years ago, I guess we were a little naive in how quickly these changes would occur.

Having said this  I still think that this birthday was celebrated with all the hall marks of what is actually important to us as a family.
The time spent together sharing a meal, the opening the presents from the birthday bag while sitting on the throne next to the seasons table that has been decorated to reflect that persons interests or something special about them.
We certainly had to make adjustments in picking up other children from work and the disruption this caused to the celebrations- but the love, care and joy that we shared on this day certainly puts this celebration into the well lived variety.

Happy Birthday my Love from your adoring wife and children.
xxxxxoooooo

The Mark of a Man!

It may sound strange to you.......
You may think it inappropriate.........
Surely this isn't a good judge of a man.....

BUT there is nothing I know of that makes me happier and feel more nurtured in my marriage and of me as a wife and mother though, then seeing my husband loving, being involved with and nurturing our children.

They are truly a gift from God, created from the love we have for each other and so in essence a huge extension of myself and that most precious and holy love.

SO by default; by loving them; I feel his love for me.
By his nurturing and being involved with our children, this in turn makes me feel nurtured.
To see his gentleness with our precious gifts; I feel the that this gentleness overflow into all our lives.
In his gentleness he is strong. In his strength he builds strength not only in our children but also in me.

Why is this so?
For me it shows a love and care for those most who are most vulnerable in our society.
Our children and in fact all children are vulnerable in the way they depend and rely on us for love, physical, emotional and spiritual care and much of their own self confidence (especially in the early years).

And so it is difficult for me to see a man who treats children and most especially his own children with less than that utmost love and nurturing care.
How can he love me if he can not express love to the little people in his life who absolutely rely upon him for this most basic of life needs?

To me I can't see it and so I say again-
There is nothing I know of that makes me happier and feel more nurtured in my marriage and of me as a wife and mother though, then seeing my husband loving, being involved with and nurturing our children

HOW BLESSED I AM!

 Blessings to you and your homes,
 

To my Love...........

For so long you have held my heart and I have seen so much of life with you. WE have had a whole lot of loving and a whole lot of trials that we have weathered together.
We are stronger now than we were to start and the simple joys of life are ours to share.
I look forward to spending the rest of our lives together, watching our children grow, sharing the future and all it holds in store for us.

You are my knight, my friend and my whole world.
The father of our children.
The builder of dreams together.
Without you my life is incomplete.
This day is for you 'cause I love you so much.

All my love always,
   xxxxxxxx

'His and Hers'

For years I have wanted to get my Honey a rocking chair of his own. It is not unusual to see him sitting in mine as he says he loves it so. Of course he will hop out of it if I need to sit in it with a baby or small child, but that hasn't stopped me from wanting to get him his own.
I long while ago I blogged about my love of this chair and the many instances of what it means to me and so I know how much it can just be a comfort thing.

So as I was driving past the Antique shop we frequent on occasion I glanced out to see what was outside the shop.
Imagine my surprise to see a rocking chair sitting on the path. As this street is a one way street I had to go all the way around the block and come back again for a second look. All the while hoping and praying that no one else bought it in the meantime and that it would be at a price I was happy to pay.

I was actually able to park right in front of the shop, which was just as well as I had Trahaearn asleep in the car and no older child to keep an eye on him.
I got out and walked the 2 meters (leaving the car door open and able to see the baby) and looked it over. It had a tiny broken art of the top right runner that can be glued back on with wood glue and not other damage.
I tried it out and loved it!

So next up the price!! Would it be too much?
I searched all over and could not see a price. So I was determined to follow this up I went back over to the car and started to get the sleeping baby out of his car seat. While I was doing this the owner who we know fairly well came out the front door.

I turned and said I was just coming in to find him and how much was the rocking chair?
He came over to me and said " For me $70" I said- "done I'll take it"

I was not able to fit it in the van at that moment as I had been shopping and had groceries in the back but I said I would pick it up when I cam back into town that afternoon.
He even said don't get the baby out now but just pay for it when I cam back in.

Now the next day was my Honey's birthday and wouldn't you just say that was a 'divine intervention?' Cause I would!

When I got it home I was so excited I just had to tell Stephen as he was away in Wagga already. He was worried about the price initially until I told him the bargain price.......now he loves the idea of a matching set of 'his n hers' rocking chairs.

Or is it the three bears.........look at the last photo with Corbyn's along side.
Just too cute isn't it!

Hmm this was a post I wrote before we left Tassie, I  hoped to pre-publish but never got around to it. So enjoy this look from our old home as it looks quite different now, lol

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

What is marriage???

I think many people have different ideas about it, but I believe marriage is.............
A love story!

Today I would like to tell you a story.
Yes a story, a love story. In particular our love story!
So her goes~

Once upon a time there was a young girl who fell in love with her Prince Charming.  Prince Charming was all she had wanted in her future husband and he adored everything about her and could not imagine life without her.
Together they decided that they belonged together and were married. After they were married they lived  happily ever after.
THE END!

What? That's it? That is what you wanted to share? Well that is so uninspiring! And quite frankly not even believable. In fact rewind that and start again because that is not how real life is!

Well, that is how I see my life, all except the ending part yet.
In fact the happily ever after part is TRUE and it will continue to be true until the end of time because marriage is not just a wedding ceremony - it is a life-long journey that is filled with adventure all the way.

Oh our adventure has had many ups and downs and sometimes the downs seem to be all too frequent and drawn out. But when you commit to a lifetime of adventure together you truly have something and somebody to share that with.

I indeed have been blessed in this adventure as we have now been married for 25 years today.

Who could have guessed that when I was given a letter by the girl next door after school one day that I would marry the boy who sent that letter to me. I was only 12 years old at the time and I was being asked to attend youth group at our church on Friday by this young boy, because he liked me.

I did go on Friday night and for many Friday nights after. We developed a friendship which I know his friends teased him about ( he was three years older than me) that was probably a little too early for both of us,  for some reason for a few years in my life we were no longer close friends.

Then as I neared my 15th year ( I can't remember when exactly ) my beloved became a very important part of my life again. I remember him especially as the most important part of my 16th birthday celebration as we went out to dinner with my family. He was the person I wanted to have as my  most particular guest.

To try to keep the story reasonable short we were engaged after I turned 18 and had a two year engagement. Stephen was at University and I was at college we were over 600km (which is an 8 hour journey) away from each other for two years and married just before I turned 21, to live HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

How I think back to those days and see how much in love we were. Oh no, I am not saying that we are not in love now but I am reflecting on the ability of that love to last through the changes of these years together.

We now have 12 beautiful children and have had many challenges both person and financial during this time and what I know is this - that what is stable, what is true and unchanging is the fact that our marriage is FOREVER.

We know that even on the most difficult of days that we have each other  to rely on, to support one another and even have disagreements with. For yes, even in the best of marriages I don't think you can  agree 100% of the time. What is important and real is the ability to overcome these periods of disagreement and  be united in the truth of the 'foreverness' of our love.

Our children will tell you that both of us are very strong willed, passionate people ( Autumn here: we kids  say  very stubborn.)who stand up for what we believe in. This unfortunately can lead to some less than pleasant 'discussion' and not always privately.

Do I regret this? Absolutely!
Can we learn from this? Absolutely!
Is it good for the children? Yes and no!

I do think that it is best if children do not see their parents have a little 'discussion' but I also think that it show them we are not perfect, that we are still sinners and we need to be humble and sorry for past mistakes and try to do better with each opportunity that comes our way. We have faults and troubles we need to deal with, BUT with all of  this our love is strong and faithful.

We are faithful! We are faithful to the idea of love, marriage and happy ever afters. After all marriage is sacrament, and God is our binding link. We are  three fold link that has God as our centre.
Marriage is not for only when it feels good. It is for the not so good times as well. It is for all the journey and how wonderful to be able to look back with the one you started the journey with and say " Remember when........."

Sadly today in society our children are not shown this 'forever' theme in those around them. Too many children have come from homes that 'once the fun has gone so are we' and this has to influence their own outlook on what marriage is.
For us as Christians we need to be an example of a 'good marriage' not necessarily a constantly 'happy marriage' because marriage is more than the feeling of love and happiness ........it is about forever- no matter what.

One thing that I know has changed in our marriage is me, in fact both of us. We are not the same two young people we were when we first were married, and this is a good thing.

We both have grown and matured. We have become concrete in our commitment to God, our Faith, each other and our children.

Who would have known that we would achieve so much with our lives, and hey it isn't even over yet?
Who would know? God DID!

Thank you to my Price Charming who loves me unconditionally, with all my faults and problems. You are my knight protector, my Romeo, the father of our precious children and not last by any means the man I want to spend all the rest of my days with.

Happy Anniversary my love ♥ ♥

I think this says it all.........
Blessings to you and your homes,
 

Happy Fathers Day

Today we celebrated Fathers Day in Australia.

Today we give thanks for the special man in our children's lives...their Dad. The children  created this huge breakfast as a morning treat. Of course Stephen was supposed to have it in bed but he actually beat the children up and so they created a special place for him at the table.

We really did nothing out of the way today ~went to Church had our Sunday BBQ Lunch and relaxed in the afternoon.
It was no different to a lot of other days for us except I think as a reminder of the fact we have such a wonderful man in our lives that we can enjoy the 'everydayness' of our lives within the family circle even on  special day such as we had today.

I have always enjoyed the poems of Edgar Guest as I believe they have a quality that embraces family life and all the joy and stability that we need in our topsy turvy world. So these are two that I think talk about the qualities not only of a father but the underlying strength of character that makes a good man a great father.

Only A Dad ~Edgar Guest

Only a dad with a tired face,
Coming home from the daily race,
Bringing little of gold or fame
To show how well he has played the game;
But glad in his heart that his own rejoice
To see him come and to hear his voice.

Only a dad with a brood of four,
One of ten million men or more
Plodding along in the daily strife,
Bearing the whips and the scorns of life,
With never a whimper of pain or hate,
For the sake of those who at home await.

Only a dad, neither rich nor proud,
Merely one of the surging crowd,
Toiling, striving from day to day,
Facing whatever may come his way,
Silent whenever the harsh condemn,
And bearing it all for the love of them.

Only a dad but he gives his all,
To smooth the way for his children small,
Doing with courage stern and grim
The deeds that his father did for him.
This is the line that for him I pen:
Only a dad, but the best of men.

From the book "A Heap o' Livin'" ©1916

The True Man ~ Edgar Guest

This is the sort of a man was he:
True when it hurt him a lot to be;
Tight in a corner an' knowin' a lie
'Would have helped him out, but he wouldn't buy
His freedom there in so cheap a way ---
He told the truth though he had to pay.

Honest! Not in the easy sense,
When he needn't worry about expense ---
We'll all play square when it doesn't count
And the sum at stake's not a large amount ---
But he was square when the times were bad,
An' keepin' his word took all he had.

Honor is something we all profess,
But most of us cheat --- some more, some less ---
An' the real test isn't the way we do
When there isn't a pinch in either shoe;
It's whether we're true to our best or not
When the right thing's certain to hurt a lot.

That is the sort of a man was he:
Straight when it hurt him a lot to be;
Times when a lie would have paid him well,
No matter the cost, the truth he'd tell;
An' he'd rather go down to a drab defeat
Than save himself if he had to cheat.

Blessings to you and your homes,

Our Wedding Anniversary

On Monday the 2nd of May we had our 24th wedding Anniversary.
We actually celebrated this on Friday night when we had Kynan still home.
Our children organised the meal, Seafood baskets and a most delicious Peach and Rum Puddingcake.

It was wonderful to see how they also organised to decorate the dinner table with a "Sea Theme". I simply love to see the creative side of the children come out in these matters.

This is the Peach and Rum Puddingcake. It was so delicious that I just have to share the recipe with you:

2 cups  plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (we actually don't add the salt)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice
2 eggs
1 packed cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 TBS rum (we used rum essence)
2 TBS melted butter
2 1/2 cups of peach slices (we used canned)

Topping:
1/2 pint heavy cream
2 TBS rum
3 TBS icing sugar

Method~
1. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and spices into a bowl
2. In a separate bowl beat with an electric mixer eggs and brown sugar on high for several minutes
3. Beat the vanilla, rum, melted butter into the sugar and egg mixture.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mix. Add the peaches. Use a wooden spoon and try to combine everything well with just a few swift strokes.
5. Spread the mixture int a greased pan and bake 35 mins at 350 degrees F
6. Whip the heavy cream, sprinkling in the rum and icing sugar.
7. Serve the pudding cake hot or warm in squares laced with topping.


This was one of the songs from our Wedding that I still love even now~
A new commandment I give unto you:
That you love one another as I have loved you.
That you love one another as I have loved you.

By this shall all men know that you are My disciples
If you have love one for another.
By this shall all men know that you are My disciples
If you have love one for another.

A new commandment I give unto you:
That you love one another as I have loved you.
That you love one another as I have loved you.

Happy Anniversary my love I am so blessed to have you  in my life.

Blessings to you and your homes,

Happy Birthday my Love

My dearest Darling Stephen,
Yet another year as come that we can celebrate your birthday.
A day to say especially how much we love you and appreciate all you do for us.
You are and always have been my special man and I have loved living my life with you.
It has been a life that has been full of lots of interesting quirks and turns but it has been a been my honour and privilege to be your wife and mother to our children. As we have grown ourselves and are now watching our children grow, living life, loving and becoming men and women of God I couldn't have asked for anyone else to share this experience called life with.

You are my love, my friend and knight in shinning armour.
A blast from the past for you- Stephen and his dog Blackie

I love you ♥ my honey

Treasure Hunt!!!!!!

The flip side of our weekend after the cleaning was on Sunday when Stephen (what a busy little idea man he was last weekend) suggested a treasure hunt after someone uttered those famous words "I am bored". The traditional treatment in this case is to give that child something more rewarding to do in the way of community service....translation a JOB.
Stephen must have been a little soft hearted, what with it being Sunday and all, no not really, he loves to give the children treasure hunts to do fairly often and this was his weapon of choice on Sunday.
This time he said the children needed to use the compass that Arwen had so dutifully found lying around somewhere (after it had NOT been put back by whoever had it last) and was handing it to him and they would require a 30 meter tape measure.
He wrote out the clues on a piece of paper, on the other side which he kept, so no-one saw this side, he actually drew himself a map to keep (forgot to take a photo) for reference.
Saxon and Moran were the first to take up the challenge and were keen to get into the mood with some getting into character for a treasure hunt...... of course pirates were the choice of costume.
Here they are starting out with some necessary equipment: homemade wooden axe, sword, of course a compass is a given and tape measure and the all important map. The pirate head gear is so cool.
Moran was thrilled to have completed the treasure hunt and carried the gear back inside.
Next up Autumn and Vellvin were the treasure hunters. The went with the traditional explorer look. It was starting to rain by this stage and the hats were also effective in keeping the drizzle of the girls.
To your starting places girls and good luck on your quest. The girls were fairly quick getting to the end of the quest.

Stephen then checked where both groups got to after finishing and eyeballing the 'secret marker' in comparison to the established finish mark.
Both teams enjoyed the quest and were soon off to do other important last minute Sunday activities before a scheduled back to work week on Monday.

As to date Stephen has not revealed if both or either of the groups were successful in their quest. So how about it Dad?

Blessings,

Happy Wedding Anniversary My Love ♥

My Dearest Darling Stephen 23 years ago we were wed.
I cannot believe that life has gone by so quickly.
Although you cannot be with me today Your love surrounds me and the legacy of our love have been with me today.

I have so much I would say to you but cannot put into words so simply~
Because in everything I do
You always have a part,
Because a loving thought of you
Is always in my heart,
Because each little wish of mine
You've tried to make come true --
On this, our day, I want to say
How dearly I love you.

I LOVE YOU ♥

How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right:
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,--I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --and if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

All my love always,

A Fathers Love ♥

As I was searching through for images of the Epiphany I remembered I had this one tucked away and wanted to share it.

I really LOVE this image of Joseph holding baby Jesus. The whole image is one of such total devotion, care and love. As I was reflecting on this I thought more of Joseph's love for Jesus. He dedicated his life to love, nurture and care for Mary and her special Son.

As much as I adore images of Mary with Jesus and other Mothering images I wanted to focus this one on the role of Fathers and how important they are in the raising of children.

Of course God in his infinite wisdom created the family, knowing that children needed both a mother and a father to create the best environment for children to thrive and be nurtured in.

Of course also, this can not always be the case as some families suffer tragedies in our imperfect world.

But God's design for a family was a mother and father and children.

I thought this poem might speak a bit better than I on the importance of fathers in children's lives.

His Special Place

Mother is all that is noble and fine,
And all that is right and good.
She richly deserves every sonnet that’s sung
To her glorious motherhood.
And when Mother receives some fresh acclaim
The whole wide world is glad,
But away down deep in every heart
There’s a place that is just for Dad.

We may not shower him with praise
Nor mention his name in song,
And sometimes it seems that we forget
The joy he spreads as he goes along,
But it doesn’t mean that we don’t know
The wonderful role that he has had.
And away down deep in every heart
There’s a place that is just for Dad.

- Author Unknown

I pray you each enjoy your own families, however diverse they are, as much as We are thankful and blessed by ours.

Blessings,

A Beautiful Poem

While searching for St Michael information I came upon this poem.

It made me cry for that little girl and made me rejoice that she had such wonderful memories of her Daddy.

I pray that our children can also feel such joy for their Daddy.

A Dad's Poem

Her hair was up in a ponytail,
her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
and she couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,
that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
if she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;
she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
of why he wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried,
for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
she tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school,
eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never see
a dad who never calls.

There were daddies along the wall in back,
for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
anxious in their seats.

One by one the teacher called,
a student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
as seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
for a man who wasn't there.

"Where's her daddy at?"
she heard a boy call out.
"She probably doesn't have one,"
another student dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,
she heard a daddy say,
"Looks like another deadbeat dad,
too busy to waste his day."

The words did not offend her,
as she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher,
who told her to go on.
And with hands behind her back,
slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
came words incredibly unique.

"My Daddy couldn't be here,
because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
and how much he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories
he taught me to ride my bike.
He surprised me with pink roses,
and taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him,
I'm not standing here alone.

"Cause my daddy's always with me,
even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
he'll forever be in my heart"

With that, her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere in the crowd of dads,
her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love
of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
doing what was right.

And when she dropped her hand back down,
staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
but its message clear and loud.

"I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here,
but heaven's just too far
You see he was a fireman
and died just this past year
When airplanes hit the towers
and taught Americans to fear.

But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it's like he never went away."
And then she closed her eyes,
and saw him there that day.

And to her mother's amazement,
she witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them,
who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
they saw him at her side.

"I know you're with me Daddy,"
to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it,
for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.

And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
by the love of her shining bright star.
And given the gift of believing,
that heaven is never too far.

Blessings,

Fathers Day

♥ Is it really 20 years ago you became a Father. What a glorious vocation you have. Our children could not ask for a more dedicated Father, one who loves and cares for them so intensely.

You have been a Daddy who is dedicated to making our world better one child at a time. To furthering THE KINGDOM one child at a time.

In a world that does not honour it's children you have proven that love can conquer all, and given our children the gift of love and dedication by being the best Daddy you can. By constantly relying on the Grace of God to guide and protect our family you have been a true Knight of the Realm.

Here are a few quotes I found you may enjoy. I can't remember where I got them though ♥

A father carries pictures where his money used to be. -Author Unknown

There is no more vital calling or vocation for men than fathering. -John Throop

Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him Father! -Lydia M. Child

Children's children are the crown of old men and the glory of children are their fathers. -Proverbs 17:6

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person--he believed in me. -Jim Valvano

One night a father overheard his son pray, "Dear God, make me the kind of man my daddy is."---Later that night, the father prayed, "Dear God, make me the kind of man my son wants me to be. -Anonymous

F...You are my friend.
A...You are my ally.
T...You are my teacher.
H...You are my hero.
E...You are my example.
R...You are my rock.

-K. Williams

♥ And for your viewing pleasure your very own Children.....

All our love

and your children
XXXXXX OOOOOOO

Happy Birthday Honey

Happy Birthday to my super hero.
You are the man I can always depend on and have for more than half my life. When I think of all the birthdays and other special events in my life I am so thankful you have been the one to share them with me.

You are my prince Charming and what else could I ask for? Actually you are much better looking than Edward and much more intelligent of course!!
Why else would I have allowed you to win me over?
As we celebrate yet another one of your birthdays I can only hope you enjoy having this birthday as much as we have enjoyed planning it for you. If I could give you the world and all the things you have ever dreamed of I would.
As I do not have a magical Genie to give you all that I can only offer you, as always my, undying devotion to you.

Have a verry happy birthday my love.
All my love forever
and the little guys. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥