As I think about all my many blessings and those I take for granted, I would have to put at the top of that list my husband, Gary.  So if you happen to be reading this blog today and you have a life's mate that you assume will always be there, let this be the day we take note and show them our appreciation. 

Gary is one of those people that never complains and always sees the "cup" half full.  In fact, that has to be a primary reason God sent him to me.  I'm the downer....that "cup" is forever half empty in my cupboard!  Gary sees the best in people and enhances their potential and that, fortunately, has included me.  Knowing early in our relationship my burning desire for a college education, Gary encouraged me until I enrolled in part-time college classes when our oldest, Nicholas, was 13 months old.  When Nicholas was 11 and his sister, Kimberly was 9, they attended my college graduation.  What an awesome accomplishment for a little girl from Lynchburg, Virginia.

I have always desired to write and teach Bible classes and participate in seminars.  Gary is behind me 100% as I pursue these goals and his career heads into retirement.  He loves me unconditionally and held my hand through breast cancer referring to that time in our lives as when "we had this disease."  He verbally tells me he loves me every, single day and kisses me good-bye in the morning and hello every night as he steps through the door.  One of my personal favorites is when he picks my hand up while we're riding down the road in the car and kisses the back of my hand....now that's a keeper.  It doesn't take a lot to make a woman's heart do cartwheels!  And on each anniversary I get the number of roses for the number of years we've been married.  In fact, the longer we're married the more than loving gesture is costing him! 

He is a wonderful father....just ask our kids.  His style of mentoring, loving, caring, encouraging and instructing are unmatched in my book.  He has become a stellar example of a Christian and I love him dearly.  Although I haven't enough room to continue writing all the ways he blesses me each and every day, I do know that as he retires I will have more time to hopefully return some of those blessings.  So if you haven't shown your spouse some appreciation, do so today.  We never know what tomorrow might hold!  God bless, my friends.

I feel very blessed.  I have a "home" in Lynchburg, Virginia and I have a "home" in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  This past week I have spent the time in my hometown of Lynchburg visiting family and "old" friends.  It's been delightful renewing friendships and getting caught up on the lives of my family members.  Riding through the streets and highways of Lynchburg, I have recalled memory after memory of days gone by.  This City has built up so much since my departure almost thirty years ago that I have to carefully proceed on each solo adventure!  I am so thankful that I have precious memories and that I continue to make them.

I also have a home in Pittsburgh.  It's where I have lived the majority of my married life, gave birth to my babies and have made countless friends.  Since I am a teacher and have been an active parent in the school district, there isn't one time I visit our local grocery store, Giant Eagle, that I don't run into several friends!  In fact, I now bump into former students that are in college and beyond that anxiously and accurately share their accomplished goals and careers.

It's a true blessing of God to have two "homes"....but I have a feeling the best "home" is yet to come....my eternal one with Jesus!   God bless, my friends.  Thank you to all those Virginia buddies who have made the journey sweet this week and my family members whom I love dearly. 

I had an unusual and delightful opportunity yesterday to lunch with two of my favorite ladies; my mom and a dear friend of ours, Miss Betty.  Spending a few extra days in my hometown, I decided beforehand that my mom and I would visit Miss Betty and the visit turned into a memorable experience.

As we took a seat in Applebee's having our soup and salad combos, I was royally entertained by these ladies.  In fact, I've never laughed so hard as these older "girlfriends", similar in age, swapped stories about their growing health issues, their husbands (both named Dick, by the way), age spots on their hands and who did their pedicures!  One of my favorite comments occurred as they related how forgetful they had become.  Miss Betty, noted for her humorous one-liners, matter-of-factly said, "sometimes I feel like my mind went off in the backyard to play."  At which time I belly laughed until tears formed in my eyes!  It was therapeudic to realize that girlfriends are a vital part of life...regardless of age! 

So, if you have the opportunity to lunch with older girlfriends, you'll have the time of your life especially if you just sit and listen to the conversation.  Amazingly, women have the same concerns and issues as they progress through the stages of life. So, go out and get you one or remember an old one, but find time to contact a girlfriend today!  God bless!

For the past several days Gary and I have been in my hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia.  It started out being cold and rainy with the Ida storm moving through, but since Friday the weather has been in the high 60's and low 70's....amazing for this time of year.  I've had the opportunity to enjoy a "mock" Thanksgiving with the family on Saturday night, enjoy an uplifting service at my home church and take a tour of their new building facility.

I also had the opportunity to take a nice long walk on Rivermont Avenue with a dear "old" friend of mine from childhood.  She and her husband live on Rivermont Avenue and if you have read previous blogs, this is an area we dreamed of as children having a home.  She was blessed to make the dream come true.  This precious friend loves the things of yesteryear that remind her of our growing up days on Wards Road and 29 South.  So, she found her grandmother's "chicken coup" and had it moved by the local crane company to her backyard!  What a howl!  She has plans of turning this memory into a potting shed....the plans are beautiful and what an addition to an already gorgeous home that doubles as a B&B!  I so love coming home and visiting her....no telling what I'll find next time!!  God bless everyone....love you, Sue, hope your day is wonderful!

Gary and I arrived on Thursday to Lynchburg, Va, the place I was born and raised.  Hurricane Ida has been visiting this area most of the week and we drove from sunshine to overcast skies to rain.  The car registered 41 degrees on the way down and we laughed and commented it was the first time the weather was nicer in Pittsburgh than six hours south in Virginia! 

We will be celebrating a "mock" Thanksgiving on Saturday with the family since Gary and I will not be able to be in town for the actual holiday this year.  One of the amazing sights we took in today was a place called "SnowFlex" on Liberty Mountain.  Liberty University is practically in mom and dad's backyard and the college continues to grow and develop.  This SnowFlex is an actual place for snow skiing and snowboarding.  It's unbelievable because there is no snow involved.  It's a surface that allows these activities without making snow or depending on a snow making machine!  Wonders never cease!  There is a small lodge with fireplaces so you can sit by the fire or watch the adventurers out on the slope.  On the front side of the lodge is a view, unlike none other, of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the aerial view of the campus. 

God has truly blessed Jerry Falwell's vision and his sons are carrying on that vision.  In fact, Mrs. Jerry Falwell and Jerry, Jr. were coming out of the lodge as we went in....they are faithfully following the course of action laid out by the founder.  However, I'm sure Dr. Falwell would never take the credit....God is truly the founder and leader of Liberty University and the efforts that flow from this ministry!  God bless!

I neglected to say thank you to our vets yesterday.  I am so proud to be an American and I'm grateful to all the men and women who serve in our military currently and for those who have previously been in the armed forces.  This morning Gary and I had breakfast at a local restaurant and saw an elderly friend who served in WWII.  He wore proudly a WWII baseball cap and we enjoyed spending a few minutes with him and his wife.

I also want to thank my dad, my brother and my nephew for serving in the military.  My dad was in the Army, and my brother and his son were in the Air Force.  Gary has several uncles that served in WWII and his grandfather, who was born in Italy, became an American citizen and served in our military in WWI....what a legacy!  God bless our armed forces!!

While I'm on the subject of answered prayer I must share some really great news.  I visited with a sweet couple that live in our neighborhood after school yesterday.  A few months ago the wife had suffered a heart attack and I wanted to check on them.  They are wonderful people, but I wasn't really sure about their belief in God or if they were Christians. 

I have been praying for them and asking God to show me how to approach them on the subject of faith and the Lord.  When we visited the hospital during the wife's stay, we had prayer with them and they know that we are Christians.  Today as I approached the door and the wife let me into their home I was amazed at how wonderful she looked.  She had lost weight and had an absolute glow in her countenance. 

It wasn't five minutes into our conversation that she began telling me about how Jesus had healed her and given her a new lease on life.  She and her husband have been "saved" and are Christians!  They attend a local church each week and are so excited about this new life in Christ.  They tear easily as they speak of God's blessings on their life.  I shared how I didn't know how to approach them on the subject of faith before and now they urge me to return and visit for a longer period of time.  I am planning on going to lunch with the wife when I return from my trip to Lynchburg.

Isn't God just the best?  It makes me anxious to see all the rest of my neighbors come to know the Lord Jesus Christ....for now I know it's entirely possible! 

I'm sure each one of us has experienced answered prayer.  But do we give praise for those answers?  I want to give God the honor and glory for a recent answered prayer.  My friend, Tina, has been without a job for months.  We have prayed and struggled with the "whys" of the wait.  We've tried to be encouraging and uplifting to this sweet soul who has held on to the hope and promise that God was hearing her pleas for help when honestly, we didn't understand why the prayers weren't being quicker.

Today she begins a new job....a perfect job....made just for her....tailored especially by God to fit her needs, her abilities and her skills.  We give praise today to God for answered prayer and for the extra bonus thrown in.....she will have her very own office!  You go, girl!  And thank you, Jesus.....thank you for taking care of my friend, Tina.  Amen!!!

There's a lot that can be said for determinaton and those individuals who have a determined spirit.  They are the ones that don't give up and even if they wanted to give up, something keeps them going.  Maybe it's innate, maybe not, but I love watching a determined individual go about accomplishing goals.

My daughter, Kimberly, is a very determined young woman.  From the day she was conceived in the womb, she let us know she was in the room!  Some professionals would call Kimberly's determined spirit, the "strong-willed child".....I called it Kimberly.  Gary and I have watched the development of that spirit bloom into a strong independent young woman and we believe that's what God ordained and created for our daughter.

Kimberly is much like her Dad in that she has a plan for her life.  She wanted to attain a B.S. Degree in Education in four years and she found a college of her choosing that offered said degree.  She desired to get her Master's Degree in two years and, as of this past Friday, she officially accomplished that goal.  I'm so proud of her I could shout, but instead I thought I would blog about it.  Kimberly is a treasure and I'm sure many children will reap the benefit of her determined spirit to be the best teacher she can possibly be!  Congratulations, Kimbo!

Since childhood, I’ve always envisioned myself as a mother.  Was it growing up in the 50’s with “Leave it to Beaver” and Harriet Nelson when all the television moms were stay-at home ladies and their families ate dinner together each night?  I honestly don’t know, but I desired early in my life to be a stay-at-home mom.  Fortunately, God sent me a husband that agreed with my longings and we did the necessary sacrifices in order for this dream to become reality.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all my adventures in motherhood and today we are continuing to reap the benefits of those joys.  Nicholas, our eldest, is a sixth grade teacher and just moved into an apartment closer to his school district.  Gary and I spent Friday night and all day Saturday assisting him with the move.  It makes a heart grow proud to see your offspring continuing to grow, mature and fulfill the circle of life.  He is excited with this new venture and the view from his apartment is perfect for one loving the City of Pittsburgh.  Standing on his balcony one can view Mt. Washington, Oakland and the skyline of downtown Pittsburgh!  We eagerly await July 4th next year!

If you have read my previous blogs, you will remember our daughter, Kimberly, got married in July.  Now we have added another son to the family.  As I write this blog on Sunday night with Gary’s laptop, we are driving back from Cleveland after a visit with Luke and Kimberly and it brings another joy to be shared.   We lunched at T.J.’s on the Avenue, took a walk through their new neighborhood, enjoyed a house tour of their latest furnishings and played a game of Wii bowling!  Who says you stop playing games with your kids once they’re grown? 

Motherhood…it will forever be an honor and privilege for which I am eternally thankful.