Did I happen to mention that I married an Italian?  Yep, the family name was Bianco and was changed to the English version, White, many years ago.  Since we are in the midst of wedding details with a countdown of less than two weeks, I spent the afternoon baking cookies.  Having a wedding with Italian relatives means getting ready for cookie tables at the reception!  I've been so nervous about having enough cookies and having a large, delicious variety.  I've not been ashamed for leaning on friends and relatives to bake, bake, bake! 

My husband thinks there will be more cookies than we know what to do with once the reception is over.....I think not.  I've seen how those little Italians stash cookies into purses and pockets for enjoyment later on.....so for the next several days I will bake, bake, bake!  Wedding countdown....12 days!  Keep on prayin' my friends!

I appreciate the input of those of you who read this website.  It is my prayer that this is an uplifting time when you spare precious minutes of your day to read what God has laid on my heart.  Please be in prayer for me in the upcoming two weeks before my daughter gets married.  Life takes on a high gear and I need to stay calm and stree free....(I could probably have a best seller if I could figure that one out!)

I would also ask that you pray for me in the coming months.  I desire with all my heart for God to use me in ministry.  May His will be done and not mine.  Thank you, friends!  Happy Birthday to my Tennessee friend, Sharon!

Well, my friends....it's been a while.  I have to apologize for those of you waiting on a new devotional.  Life is running a little out of control with my daughter's wedding coming up in a little over two weeks.  Lots of details and many items need my daily attention.  Please pray for me during this time and also for God's guidance with this website and the teaching ministry I so desire to have as part of my life.

May God bless each and every one of you.  Please drop me a note if God so leads.

Good Morning, my friends.  What an exciting weekend!  We enjoyed the last of the bridal showers in Pittsburgh on Saturday.  It was a beautiful day and we (Kimberly and I) were surrounded with tons of friends!  Kimberly had girlfriends and sorority sisters attend from different cities and states and it was one big celebration.  It brought the reality of the wedding even closer.  We can't wait to share this blessed event with all of them in four short weeks.

On Saturday night a limited number of "moms" were invited to dinner at Station Square in Pittsburgh and then the exhausted moms returned home as the girls began a night of further celebration with a Bachelorette Party for Kimberly.  Oh, the energy of youth!

Sunday was another glorious day with a time of worship and then a "picnic" on the deck before Kimberly's future mother-in-law and sisters-in-law returned home to Cleveland.  What a wonderful family she is gaining and we are blessed as well.

Have a wonderful day!  "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

At 4:54 a.m., June 11, 1984, I gave birth to our second child....a beautiful little baby girl.   She burst onto the scene after approximately 45 minutes of intense, quick labor  and she has been bursting into our lives and hearts ever since!  Gary and I named her Kimberly Garbee White and we affectionately call her "Kimber", "Kimbo" and a variety of little nicknames, but she is a unique and beautiful young woman.

How in the world did twenty-five years pass by?  As I've been looking through old albums to gather pictures of Kimberly for her upcoming wedding, memories have flooded my mind as I recall each and every picture and event surrounding the photos.  She has been a delightful, loving, warm and embracing child that has evolved into an absolutely gorgeous, caring and professional woman.  She, like her brother, is a teacher.  A profession I have always loved has been passed on to my children and they are truly gifted and skilled in their God given talents. 

Kimberly is a fourth grade teacher.  I watched her this past week in her classroom and it continues to amaze me at the patience and care with which she carries herself in a room full of active students.  Am I surprised?  In all honesty, no, I'm not.  She has been a gift from God from the moment she drew breath and she has shown all those she's come in contact with over these past 25 years that same patience, care, concern and unconditional love.

Of course, she went through the hormonal years of growing up, but even then that time passed in the blink of an eye.  Nothing overshadows the fact that she's been a blessing to her dad, her brother and me.  We've been a tight foursome for a long time.  In only a month our circle will expand to include another member to our family.  In her choosing, Kimberly is bringing to us a young man that is caring, loving and incredibly kind.  I've prayed for this young man since Kimberly was a baby and now God brings him to us.  Next year on her birthday Kimberly's name will be expanded, but she will always be "our little girl."  Happy Birthday, my beautiful daughter....the bride to be!  With all the love this blog can hold!  Mom

Yesterday I celebrated another birthday.  It was a nice day...a wonderful day, in fact.  I'm healthy, happy and have tons of friends and a loving family.  Sometimes we visualize a big celebration honoring the day of our birth or we might yearn for quiet moments of reflection with not a lot of fanfare.  This year was a more quiet celebration for me.  I started the day with my daughter in Cleveland and ended with my son in Pittsburgh....what could be better?

My husband is out of town, but called several times and I even had a cup of coffee with my mother-in-law.  My sweet girlfriends in Virginia called....one sang, the other knows better!  We're all aging together and laughing about what's changing and how we are thankful to be here.  Fortunately, all these dear ones will be celebrating with us on July 11th when our daughter becomes the new "Mrs."

I'm so grateful for all my friends that over the past months I have re-discovered through the communication tool of Facebook.  Thanks for all of you who wrote on my "wall" yesterday!  Life just keeps getting better.  Thank you, Jesus, for your love, mercy and willingness to lay down your life so that my life can extend throughout eternity.  And thank you for the gift of friendship!

Have a wonderful day, my friends and loved ones!

 

Another beautiful Lord's Day!  The weather has been incredible these past couple of days...just in time for a little more rain!  As I sit here typing this note, I hear birds singing and I smell the newly mowed grass that my husband, Gary, has been working on the past hour.  The ceiling fan is going and all the windows are up....it's my favorite time of year!

I was priviledged to join my daughter, Kimberly, for yet another bridal shower yesterday given by her future mother and sisters-in-law.  It was great meeting her future relatives and greeting friends of the family.  Time is quickly passing by as this week marks the wedding at only a month away!

It's a special upcoming week since Kimberly and I will both celebrate another birthday!  Yes, our birthdays are only two days apart!   It's always a special week to share this special event together!

Well, in closing I will mention for those of you who read my devotionals, the next installment of the armor of God will be posted on Thursday.  I will be out of town until Wednesday and I will make it a point to get "part II" posted on Thursday.  Thanks to all of you who read the blog and the devotionals!  I appreciate your ongoing support!  God bless you all with a wonderful week.

Well, here it is the beginning of June!  My, how time is flying by.  Today I visited with my dentist.  I'm in the process of having a root canal completed on a back molar.  Yep, a root canal.  It hasn't been too bad being my second visit to correct the problem.  It's amazing how a dentist can drill into a tooth and find a nerve ending that has "gone bad."  My particular problem was sensitivity.  I couldn't even drink tap water without almost coming out of my seat due to the elevated sensitivity of an infected nerve ending.

Now I am able to drink and eat cold and hot items without feeling the intense pain associated with infected and inflamed nerve endings.  I am truly thankful.  Sometimes those parts of our body go unrecognized in importance when everything is performing as created.  However, those parts that seem insignificant play a major role when discomfort is associated with their function.

May we thank God for daily health, strength and all the parts of the body...especially when everything is working as He created!