Today is a topsy-turvy day for me. I feel torn in several ways.
My baby passed her drivers text Wednesday and drove her own car to school by her own self today! Aaaauuuugggghhhh! It's so HARD to let go and let them grow up. Evidently I have trust and faith issues! :) I'm going to have to leave my faith in HIM to keep her safe and sound. I don't remember it being this hard with my 2 older children. Is this the beginning of "empty nest" syndrome? Seeing the last child take the last steps toward adulthood? I'm not so sure I'm ready for that yet. God's got His work cut out for Him, getting me ready to face that part of my future.
In other news, Colby has called off the wedding. I'm not sure if it's temporary or not. We're gonna leave that in God's hands, also. He is under a massive amount of pressure in his personal life with his family. His mother was diagnosed in the early stages of Alzheimer's a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday they found a brain tumor. They are going to run an MRI on her and hopefully we will know more soon. She is so young - late 50's - for this to happen. Please keep her in your prayers! And Colby. Pray that we can convince them to go to MD Andersen, malignant or not. We serve an AWESOME GOD who can do anything. He is our creator, our savior, our friend, our healer, our comforter, our heavenly father. He knows our every need before the need exists. We don't know what the future holds, but we know WHO holds the future. That is where I'm going to place my trust and faith that He will work all of this out for our good.
Ryan has moved back home...well, he's living on his own, but he is back in Nederland, TX! I'm glad. Hopefully God will continue to stir him and convict him to re-dedicate his life to Him. He has a new job and is beginning to pull himself up from the financial trauma he has been through at the hands of his former employer. He, too, needs everyone's prayers.
Kirstyn is doing as well as can be expected. She took it hard when Colby called off the wedding, but she is trying to be strong and putting her faith in God. She has grown so much in her faith. I am so proud of her. She is also trying to be there for Colby as a friend, when he needs someone to talk to and confide in about his family situation. That takes an enormous amount of strength and courage. She's going to be such a great Mom and Wife someday!
There are so many other situations and people suffering...I wonder how people survive without God and a good, solid core of church family to pull them through! It's such a relief to be able to call, email or text my church family and ask them to pray and sit back and watch their immediate response and concern. They truly exhibit the love of Christ, the love of the Holy Ghost. Such a priviledge to serve an awesome God! He makes this life worth living.
Love you all!
K. Bye now!
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Kirstyn
Happy Belated Birthday to my first born child, my oldest daughter, Kirstyn Gayle Barrick. On September 11, 2012 you turned 22 years old! You made me the happiest woman on earth when you were born and I became a mom! You were a gift to me straight from God and I am so thankful for you.
Never in my wildest imagination could I have dreamed of the woman you would become! You are such a unique individual. :) You are the daughter who has tested me until I was at my wit's end and when I thought all hope was lost, you actually listened to what I had to say, your pastor had to say, and what God was trying to tell you - and applied it to your life and made yourself a better person for it!
You are the daughter who will drop everything you are doing to take me to the doctor when I am sick, only to take pictures of me at my lowest and post them on Instagram! You are the daughter who will clean the house to a T when you want to have a party or friends over, only to fight with Malissia about who's turn it is to take out the trash or close the garage door!
You are the daughter who always wants to include me in your plans to go out to eat with all of your friends, but only because Colby isn't going and you need someone to pay for your meal! :) Bwahahaha! (You didn't think I figured all that out, did you?)
You always sound so sad when you hear about me and the girls at work going out to eat because we "left you out" even though you don't work with me and have your own friends to go out with.
You are a mess! A complete, total mess and I love you for it!
You see no age limits between yourself and others - everyone is a potential best friend. You love them ALL! The children, the teenagers, the parents of all your friends, and the elderly. No one is excluded from your circle! You are who you are. No show, no false image, no "putting on a good face" for company - just plain old Kirstyn.
You are always the life of the party, always have a smile to share, a joke to crack, or someone to make fun of. Again - you are no respecter of persons - you feel free to make fun of everyone, friend or foe, acquaintance or stranger - no matter. Everyone is subject to your opinions - including yourself. You do not get offended easily and are always quick to forgive and extend the olive branch. You never hesitate to apologize when you realize you have been wrong, and never hesitate to accept apologies from others when they have hurt you.
You will soon graduate from college and I know you will be the best special education teacher in the world - because you are "special" yourself! :) Whether you choose to work with the young children in pre-school or the high-school crowd, they will all be blessed because you were in their life!
In 6 short months you will become Mrs. Colby Howell. But I will not be losing you - I will be gaining a son-in-law. Daniel and Anita are in for a BIG surprise when they take you into their family. I am sure that you will bring much joy and laughter to their family! In a few short years God will bless you both with darling, fat, blonde, dimpled babies - and I will be blessed to be their grandma! I can't wait to see what the future holds for you, the path God has chosen for you. I pray that you always follow after and seek His will.
I love you for ever, always, my baby you'll be!
Love, Mom
K. Bye now!
Never in my wildest imagination could I have dreamed of the woman you would become! You are such a unique individual. :) You are the daughter who has tested me until I was at my wit's end and when I thought all hope was lost, you actually listened to what I had to say, your pastor had to say, and what God was trying to tell you - and applied it to your life and made yourself a better person for it!
You always sound so sad when you hear about me and the girls at work going out to eat because we "left you out" even though you don't work with me and have your own friends to go out with.
You are a mess! A complete, total mess and I love you for it!
You see no age limits between yourself and others - everyone is a potential best friend. You love them ALL! The children, the teenagers, the parents of all your friends, and the elderly. No one is excluded from your circle! You are who you are. No show, no false image, no "putting on a good face" for company - just plain old Kirstyn.
You will soon graduate from college and I know you will be the best special education teacher in the world - because you are "special" yourself! :) Whether you choose to work with the young children in pre-school or the high-school crowd, they will all be blessed because you were in their life!
I love you for ever, always, my baby you'll be!
Love, Mom
K. Bye now!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Monday, Monday
Back to work today! Tons of emails to work, a few voice mail messages to respond to, and then...the paperwork! Seriously - a major fire hazard! :) Oh well, job stability.
This weekend was rather eventful. I had a class in San Antonio so I brought along Kirstyn. We had a nice stay in the hotel - it was very pretty. BUT as luck would have it (:)) with all the rooms in an 8 story building MY hotel room was on the 8th floor! :( AND all 4 elevators were GLASS!!! Kirstyn got a good laugh out of it, but it was pure torture for this "height sensitive" person! I cannot complain about the hotel room or the service. It was fabulous! And the Life & Health Insurance class I was there for was pretty interesting, too, for a L&H class, that is! :)
Malissia went along to Round Rock for the Youth Conference there Thursday - Saturday. Such great reports were sent back. The wonderful testimonies - I wish I could have been there! Awesome church.
Getting excited and ready to go to Ink's Lake next week. It's gonna be loads of fun and I hope to have some pictures to post.
And all along the way, God has tugged at my heartstrings. With all of the stresses and cares of day to day living in this world, it has been nice to feel His presence so close to me when I felt so alone. My Sunday morning prayer meeting was just the soul cleansing experience I needed! Can't wait to meet with Him again - this evening!
Well, I have no complaints. Many cares, many worries, but no complaints!
K. Bye, now.
This weekend was rather eventful. I had a class in San Antonio so I brought along Kirstyn. We had a nice stay in the hotel - it was very pretty. BUT as luck would have it (:)) with all the rooms in an 8 story building MY hotel room was on the 8th floor! :( AND all 4 elevators were GLASS!!! Kirstyn got a good laugh out of it, but it was pure torture for this "height sensitive" person! I cannot complain about the hotel room or the service. It was fabulous! And the Life & Health Insurance class I was there for was pretty interesting, too, for a L&H class, that is! :)
Malissia went along to Round Rock for the Youth Conference there Thursday - Saturday. Such great reports were sent back. The wonderful testimonies - I wish I could have been there! Awesome church.
Getting excited and ready to go to Ink's Lake next week. It's gonna be loads of fun and I hope to have some pictures to post.
And all along the way, God has tugged at my heartstrings. With all of the stresses and cares of day to day living in this world, it has been nice to feel His presence so close to me when I felt so alone. My Sunday morning prayer meeting was just the soul cleansing experience I needed! Can't wait to meet with Him again - this evening!
Well, I have no complaints. Many cares, many worries, but no complaints!
K. Bye, now.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
A dream is a wish your heart makes...
This post is completely frivolous, no depth or merit to it at all! Over the last 5-6 years my girls and I have "dreamed" of what they want for their weddings. As some of you know, my oldest, Kirstyn, will be making her debut as Mrs. Colby Howell on March 09, 2013! :)
All this wedding talk has put Malissia, my youngest (16) in a frenzy of dreaming up her picture perfect "princess" wedding. I am creating today's post for no other reason than to post a picture of these shoes that she found online at ETSY, but I am unable to pin it to my pinterest board for some unknown reason - probably because the one of a kind shoes have sold and are no longer available. I want the picture so that we can either order them or make them ourselves when the time comes - SEVERAL years from now.
To give credit where credit is due, there are MANY more lovely shoes found at BeholdenBridal on ETSY. Check her out! Beautiful work making dreams come true! :)
K. Bye, now.
All this wedding talk has put Malissia, my youngest (16) in a frenzy of dreaming up her picture perfect "princess" wedding. I am creating today's post for no other reason than to post a picture of these shoes that she found online at ETSY, but I am unable to pin it to my pinterest board for some unknown reason - probably because the one of a kind shoes have sold and are no longer available. I want the picture so that we can either order them or make them ourselves when the time comes - SEVERAL years from now.
 |
| "Something Blue" Ballet Shoes |
K. Bye, now.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Charity, Love & the Heart
This weekend was nice. Productive and relaxing all at the same time. Went to the gym Friday night to fellowship, play games and play ball. I participated in the fellowship - not so much the games or ball! I had already had my exercise for the day and they were playing Nertz - a game I refuse to play. My OCD kicks in and I get frustrated! Not good for me, but hilarious to the other players!
Saturday was nice, slept all the way to 9:30am! WOW! Got up, had coffee, and cleaned out my sewing space. I also cleaned out several drawers in my bedroom to make room for my fabric stash. The drawers previously held remnants of old crafts that I have not and will not use or complete. I filled up a trash bag and a box of TRASH to throw away, filled 3 bags full of stuff to bring to Goodwill, and placed a small handful of "keepers" in my closet on the shelf. This gave me 4 drawers to place my fabric stash in. I filled them to capacity!
Since this cleared up much needed space in my sewing area, I was able to re-organize my pattern collection. WHEW! I have a LOT of patterns! :) No complaints here, though! After I got that all straightened out, we completely filled my trunk up with Goodwill donations, dropped them off at the local donation center, and headed to Bridge City for another night of good food, fellowship and NERTZ! Again - I watched from a distance! :)
Sunday was a beautiful day - my car temperature registered a nice, toasty 103!!! Let me tell you this - if you've ever spent a summer in SETX, you will want to get your life straight with God! Hell's gonna be HOT! HOTTER than here! :) Bro. Hammer preached his heart out Sunday morning - admonishing us to keep our old landmarks and to stop putting pressure on him to move them or remove them! Thank God for strong men of God who will stand up and stand firm. Pray for the ministry daily! They are under siege daily by Satan and the pressures of this world. They are only human, after all, and it can be so taxing on them mentally, physically and spiritually! Bro. Cade Howard preached last night, but I didn't get to hear him because our team was serving baked potatoes and dessert ole's after church and we had to head out to the kitchen.
Since we have been studying about being a submissive wife, it has really got me stirred up. Being a submissive wife has SO MUCH material to review. It also parallels our submissiveness to God. One of the basic bonds between a husband and wife is love. This got me to thinking, so yesterday afternoon I took a few minutes to study I Corinthians Chapter 13:
I believe in the text from I Corinthians, love can be substituted for charity. However, if my heart is not right, clean, pure...it is unable to contain true charity/love. Quite a bit to think about, I should say. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. The words of David ring in my mind. What a pitiful creature I am but for the grace of God. I am thankful today for the Holy Ghost, for it's cleansing power, for the change it continually creates in me. If there be any good thing in me, all the glory goes to Him, my creator, my savior, my friend, Jesus. I am so thankful for the redeeming blood of Calvary that still flows today. Our next goal will be to memorize I Corinthians Chapter 13 in its entirety. It's good to memorize God's work and keep it safely in your heart everywhere you go.
source
K. Bye, now!
Saturday was nice, slept all the way to 9:30am! WOW! Got up, had coffee, and cleaned out my sewing space. I also cleaned out several drawers in my bedroom to make room for my fabric stash. The drawers previously held remnants of old crafts that I have not and will not use or complete. I filled up a trash bag and a box of TRASH to throw away, filled 3 bags full of stuff to bring to Goodwill, and placed a small handful of "keepers" in my closet on the shelf. This gave me 4 drawers to place my fabric stash in. I filled them to capacity!
Since this cleared up much needed space in my sewing area, I was able to re-organize my pattern collection. WHEW! I have a LOT of patterns! :) No complaints here, though! After I got that all straightened out, we completely filled my trunk up with Goodwill donations, dropped them off at the local donation center, and headed to Bridge City for another night of good food, fellowship and NERTZ! Again - I watched from a distance! :)
Sunday was a beautiful day - my car temperature registered a nice, toasty 103!!! Let me tell you this - if you've ever spent a summer in SETX, you will want to get your life straight with God! Hell's gonna be HOT! HOTTER than here! :) Bro. Hammer preached his heart out Sunday morning - admonishing us to keep our old landmarks and to stop putting pressure on him to move them or remove them! Thank God for strong men of God who will stand up and stand firm. Pray for the ministry daily! They are under siege daily by Satan and the pressures of this world. They are only human, after all, and it can be so taxing on them mentally, physically and spiritually! Bro. Cade Howard preached last night, but I didn't get to hear him because our team was serving baked potatoes and dessert ole's after church and we had to head out to the kitchen.
Since we have been studying about being a submissive wife, it has really got me stirred up. Being a submissive wife has SO MUCH material to review. It also parallels our submissiveness to God. One of the basic bonds between a husband and wife is love. This got me to thinking, so yesterday afternoon I took a few minutes to study I Corinthians Chapter 13:
Profound, no? I took the time to look up the words Charity, Love, and Heart in the Miriam-Webster dictionary. Charity is defined a "benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity". Love is defined as "strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties". Heart is defined as "one's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations; the central or innermost parts; the essential or most vital part of something". I believe in the text from I Corinthians, love can be substituted for charity. However, if my heart is not right, clean, pure...it is unable to contain true charity/love. Quite a bit to think about, I should say. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. The words of David ring in my mind. What a pitiful creature I am but for the grace of God. I am thankful today for the Holy Ghost, for it's cleansing power, for the change it continually creates in me. If there be any good thing in me, all the glory goes to Him, my creator, my savior, my friend, Jesus. I am so thankful for the redeeming blood of Calvary that still flows today. Our next goal will be to memorize I Corinthians Chapter 13 in its entirety. It's good to memorize God's work and keep it safely in your heart everywhere you go.
K. Bye, now!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Summer's here!
Today is Friday - JOY! This is going to be one busy weekend at the Barrick's as we attempt to get the house in order. It's still not back to normal after SETX Youth Conference and moving Ryan into his apartment.
I leave Wednesday for some continuing education classes in San Antonio and will head out Friday evening after my last class to Round Rock for the last 2 days of their conference. I'll be back one full week before turning around and heading off to Ink's Lake State Park for 6 glorious days of lazing in the sun and water! Can't wait!
Last night we continued on with our Bible study focusing on becoming a submissive wife. We studied a bit about what it means to be a HELP MEET to our husband. We learned that God created man first and then created us last of all when Adam could find no help meet. He needed someone to help him. Our purpose in this world is to be a help meet to our husband - to help meet HIS needs. That's our duty and we should perform that duty with all longsuffering and diligence.
We also learned about communication. How important it is to actually LISTEN to what he needs us to hear. We studied about how it's probably not the best idea to take all of our cares and burdens to him as soon as he walks in the door from a long, hard day at work, or at the end of a stressful day. Nor is it a good idea to nag him to death as soon as he wakes up, especially if he is not a morning person! :) Last of all, regarding communication, we learned how important it is to talk and plan, for the next 5 minutes and the next 5 years. Discuss where you are each at, where you are going, who you are with, ways to contact each other in the event of a change in plans.... Lack of communication on any of these levels can be at the least frustrating and maddening, and at the worst devestating and destructive.
The last thing we studied was regarding being a pastor's wife, although it actually applies to the wife of any man in any profession. It was just a quick overview of the duty of a wife towards her husband in the public eye. How to always praise and lift him up, to never chastise or speak ill of him, even in jest. How the smallest innocent comment can plant seeds of doubt and disrespect in the hearts and minds of others. We learned how important it is to stand up for him when his character is being attacked and how we need to listen to him (again, communication) and offer advise ONLY when he asks for it. And most importantly, how we must pray diligently for him - for God to use him and inspire him, for him to be rooted and grounded in truth, and to give him strength to meet the needs of those in his flock, or those who depend upon him. Most of all - pray that God will protect and guide him safely day to day.
One note that I need to make...I did not do all of this major research on my own. Outside of searching the scriptures, there are a few blogs which inspire me and provide profound insight. I take what I want and leave what I don't - although it is rare, I don't always agree wholeheartedly and there is sometimes a difference in faith/beliefs. Nevertheless, I wanted to provide their links here so you can enjoy them, too.
Raising Homemakers
The Purposeful Mom
A Cherished Keeper
Simply Helping Him
Enjoy! K. Bye, now!
I leave Wednesday for some continuing education classes in San Antonio and will head out Friday evening after my last class to Round Rock for the last 2 days of their conference. I'll be back one full week before turning around and heading off to Ink's Lake State Park for 6 glorious days of lazing in the sun and water! Can't wait!
Last night we continued on with our Bible study focusing on becoming a submissive wife. We studied a bit about what it means to be a HELP MEET to our husband. We learned that God created man first and then created us last of all when Adam could find no help meet. He needed someone to help him. Our purpose in this world is to be a help meet to our husband - to help meet HIS needs. That's our duty and we should perform that duty with all longsuffering and diligence.
We also learned about communication. How important it is to actually LISTEN to what he needs us to hear. We studied about how it's probably not the best idea to take all of our cares and burdens to him as soon as he walks in the door from a long, hard day at work, or at the end of a stressful day. Nor is it a good idea to nag him to death as soon as he wakes up, especially if he is not a morning person! :) Last of all, regarding communication, we learned how important it is to talk and plan, for the next 5 minutes and the next 5 years. Discuss where you are each at, where you are going, who you are with, ways to contact each other in the event of a change in plans.... Lack of communication on any of these levels can be at the least frustrating and maddening, and at the worst devestating and destructive.
The last thing we studied was regarding being a pastor's wife, although it actually applies to the wife of any man in any profession. It was just a quick overview of the duty of a wife towards her husband in the public eye. How to always praise and lift him up, to never chastise or speak ill of him, even in jest. How the smallest innocent comment can plant seeds of doubt and disrespect in the hearts and minds of others. We learned how important it is to stand up for him when his character is being attacked and how we need to listen to him (again, communication) and offer advise ONLY when he asks for it. And most importantly, how we must pray diligently for him - for God to use him and inspire him, for him to be rooted and grounded in truth, and to give him strength to meet the needs of those in his flock, or those who depend upon him. Most of all - pray that God will protect and guide him safely day to day.
One note that I need to make...I did not do all of this major research on my own. Outside of searching the scriptures, there are a few blogs which inspire me and provide profound insight. I take what I want and leave what I don't - although it is rare, I don't always agree wholeheartedly and there is sometimes a difference in faith/beliefs. Nevertheless, I wanted to provide their links here so you can enjoy them, too.
Raising Homemakers
The Purposeful Mom
A Cherished Keeper
Simply Helping Him
Enjoy! K. Bye, now!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Communication
My God is Awesome/He can move mountains/Keep me in the valley/Hide me from the rain
My God is Awesome/Heals me when I’m broken/Strength where I’ve been weakened/
Forever He will reign…
My God is Awesome/Savior of the whole world/Giver of Salvation/By His stripes I am healed
My God is Awesome/Today I am forgiven/His grace is why I’m living/Praise His Holy name
This was the song that was playing on the radio on my drive in to work this morning. What a wonderful, refreshing way to begin my day!
Last night the girls and I began a new bible study on becoming a submissive wife according to God's divine plan. Kirstyn had been busy cleaning the kitchen and eating her 2 cups of veggies (why she didn't eat them earlier with her meal, I'll never know!) while Malissia ran back and forth from my room to her bedroom to check her phone and see if she got a text or missed call from "someone special"! The cat continuously purred and bumped his forehead against anything he thought might scratch him. I have no idea where the dog was.... Finally they settled down enough to concentrate. They piled up on my bed, leaving me no choice but to curl up in the recliner! :)
I can see that this will be no small bible study, but will encompass many aspects of the wife's daily role as a help meet to her husband, a mother to her children and a worker for the Lord. If we are not submissive to God how can we ever hope to be submissive to our husband? The first step towards following that plan is to have a direct line of communication. To completely understand what is needed, required, in a relationship - what each party expects - they need to be able to talk.
To me, the most important line of communication is between myself and God. Prayer. It is the basis, the most fundamental part, of a relationship with Christ. The scriptures give us many examples of prayer - when to pray, where to pray, how to pray, who to pray for, what to pray for...the most single example of this is the Lord's Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13. He does not ask us to "repeat after him" this simple prayer, rather he asks that we pray "after this manner". Clearly verse 7 states, "but when you pray, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathen do...."
I explained to the girls that I like to review the Lord's Prayer in my mind as I pray - it helps me stay focused on the many things I need to touch on while I pray. Clearly it shows that the beginning and ending of each prayer is to be used to glorify and magnify God, to give Him praise for who He is. I petition God for my needs and the needs of others, for forgiveness and for grace to forgive others. I pray for strength for my trials and temptations, for deliverance of the cares in this life that plague me. When I end my prayer in praise to Him, it gives me such a sweet chance to worship and glorify Him. I've never heard God speak audibly to me, but I have heard him speak to my heart, known Him to change my mind and thoughts, felt Him fill my soul with peace and joy and love. Nothing compares to the joy of the Holy Ghost when it floods your soul.
Many times in my life, through prayer He has been able to show me myself, in all of my imperfections and misconceptions. He has shown me that most of the time it's not the other person at fault, it's me. He has given me opportunity to make right wrongs I committed, even unknowingly. He answers my prayers. I've seen miracles time and again. Healings of the body, of marriages, of lives and souls that were on the verge of destruction. I've seen him provide when jobs were lost, money was insufficient, and needs seemed impossible to meet. All answers to prayers. Had I not prayed and made supplication to Him, He wouldn't have been able to show these things to me and I would not have the faith in Him that I cherish.
To me, this is very similar to the communication between a husband and wife. It is imperative that your relationship is such that you can begin and end your day uplifting and encouraging each other. All throughout the day you should be able to go to each other with needs and concerns and be able to listen to each other, even constructive criticism, to become more what the other needs and more firmly establish yourselves to each other. Marriage is a bond like no other and to be able to talk and nurture each other is a gift that keeps on giving and growing.
That being said, I gave them their first challenge - to find a way to incorporate prayer into their daily lives so that it becomes an integral part of their day. They need to have a plan, a goal, by tonight. Then we will discuss implementing that plan immediately. I can't wait to see where this will take us. What an exciting journey it will be. I love my daughters, and my son, unconditionally and with my whole heart. It is my utmost desire that they live for God first and have a loving, lifelong marriage second and a fulfilled, happy family and life third.
K. Bye, now.
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